The Arizona sister cities prepare for another great season with new hotel openings and updated meeting spaces
This year is a big year for the state of Arizona:
In addition to turning 100 years old, the cities of Phoenix and
Scottsdale are seeing massive investments in hospitality and
meeting spaces. First, the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess is
gearing up to debut its new $20-million, 52,331-square-foot
conference center in October. The facility will feature the new
23,000-square-foot Palomino Ballroom, which will sport a
Southwestern theme. The conference center will bump up the
Fairmont's total meeting space to approximately 150,000 square feet.
Meanwhile, the month of June saw the opening of the 242-room
Hotel Palomar Phoenix, located in CityScape, the city's
downtown dining, shopping, and entertainment complex. The hotel
features more than 10,000 square feet of flexible meeting
space, including 10 meeting rooms and an outdoor pool deck.
Also this summer, the 235-room Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale
began construction on a new meeting room and adjoining
hospitality suite. The meeting room will feature 760 square
feet of space and a 320-square-foot patio, while the
hospitality suite will measure 930 square feet and boast a
760-square-foot wraparound terrace. This will bring the hotel's
total indoor and outdoor meeting space to 37,500 square feet.
The Phoenician, an AAA-Five Diamond golf and spa resort in
Scottsdale, recently completed a $4-million renovation of its
25 suites (of 643 rooms total), capping off a larger
$80-million investment project that also included the debut of
its 15,000-square-foot Camelback Ballroom in October 2010. The
property's Grand Ballroom also underwent renovations this
summer that included new wall sconces, a movable wall, updated
A/V controls, and design enhancements.
The 155-room Courtyard Phoenix Camelback Hotel recently
completed a $1.75-million renovation of its lobby, fitness
center, restaurant, and other spaces. The property features
three meeting rooms with a total of 1,695 square feet of
meeting space.
The Royal Palms Resort and Spa in Scottsdale underwent a
$1.2-million renovation of its fitness center and 30
bungalow-style rooms this summer, expected to be completed this
month. The 153-room property features about 20,500 square feet
of indoor and outdoor meeting space.
Meanwhile, the Venue Scottsdale, one of the area's premier
meeting spaces, recently unveiled a $1-million renovation, that
included upgraded design elements and a grass roof covering. At
the end of the year, The Venue Scottsdale will also see the
opening of the adjacent V2 (pronounced "V squared"), an
8,000-square-foot addition that will serve as a public lounge.
V2 will bring The Venue Scottsdale's total capacity up to 2,000
guests.
Phoenix and Scottsdale also saw the openings of several new
restaurants. In May, chef Aaron May opened laid-back eatery,
Praying Monk. The restaurant offers 20 brews on tap and
countless other bottled beers and features a menu of comfort
foods with a twist.
This summer also saw the opening of Brat Haus, an artisanal
sausage and craft beer restaurant. Created by restaurateur Dave
Andrea and local chef Payton Curry, Brat Haus offers a variety
of grilled sausages, all of which are made either in-house or
locally. Traditional options abound, but adventurous diners can
try exotic sausages like habanero chicken, wild boar, and
rattlesnake.