One of the Southwest's most popular meetings destinations is giving groups more reasons than ever to bring their meetings to Scottsdale. From new properties to renovations to existing hotels, there is a great deal happening in this meetings hot spot.
In December 2016, Hyatt's Andaz brand unveiled the 22-acre Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Spa, with 201 bungalow-style rooms. Amenities include the Palo Verde Spa & Apothecary, which focuses on locally sourced botanicals, and a signature restaurant overlooking Camelback Mountain. The property offers more than 46,000 square feet of meeting and event space.
A new resort opened in Paradise Valley last April. The 183-room Mountain Shadows was developed in partnership with Westroc Hospitality, which manages two well-known, high-end properties in the area: Hotel Valley Ho and the Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort. Mountain Shadows features 12,500 square feet of indoor event space and another 25,000 square feet of outdoor space. The golf course next door, Mountain Shadows Golf Club, also received a redesign of its Short Course.
The newly opened Hotel Adeline is a 213-room boutique property with a contemporary-yet-bohemian vibe set on 4.5 acres. It offers more than 10,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space, including a 1,700-square-foot ballroom and a 345-square-foot boardroom. Other amenities include a 3,000-square-foot, zero-edge pool with a 2,200-square-foot deck and an adjoining lawn, and several dining venues.
Under construction and scheduled to open by the end of the year, the new Ritz-Carlton Paradise Valley will be a 200-room luxury property featuring spectacular views of Camelback Mountain, a 20,000-square-foot spa featuring a citrus orchard, and a 400-foot-long pool, claimed to be the longest in North America. The property will have 20,000 square feet of meeting space. Right next door, work is underway on The Palmeraie, a high-end, mixed-use development featuring dining, nightlife, and more than 60 luxury boutiques.
Five area resorts are also undergoing or have recently completed renovations, among them the downtown Scottdale Hotel Valley Ho, which wrapped a redesign of all rooms in its Tower hotel-within-a-hotel. Along with luxurious appointments, these rooms and suites have full kitchens and washer/dryers.
Located at the base of Camelback mountain, The Phoenician, a Luxury Collection Resort, Scottsdale, is wrapping up phase three of a major renovation project. The AAA Five Diamond, 250-acre resort recently completed renovations of its 625 rooms, suites, and casitas. It expects to complete a new, two-story athletic club next month, featuring a tennis center, basketball court, an arcade, and movie screening room, and 4,600-square-foot fitness center. The Phoenician is also embarking on a major reconfiguration of its golf course, which is being pared from 27 holes back to 18. It offers about 160,000 square feet of meeting and event space.
The Royal Palms Resort and Spa is working on a renovation of the décor and soft goods in its 119 guest rooms and its 1,700-square-foot Presidential Suite, following up on recent improvements to the pool, event lawns, and landscaping. Renovations were also done to parts of the resort's 20,000 square feet of meeting and event space.
The 326-room Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch, A Destination Hotel, has undergone renovations that include major changes to its three presidential suites and the opening of General Store & Trading Post, a boutique-like market and break area designed with meeting attendee and business travelers in mind. Along with snacks and light noshes, it includes communal space and a UPS store. Over the past three years, the resort has completed an $11 million renovation of its landscaping, dining venues, and 50,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event spaces. Last fall, the 150-room Hampton Inn & Suites Scottsdale Shea opened near the airport, downtown, and Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall.
Recent additions to the entertainment and venue scene include the Pangaea Land of Dinosaurs, an educational theme park within the $200 million OdySea in the Desert complex, featuring a wide variety of event spaces from which to choose. Options include dining in the heart of a 200,000-gallon tank full of sharks, rays, and sea turtles, or with the colorful inhabitants of the Reef Jewels exhibit. The facility can host up to 2,800 guests with a full buyout.
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This article appears in the February 2018 issue of Successful Meetings.