If art is the ability to find beauty in everyday things, Tucson is cheating.
Spread across nearly 500 square miles, the Arizona city's technicolor sunrises and sunsets bookend days of big, blue skies sitting above the rugged yet gorgeous Sonoran Desert and the surrounding mountain ranges, such as the Rincon and Santa Rita. It doesn't require much skill with a paintbrush or camera to capture the breathtaking natural beauty of Tucson.
But the city's attractions do not end with the skyline. "Meetings planners have more options than ever before in where to hold their event," says Brent DeRaad, president and CEO of Visit Tucson. "But we find that once a planner visits Tucson, they fall in love. Not just with the hotels, resorts, and ballrooms, but with the borderlands culture and soul of our city."
Aside from the Saguaro cactus--spotted desert vistas, DeRaad points to "unique off-site meetings opportunities and a food culture that earned us the first UNESCO City of Gastronomy designation in America. Tucson is an unforgettable place to hold unforgettable meetings."
That title puts Tucson in a select yet diverse group that includes Parma, Italy, and Chengdu, China. About 70 miles from the Mexican border, the city draws on a diverse culinary heritage with Mexican and Native influences, incorporating local delicacies such as the fiery and smoky chiltepin pepper, mesquite flour from the tree's dried and ground buds, and the flower buds of Cholla cactus. The city's chefs -- including two James Beard Award winners -- also know how to use them.
The city has a strong arts scene and a vibrant nightlife in neighborhoods like Main Gate near the University of Arizona, Fourth Avenue, and downtown's Congress Street -- all of which are served by the two-year-old Sun Link Tucson Streetcar, which also connects to the Tucson Convention Center, University of Arizona, and the up-and-coming Mercado District.
On the accommodations front, Marriott is bringing two new properties to downtown Tucson next year: the 137-room AC Hotel by Marriott, opening early next year, and the 213-room Tucson Residence Inn by Marriott Hotel. Recent renovations include the Loews Ventana Canyon resort, with 398 rooms and nearly 80,000 square feet of meeting and event space, 37,000 square feet of it indoors. The Hacienda Del Sol Guest Ranch Resort has doubled its capacity with the addition of 32 new guest rooms. It has more than 12,000 square feet of indoor meeting and event space, as well as a variety of outdoor facilities.
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This article appears in the January 2017 issue of Successful Meetings.