Tempe Town Lake
“It is a point of pride how closely we work with our clientele to understand their individual needs and match them with the right businesses and resources in the destination.” —Kelli Blubaum, Vice President of Sales and Services, Experience Scottsdale
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On the lodging front, a classic Valley of the Sun hospitality experience awaits at The Phoenician, a Luxury Collection Resort — the only Forbes Five Star and AAA Five Diamond hotel in the greater Phoenix area. The property has begun the third phase of its enhancement project, which includes the construction of a new Athletic Club, with completion expected by March 2018. A 10-month redesign of the golf course, which will be reconfigured from 27 to 18 holes, begins in January. Other notable hotel upgrades include the following: • A $12 million renovation of the former Scottsdale Inn, reopening this fall as Hotel Adeline. The 213-room property will offer an 1,800-sq.-ft. ballroom among its function spaces. • The opening of a new innovative break station, the General Store & Trading Post, at the Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch, A Destination Hotel. • A recently completed $1.4 million renovation of The Tower, the Hotel Valley Ho’s “hotel within a hotel.” • The JW Marriott Camelback Inn Scottsdale’s addition of 35,000 sq. ft. of meeting space. Expected to be completed by June 2018, the expansion will bring the total meeting space to 95,000 sq. ft.
TEMPE
Easily accessible to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is Tempe, a budget-friendly option for small to midsize groups (10-500 attendees). The town offers memorable physical activities, 20
such as hiking in the Sonoran Desert, but also an intellectual and cultural atmosphere given the presence of Arizona State University. The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed ASU Gammage is home to Broadway productions and offers its 3,011-capacity performance venue for group rental. The 303-room Tempe Mission Palms, the only full-service hotel in the downtown, is located near two Valley Metro Rail stops with connections to Phoenix, the airport and the ASU Tempe Campus. The hotel’s 30,000 sq. ft. of IACC-certified meeting space includes the Palm Ballroom, accommodating up to 720 guests with banquet-style seating.
TUCSON
Another affordable meeting site in the area is Tucson, whose SMG-operated convention center offers over 205,000 sq. ft. of meeting space and catering by SAVOR…Tucson. Entertainment is plentiful here with the accompanying Tucson Arena, Tucson Music Hall and Leo Rich Theater. Planners can now bring groups to a new Marriott property in Tucson, the 136-room AC Hotel Tucson Downtown. The hotel is suitable for small groups, with four function rooms totaling 1,847 sq. ft. During free time in Tucson, attendees can take in a University of Arizona sports event and conduct a dine-around among the 40 locally owned downtown restaurants that helped Tucson become a UNESCO “City of Gastronomy.” Several new developments in the city are sure to enrich the experience for delegates even more. City Park, scheduled to open in mid-2018, will offer a food hall, two anchor restaurants, bowling alley, private event space and a 2,600-sq.-ft. outdoor deck for conferences or concerts. In addition, the region’s oldest and largest visual arts institution, the Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block, began a renovation in June that will increase the museum’s capacity to exhibit its permanent collection and support blockbuster exhibitions. And for fans of climate-controlled golf, Topgolf opens its third Arizona location late this year. The three-level venue will feature 1,500 sq. ft. of private event space and 72 hitting bays that can host up to six players at a time. But arguably, nothing beats the great Southwestern outdoors, and golf aficionados will not want to miss the scenic, Tom Faziodesigned courses at The Lodge at Ventana Canyon. The views of the Santa Catalina mountains and Esperrero Canyon are among the most inspiring in Tucson, and Arizona itself. Facilities & destinations 2017 Summer / Fall