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Scottsdale begins tracking international visitors
Scottsdale remains a tourist destination of choice—a fact confirmed in a recently released tourism study conducted by the city. According to the 2019 Scottsdale Tourism Study Visitor Statistics Report, the city saw an increase in visitors over the prior year, hosting about 200,000 more overnight and day trip visitors in 2018, totaling 9.1 million, compared to 8.9 million in 2017. This was also the first study to include international overnight visitors—estimated to be about 1.7 million in 2018. “It’s a very important group of travelers to consider. Data shows us international travelers typically stay longer based on where they traveled from and tend to spend more,” says Karen Churchard, Scottsdale’s tourism and events director. “We’ve now created a baseline in this report that will give us the resources to track those trends and have that valuable data available.” In 2018, visitors spent an estimated $2.1 billion in Scottsdale, compared to $1.6 billion in 2017. Their direct spending created an annual economic impact of $3.1 billion in revenue to local businesses, an increase from $2.4 billion in 2017. In conjunction with the Visitor Statistics Report, Scottsdale studies lodging trends using bed tax collection figures, which are consistently tracked and readily available. The Scottsdale Tourism Study Lodging Report looks specifically at trends in bed tax collection, room inventory, average room rates, occupancy rates and other factors related to lodging trends. It includes tax receipt figures that reflect actual sales tax and bed tax collections during the previous month and data that’s based primarily on properties located within Scottsdale. Top 10 activities for Scottsdale visitors in 2018 were shopping, upscale dining, nightclubs, historic sites and landmarks, swimming, state parks, museums, casinos, hiking and golf. Info: scottsdaleaz.gov, search “tourism”
WhaleBay House, a private residence in Kerikeri, New Zealand, designed by David HoveyJr., took home the 2019 American Architecture Award in the private homescategory. (Photo courtesy Optima)
Optima architect David Hovey Jr. wins awards Architect David Hovey Jr., AIA, president and principal architect of the luxury real estate development firm Optima, was internationally recognized with two prestigious awards honoring his proprietary Optima DCHGlobal modular building system including the 2019 Architecture MasterPrize and the 2019 American Architecture Award. Hovey’s Arizona Courtyard House, a private residence in Paradise Valley, won the 2019 Architecture MasterPrize for Architectural Design/Residential Architecture. Completed in 2017, the home was built in less than five months using the Optima DCHGlobal system that Hovey Jr. patented, and demonstrates the flexibility of the system to create a home of linear volumes. The site is strategically arranged to define a private courtyard, with the main house to the south and east, a fitness center and lap pool to the north, and serene mountain views to the west. Whale Bay House, a private residence
in Kerikeri, New Zealand also designed by Hovey Jr., took home the 2019 American Architecture Award in the private homes category, which is among the organization’s top honors. Designed using his Optima DCHGlobal modular housing system, the home is situated on a 50-acre site overlooking Whale Bay and sits lightly on the land with cantilevered floors that minimize sight disruption and connect to nature through dissolving the division of interior and exterior space. In 2018, Whale Bay House also won the Architecture MasterPrize for Architectural Design/Residential Architecture and Architecture Magazine’s 2018 Residential Architect Design Award. “Both the American Architecture Awards and the Architecture Masterprize have a reputation of year after year awarding the best of the best in American and international architecture and it’s an honor to be a recipient,” Hovey Jr. says. Info: optimaweb.com.
HomeSmart opens Jupiter, Florida, franchise Scottsdale-based HomeSmart International expanded its 100% commission brokerage model with the opening of HomeSmart Horizons in Jupiter, Florida. Broker and owner Joshua Farber has 16 years of experience in real estate and decided to update his business by opening a HomeSmart franchise. “While many other firms are just beginning to offer or develop their technology base, HomeSmart has been a leader in real estate technology for several years and is what their agent success platform is based on,” Farber says. “HomeSmart is
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continuously at the forefront of innovation to support its agents’ success, which ensures buyers and sellers always experience positive results.” HomeSmart Horizons agents keep 100% of their commission while having access to free training, a suite of marketing tools, proprietary transaction management software and exceptional broker support. The company is part of the nationallyranked HomeSmart International brand that has more than 17,000 real estate agents, across 30 states. Info: josh@homesmarthorizons.com. …continues on page 16