The Sonoran Desert rises 2,000 feet above sea level in southern Arizona, where steep mountain ranges frame broad valleys. Saguaro and organ pipe cacti stretch their thorny arms toward the crystal blue skies. Hummingbirds, warblers and cranes swarm through
desert habitats and wetlands on annual migrations. Longhorn cattle roam vast ranges.
This unique natural landscape provides a dramatic backdrop for Arizona’s second-largest city. With a population nearing 1 million, Tucson is booming. Plans are under way for a major redevelopment project in the city’s downtown, pending final approval.
In the works are a renovation of the existing convention center and the construction of a new 12,000-seat arena in downtown. A 707-room Sheraton hotel will be built next to the convention center.
Just outside the city, The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain (the company’s largest branded resort-residential community development) is under construction. The $160 million project, including two golf courses, two ballrooms and a 17,000-square-foot spa, is slated for completion in 2009.
In other area hotel news, Westward Look Resort recently finished an upgrade of its guest rooms, lobby and ballrooms as the first part of a two-phase renovation, and Loews Ventana Canyon Resort recently unveiled an additional 10,000 square feet of meeting space, bringing its total to 47,000 square feet. Additionally, the nearby Tubac Golf Resort & Spa completed an expansion last fall that included 30 additional haciendas and a 4,000-square-foot spa.
Graeme Hughes, the Metropolitan Tucson CVB’s director of convention sales, says the destination’s combination of natural and manmade attributes can’t be beat.
“Take that natural setting, the open space, authenticity and uniqueness, and put it with a vibrant destination with world-class resorts and world-renowned golf courses,” Hughes says. “Add a culture that embraces the Native American cultures, the Southwest Mexican-American cultures and the Anglo cowboy culture and you get a great dynamic.”
Southern Arizona’s topography and natural light are so dramatic they inspire famed artists and photographers. The Wall Street Journal called Tucson a “mini-mecca for the arts.” Centuries-old Native American petroglyphs decorate boulders and rock walls. Galleries in Tucson and nearby Tubac display gorgeous baskets, pottery and paintings using indigenous materials and ancient designs created by the descendents of the ancient artists. Paintings evoking the Wild West are displayed among the collections at the Tucson Museum of Art, set amid a historic block with five houses built between the mid-1850s and 1907. The museum offers outdoor spaces for events of up to 1,000 people, a lobby accommodating 200 people and exhibit halls that can be used for gatherings.
“Tucson is authentic, [offering] a cultural experience and a whole element that goes beyond the traditional,” Hughes says, adding that its outdoor attributes are just as appealing.
Unique options include mountain biking through Saguaro National Monument and taking advantage of area guest ranches, which offer horseback riding, cowboy breakfasts and dinners, and even cattle drives.
Many resorts are located beside national parks and mountains and provide ample outdoor experiences and spotlight the surrounding natural beauty. At the Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa, architects preserved more than 8,000 mature, century-old saguaro cacti while designing the Spanish Colonial-style resort in the Santa Catalina Mountains foothills. Indoor meeting spaces have huge windows overlooking the scenery, and more than 11,000 square feet of pool decks and terraces are available for events. The resort’s Catalina Basin, a grassy haven tucked into the foothills, provides an additional 12,000-square-foot function space for outdoor events.
Southwest Arizona’s diverse outdoor venues “put a little energy and diversity into meetings,” Hughes says.
Meanwhile, museums, missions and parks around Tubac, Rio Rico and other nearby communities provide unique options for excursions and events. Tombstone, the “Town Too Tough to Die,” hosts barbecues complete with Wild West shootouts. Bisbee offers copper-mining excursions. Oro Valley in the Tucson suburbs combines cattle ranches and championship golf courses.
“The juxtapositions become complementary,” Hughes says. “You can start out in a desert environment and end up in an oasis. There’s an inspirational element here.”
