Happenings

• The Phoenix Convention Center (800.282.4842; www.ci.phoenix.az.us) will finish a $600 million expansion in December that will triple its size to nearly 900,000 square feet of rentable space and more than 2 million square feet of total space.
  
  
• Sheraton Phoenix Downtown (602.262.2500; www.starwoodhotels.com) is slated to open in October with 1,000 guest rooms, 80,000 square feet of meeting space and a 6,500-square-foot fitness center and spa.

Scottsdale

• W Scottsdale Hotel and Residences (480.970.2100; www.starwood.com), Arizona’s first W Hotel, is nearing completion and slated to open in downtown Scottsdale in August. The property will feature 224 guest rooms, a spa, 18 luxury residences, a 3,500-square-foot ballroom, a 2,000-square-foot outdoor terrace, and three meeting rooms.
  
  
• InterContinental Hotels Group is scheduled to open the InterContinental Montelucia Resort & Spa (602.956.9400; www.montelucia.com) in September, following a $250 million renovation of the former La Posada Resort. The resort will feature 293 guest rooms and suites and a 31,000-square-foot spa, as well as meeting facilities, including two ballrooms and 14 breakout rooms.
  
  
• 1 Hotel and Residences (www.1hotels.com ) will open in downtown Scottsdale in fall 2009 and feature 207 units as well as a spa and rooftop garden.
  
  
• The $1.5 billion Ritz-Carlton Community, a mixed-use project, is being developed on the border of Scottsdale and Paradise Valley and will include The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton, Paradise Valley (703.941.6225; www.ritzcarlton.com) resort hotel, with 225 guest rooms, a 25,000-square-foot spa and 14,600 square feet of meeting space. The hotel is slated for completion in 2010.
  
  
• The Phoenician (480.941.8200; www.thephoenician.com) completed a $70 million renovation in June. Highlights include a $5.5 million renovation of the Canyon Suites, a boutique resort within a resort. The property’s 647 guest rooms also received a makeover, and ground was broken in June on a 42,000-square-foot conference facility and ballroom located at the base of Camelback Mountain. Scheduled to open in October 2009, the $40 million conference facility will feature a 15,000-square-foot ballroom and a veranda for outdoor breakout sessions and receptions.
  
  
• Hilton Scottsdale Resort & Villas (480.948.7750; www.hiltonscottsdalevillas.com) recently reopened 45 villas after being closed for nine years and completing a $10 million renovation. The newly modernized Hilton Scottsdale Villas feature nine clusters of five two-bedroom, two-bath villas that each measure 1,600 to 1,800 square feet.
  
  
• The Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North (480.515.5700; www.fourseasons.com/scottsdale) completed a $17 million renovation in January that included a complete casita guest room and suite makeover, as well as a transformation of the lobby, lobby lounge and signature restaurant.
  
  
• Camelback Inn, A JW Marriott Resort & Spa (480.948.1700; www.camelbackinn.com) is nearing completion of a $45 million renovation, which includes a new 20,000-square-foot ballroom, an Arizona Discovery Room focusing on the region’s history and upgraded guest rooms.

• Embassy Suites Phoenix-Tempe (480.897.7444; www.embassysuitestempe.com) recently finished a multimillion-dollar renovation of its 224 two-room guest suites. The hotel also has 10,000 square feet of meeting space.
  
  
• The Fiesta Resort Conference Center (480.967.1441; www.fiestaresortcc.com) opened a 30,000-square-foot conference center in January. The center features a 7,500-square-foot ballroom, three additional meeting rooms ranging in size from 1,100 square feet to 1,300 square feet, a permanent boardroom seating 22 people, two outdoor covered patios, and a 5,800-square-foot lobby for receptions.
  
  
• Four Points by Sheraton Tempe (480.968.3451; www.fourpointstempe.com) opened in April after a $10 million renovation of a former Holiday Inn. The hotel offers 187 guest rooms and 4,000 square feet of meeting space.
  
  
• Sheraton Phoenix Airport Hotel Tempe (480.967.6600; www.sheraton.com/phoenixairport) completed a $7 million renovation last year, which included enhancements to guest rooms and meeting space.

• Mesa Convention Center (480.644.2178; www.mesaconventioncenter.com) spent the past year undergoing renovations of its 40,000-square-foot facility. The center features 19,000 square feet of exhibit space, along with an additional 19,000 square feet of flexible meeting space.
  
  
• Mesa Riverview, Mesa’s newest large-scale retail and tourism development, recently announced the addition of a four-story, 150-room Hyatt Place (888.492.8847; www.hyattplace.com). The property, scheduled to open in 2009, will complement the 250-acre development located along the Rio Salado corridor.

• Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa (602.225.0100; www.wildhorsepassresort.com) recently broke ground on a meeting space expansion, set for completion in June 2009. The expansion will add 35,300 square feet of meeting space to the resort and feature a 15,000-square-foot ballroom, two additional meeting rooms and a foyer offering 8,900 square feet of prefunction space.

• Hilton Sedona Resort & Spa (928.284.4040; www.hilton.com) completed more than $4 million in renovations in March. The project included guest room upgrades and a spa and fitness center redesign.