Southwest to End Canada Connections

Arizona
Always Grand

by DANA ENFINGER

· Arizona is the kind of place groups could visit again and again and each time take away something different. There are new offerings in and around every corner of the Grand Canyon State, in addition to greater values than ever for groups, whether they want to explore desert flora and fauna, tour cliff dwellings, get pampered at a spa, chill on a houseboat or play in a wintry wonderland.

Greater Phoenix
Phoenix, in the heart of the Valley of the Sun, is coming off of a $1 billion investment in its expanded Phoenix Convention Center and the 1,000-room Sheraton Phoenix Downtown. And a lot of changes are still taking shape.

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Sponsor

The Scottsdale Plaza Resort

With more than 30,000 square feet of flexible meeting facilities in the shadow of Camelback Mountain, The Scottsdale Plaza Resort is the place for productive meetings. From off-site event planning and ground transportation to unique team-building events, your Plaza Planner will ensure a flawless, productive meeting. With 404 spacious guest rooms, including 70 Villa, Patio and Bi-level suites and 10 Executive Lodge Suites, The Plaza is ready for groups of any size.

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Native American Gaming
A Safer Bet

by TONY BARTLETT

· While economic conditions have hardly been conducive to growth, Native American casino projects continue to debut in the West. A number of developments placed on hold are already under way again, although in scaled-down versions.

New large-scale casino resorts are opening in Arizona. Washington’s newest casino hotel debuted in December. Among new developments, two casino hotels will open this year in California, the country’s top Native American casino revenue producer.

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Sponsor

Sanctuary Camelback Mountain

Meet on the mountaintop and take advantage of two exciting new venues. Praying Monk, with slideaway glass walls, is perfect for indoor/outdoor events for up to 100. XII is the spectacular new private chef’s table offering a personalized journey in the kitchen for up to 12 guests. Book a meeting at Sanctuary by Sept. 30, and enjoy a private Mountainside Estate free—perfect for a VIP to enjoy throughout your event—plus receive 15 percent off catering, audiovisual and spa. Certain restrictions apply.

Visit www.sanctuaryaz.com for more information.

Site Scene

California

· W Hollywood opened recently with 305 guest rooms, including W’s signature WOW Suites and the Extreme WOW Suite—a presidential suite. The hotel is part of a $600 million complex at the Hollywood and Vine Metro stop across from the Pantages Theatre. The hotel also offers a 6,000-square-foot Bliss Spa and over 25,000 square feet of event space, including 10,000 square feet of meeting space, as well as a 15,000-square-foot grand ballroom. There is also a 24-hour business center. W Hollywood is registered for LEED Silver certification and offers an expansive open-air rooftop pool deck, bar and the nightclub Drai’s Hollywood. On-site is Station Hollywood, an al fresco outdoor lounge equipped with a 600-square-foot drop-down cinema-style screen, fire pits and an outdoor bar. For more information, call 323.798.1300 or visit www.starwoodhotels.com.

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Meetings West is now available in Digital Format!

Each issue contains content unavailable in our monthly print issues, so be sure to log in. Our additional format allows us to augment the ink-and-paper effort with a variety of expanded features along with active URLs and other interactive features. This digital distribution channel can also be shared electronically through the Internet, which opens up a whole new world of readers—participants, really—for all of our content. This month's issue features an On Location interview with MPI chief Bruce MacMillan at MeetDifferent in Cancun by Maria Lenhart, content director, features, for Meetings Media. The video coverage continues in the Colorado section with a segment featuring Zack Strober, with Denver DMC The Arrangers, who fills planners in on some key off-site opportunities in The Mile High City’s vibrant LoDo district, such as pub crawls, progressive dinners and the recent availability of the historic clock tower on the 16th Street Mall for events.

Click here to view our Meetings West digital edition.