Arizona’s Sonoran Desert is an ever-evolving canvas for one of the world’s finest collections of resorts and visitor attractions. It is also a timeless region where ancient cultural traditions and an awe-inspiring geological landscape are never far beyond luxury spas and championship golf courses.
Although sharing a stunning desert environment and sunny climate, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Sedona and other local communities each have unique attributes for the meetings market. Groups of all interests, sizes and budget requirements will find fertile ground for what they need.
Phoenix
Phoenix is both the big-city hub of the Valley of the Sun and a stellar resort destination in its own right. As its name suggests, Phoenix has experienced an astonishing rise in recent years, transforming an almost nonexistent downtown core into a major-league destination with an expanded convention center, a new headquarters hotel, the nation’s newest light rail system and plenty to see and do after sessions are adjourned.
The centerpiece of downtown is Phoenix Civic Plaza, where the Phoenix Convention Center now offers nearly 900,000 square feet of space and is large enough to accommodate about 90 percent of conventions held in the U.S. A long-awaited third convention headquarters hotel, the 1,000-room Sheraton Phoenix, completed the package in fall 2008, joining the nearby Hyatt Regency Phoenix and Wyndham Phoenix Downtown.
"It’s put us on the map," says Kevin Kamenzind, vice president of sales and marketing for the Greater Phoenix CVB. "Prior to the expanded convention center and new hotel, we were able to compete at best on a second- or third-tier level. In the first year of the expansion, we hosted 310,000 delegates. The closest we’d come to that was 133,000 in 2002."
The Phoenix area also includes large meetings properties such as the Arizona Biltmore, part of the Waldorf Astoria Collection; Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa; JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa; and Arizona Grand Resort.
Off-site venues and entertainment options abound in and around Civic Plaza, including Symphony Hall, Herberger Theater Center and the historic Orpheum Theater. Outstanding museums include the Arizona Science Center, Phoenix Art Museum and Heard Museum, while Chase Field and US Airways Center offer major sports events and areas for large gatherings.
Upcoming developments in downtown Phoenix include CityScape, a mixed-use complex that will include the 250-room Hotel Palomar, a Kimpton property scheduled to open late next year. Restaurants, shops, offices and a bowling center are also part of CityScape.
This year is bringing some good news, but also some challenges for meetings business in the Phoenix area, according to Kamenzind. While resort meetings are rebounding as the economy improves and the AIG Effect abates, the Arizona immigration law controversy—causing some groups to boycott Arizona—is a cause for concern, he says.
"We’re feeling the effects of the boycott, so we’re doing our best to educate planners about the situation here," he says. "We want planners to know that we’re open for business, that conventions are coming in and having good attendance. We’re still the same destination that we’ve always been—a welcoming and open community."
Scottsdale
With an unbeatable combination of top-quality resorts and an increasingly hip and happening downtown core, Scottsdale has what it takes to appeal to just about every kind of meeting.
Despite the AIG Effect and controversy over Arizona’s impending immigration law, Scottsdale is experiencing an uptick in demand this year, according to Brent DeRaad, executive vice president of the Scottsdale CVB.
"We’re very excited about the strength of our meetings business so far this year—our occupancy was up over 11 percent during our January through April peak season," he says. "Room rates, according to Smith Travel Research, are still down about 7 percent, but seeing this growth in demand is very important to us."
While noting that companies remain concerned with perception issues surrounding resort meetings, DeRaad says many organizations have been eager to take advantage of the good deals properties are offering.
"What we’re seeing is that with the values for the past year, planners have recognized that they can meet affordably in Scottsdale," he says.
Regarding the immigration controversy, DeRaad says some business has been lost in Scottsdale, including at least four meetings that were cancelled.
"Other companies have indicated that they might not consider us in the foreseeable future," he says. "What we’re trying to do is correct the misconceptions that are out there. We’re a very safe and welcoming city—and will continue to be. We don’t really see the practical effects of the law impacting visitors."
In downtown Scottsdale, more than $3.3 billion worth of development has created a new visitor hub. Two of its most prominent features—the SouthBridge and Scottsdale Waterfront complexes—offer visitors quality shopping and dining experiences along the Arizona Canal. A new pedestrian bridge spans the canal, linking Scottsdale Waterfront with SouthBridge, Scottsdale’s Fifth Avenue shopping district and Old Scottsdale, a historic area of art galleries, funky Western bars and cafes.
New this fall in downtown Scottsdale will be the Soleri Bridge and Plaza, a complex designed by Italian designer Paolo Soleri that will feature a spectacular pedestrian bridge as well as a bell tower overlooking an events plaza.
Also new to downtown are a growing assortment of hotels with a chic urban vibe, including the W Scottsdale, which debuted in 2008 with 224 guest rooms and a 21,000-square-foot roof deck with a sandy beach, open-air bars and an azure pool with glass portholes on the bottom looking down into the lobby below. Others include the Hotel Theodore, which recently underwent new management and a name change from Mondrian, and the Hotel Valley Ho, a restored hotel celebrating Mid-Century Modern architecture and decor.
"We’ve seen downtown become a tremendous asset for our ability to bring in meeting groups to the destination," DeRaad says. "The shops and restaurants are a key point to the visitor experience, complementing our golf and spa experience we’re known for."
Scottsdale recently welcomed the newest addition to its resort lineup: Talking Stick Resort, a 497-room property with over 100,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space. Located on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, the resort also features a full-service, open-air spa and eight restaurants, including an upscale Creole-style restaurant located on the top floor and providing 360-degree views of the surrounding desert and mountains.
Scottsdale’s many resort properties also include The Phoenician, which will unveil its new 15,000-square-foot Camelback Ballroom this fall; Camelback Inn, a JW Marriott Resort & Spa, which completed a $50 million renovation in 2008; Westin Kierland Resort and Spa; InterContinental Montelucia Resort & Spa, which opened in late 2008; Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch; Fairmont Scottsdale; Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale, which completed a major pool enhancement; Xona Resort Suites; Chaparral Suites Scottsdale; and the nearby Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain.
Tempe
Tempe has two major assets that set it apart from other communities in the Valley of the Sun: Tempe Town Lake and Arizona State University (ASU). Both the centrally located lake and the forward-thinking university, which boasts the nation’s first School of Sustainability, provide compelling resources and venues for enlivening the meetings agenda.
"Tempe is a good choice for green meetings, both because our hotels are into being as green as possible and because of the sustainability school," says Stephanie Nowak, president and CEO of the Tempe CVB. "Groups can tour the school, which is a fascinating place, especially in terms of what they’ve done with recycled materials. And we can bring in speakers from the school as part of the meetings program."
ASU is also an arts center, boasting some 20 free museums and galleries, including the ASU Art Museum, which is known for its collections of contemporary as well as 19th and 20th century American art. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, Gammage Auditorium offers a season of major Broadway productions.
Tempe Town Lake, a two-and-a-half-square-mile artificial lake with bridges and parklands, is another point of pride for the city, Nowak adds. Gracing the south side of the lake is the Tempe Center for the Arts, which is home to the Tempe Symphony Orchestra as well as theater and dance groups.
"Groups can enjoy performances at the Center, which includes two theaters, but also use it as an off-site venue," Nowak says. "There’s a rooftop that can be rented out, plus a lobby and gallery as well as the beautiful Lakeside Room, which is very popular with groups."
Not far from the lake is a lively downtown hub centered on Mill Avenue, where attendees will find no shortage of live music venues, ethnic eateries, coffeehouses and boutiques. Outlet shopping and Tempe’s newest attraction, an aquarium called Sea Life Arizona, can be found at Arizona Mills Mall.
Along with a walkable downtown core, Tempe is among the most accessible communities in the Valley of the Sun, according to Nowak. The city’s Metro light rail system is linked to Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport as well as to downtown Phoenix, including Civic Plaza.
"You can get along without a car in Tempe," Nowak says. "From the airport, you can be in downtown Tempe in just a few minutes."
Although it does not have a convention center, Tempe has a portfolio of meetings-friendly properties that includes The Buttes, a Marriott Resort; Fiesta Inn Resort; Sheraton Phoenix Airport Hotel Tempe; Twin Palms Hotel Tempe; and Tempe Mission Palms Hotel, which recently completed a renovation.
"Our specialty is small to midsize groups of 300 or less," Nowak says. "We’re very popular with all types of association and government groups. We also do a lot of youth sports and amateur sports events. We’re affordable."
Mesa
First-rate sports facilities, including eight major aquatic centers, and agri-tourism opportunities are two of the features that help Mesa stand out as a popular meetings destination.
"Meetings and events related to sports tournaments are a big source of business for us—we have the facilities and venues for them," says Michelle Streeter, spokeswoman for the Mesa CVB. "Next year we’re hosting the U.S. Masters Swimming event as well as golf and baseball championships."
The city’s major meetings facility is the Mesa Convention Center, which has 19,000 square feet of exhibit space and 19,000 square feet of meeting space. The center is supported by the nearby Phoenix Marriott Mesa, which offers 52,000 square feet of meeting space.
"The convention center and the Marriott are a great combination, allowing us to take good-sized groups," says Pam Williams, convention sales manager for the Mesa CVB. "Military and social organizations come here to a large degree, but we also get a lot of training sessions. In the summer, which is our value season, we do a lot of association business."
Other group-friendly hotels include Arizona Golf Resort Hotel and Conference Center; Phoenix Marriott Mesa; Hilton Phoenix East/Mesa; Hyatt Place Phoenix/Mesa; Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites-Mesa; and Best Western Dobson Ranch Inn.
Promising to greatly boost the city’s capacity for meetings is a new Gaylord Hotels property scheduled for development on a site adjacent to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. Expected to be the largest meetings hotel in the state of Arizona, Gaylord has announced intentions to build the property, but at press time a ground-breaking date had not been scheduled.
Another factor that bodes well for Mesa’s future as a meetings destination is an expansion of Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, the third-busiest airport in Arizona, which is currently constructing a new terminal building to accommodate service growth from Allegiant Air. The airline now serves 21 cities out of Mesa and is planning to add additional routes in the coming months.
Making its debut this summer in a former department store is POOL, a public market modeled after Seattle’s Pike Place Market and Napa, Calif.’s Oxbow Market. The market is designed to house over 100 local food purveyors and artisans as well as a restaurant and farmers market. Chef cooking demonstrations and live entertainment are also part of the offerings.
POOL will join a growing list of group-friendly culinary and agri-tourism activities already available in Mesa. They include the Locavore dinner series at Superstition Dairy Farm, which feature dinners prepared from ingredients sourced within 100 miles of the farm, and tours of Queen Creek Olive Mill, where groups learn about olive oil production and then enjoy a lunch on the grounds.
"Mesa has a real hold on agri-tourism, providing experiences you can’t easily find elsewhere," Streeter says, adding that chef’s dinners in a peach orchard at Schnepf Farms are another popular option. "Planners really like these experiences. People don’t want to stay within the four walls anymore."
Other Communities
Carefree, Litchfield Park, Fountain Hills, Glendale, Chandler and Wickenburg are also home to premier meetings properties. Popular options include The Boulders Resort & Golden Door Spa in Carefree, with two top golf courses; Renaissance Glendale Hotel & Spa; and Wigwam Golf Resort and Spa in Litchfield Park.
In Fountain Hills, resort choices include Radisson Fort McDowell Resort and Casino, Inn at Eagle Mountain and CopperWynd Resort and Club, as well as popular golf courses such as SunRidge Canyon Golf Club and the Golf Club at Eagle Mountain.
In Wickenburg, Rancho de los Caballeros is a 20,000-acre property with 79 guest casitas, 8,500 square feet of meeting space and an extensive team-building program focusing on ranch activities.
Rawhide Western Town in Chandler, eight miles south of Mesa, offers groups as large as 10,000 a chance to visit an 1880s boomtown, complete with stunt shows, theater acts, stagecoach and train rides and horseback riding. Chandler is also home to the highly ranked Ocotillo Golf Resort, which welcomes groups as large as 250 people.
Sedona
With its red rock formations, deep canyons and arts community, Sedona, about 90 minutes north of Phoenix, is a prime destination for smaller groups seeking a retreat-like environment. While still known for art galleries, golf, hiking and Jeep tours of the spectacular countryside, wine tours in the nearby Verde Valley are increasingly popular, according to Jennifer Wessehoff, president and CEO of the Sedona Chamber of Commerce.
"For us, the biggest emerging trend is our vineyards and wineries—a lot of people don’t realize that Arizona is a great place to grow grapes," she says. "We now have about 10 wineries that partner with us—they’re the focus of tours and some can serve as off-site venues."
Among Sedona’s more unique offerings are vortexes, geological areas believed to have energy-giving properties.
"We promote them as special energy spots where Native Americans went for their major ceremonies," Wesselhoff says. "These are stunningly beautiful places where you can feel something special when you go there."
Sedona’s largest meetings properties include the 220-room Enchantment Resort, which offers two new ballrooms and an executive boardroom, as well as the extensive Mii Amo Spa; the 219-room Hilton Sedona Resort & Spa; and the 137-room Radisson Poco Diablo Resort. L’Auberge de Sedona, featuring 64 guest cottages and 25 guest rooms in its main lodge, recently completed a $25 million renovation that included a redesign of its accommodations and restaurant. Other properties are Sedona Rouge Hotel and Spa and Amara Resort and Spa.
With its high-quality resorts and spectacular setting, Sedona has long been a favorite incentive destination, according to Wesselhoff.
"Association meetings and corporate retreats are also popular," she says. "Our scenery provides an inspirational sort of atmosphere for small groups who want to get out of the rat race of everyday life."
