Arizona’s desert-based trifecta of Phoenix, Scottsdale and Sedona brings to the table quite the smorgasbord of group experiences, whether it’s sampling the region’s creative talents, indulging in its local culinary prowess or exploring its natural riches. Each region is also endowed with one-of-a-kind venues that range from small-label wineries to Western-themed museums.
Phoenix
Nothing personifies Phoenix’s perfect balance of art and nature more than a series of Dale Chihuly glass cactus fixtures interspersed with the real thing, an exhibit that welcomes visitors to the city’s Desert Botanical Garden.
Located in the center of Papago Park, the Botanical Garden is home to what is touted as one of the top collections of arid-land plants from deserts around the world. For attendees, there is room to roam, as groups can wander any of the five trails or take guided butterfly walks, among other options. The venue also offers groups open-air pavilions, outdoor terraces and courtyards, as well as banquet halls and conference rooms.
For a look at local history, the Heard Museum highlights everything from Native American arts to Hoop Dancing. Groups can use its many courtyards for events. Taking a more global approach, the Museum of the Musical Instrument (MIM) is currently home to a collection of about 15,000 instruments and related objects, representing every country around the globe. Highlights include the Artist Gallery, showcasing memorabilia from celebrities such as Elvis, as well as the Experience Gallery for hands-on options to play anything from a theremin to a Burmese harp. The museum’s courtyards are also open to groups as is its Music Theater.
Phoenix is also promoting itself as a walkable city, including its mural-filled Roosevelt Row Arts District, flush with galleries, restaurants, boutiques and live-music venues. Part of its downtown renaissance can be attributed to accessibility via the Valley Metro Light Rail, which also has stops at the Phoenix Convention Center and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
For all its daytime attractions, Phoenix has been broadening its dining and nightlife options.
“The food scene has evolved downtown,” said James Jessie, senior vice president of sales for Visit Phoenix. “There are not a lot of national chains,” he added, noting the prevalence of independently owned restaurants, many of which focus on local flavors.
Popular spots include Barrio Urbano at The Yard Uptown Phoenix, the brainchild of acclaimed chef and four-time James Beard Award nominee Silvana Salcido Esparza, who made a name for herself with the flavors of southern Mexican at vibrant central Phoenix eatery Barrio Cafe. Barrio Urbano also spotlights craft cocktails and colorful murals.
Cocktails are also the focus at Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour, located inside the historic Luhrs Building, the same building as the former prohibition headquarters of Arizona. It features a 24-page drink menu, replete with a retro video arcade game theme.
“Nightlife is always on the agenda,” Jessie said, including themed bars, such as Copper Blues for beer on tap and live music.
Downtown Phoenix is also expanding its hotel offerings.
“We are seeing an influx of boutique hotels to add to downtown,” Jessie said.
The Camby Hotel opened in December and is Arizona’s first from Autograph Collection Hotels. The property features 277 guest rooms, a rooftop pool and more than 20,000 square feet of meeting space.
There is also the new Hilton Garden Inn Phoenix Downtown, with 170 rooms and an upcoming combination Marriott property—a Courtyard and Residence Inn—which will offer 320 rooms by the second quarter of 2017. The Found:Re will offer 105 rooms when it debuts this fall.
The Arizona Biltmore, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, recently upgraded its lobby and guest rooms and expanded its outdoor terrace lounge.
One of the most popular group venues in Phoenix is the Phoenix Biomedical Campus, a 30-acre urban medical and bioscience campus, which continues to expand.
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Scottsdale
Arizona’s resort and golf mecca of Scottsdale is also an arts and nightlife hub, among its many allures. Scottsdale is home to more than 125 art galleries and studios, many focusing on Western and Native American themed art in addition to contemporary arts, and also offers the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art.
Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West opened in Old Town Scottsdale last year and features exhibits from 19 states of the American West and an outdoor garden area for groups.
There are also three local wineries with tasting rooms in Old Town: Aridus Wine Company, Lawrence Dunham Vineyards and Su Vino Winery. Groups can partake in tasting and bottling activities, according Alleson Dunaway, destination services manager for the Scottsdale CVB.
Another venue for groups set for a fall debut is the OdySea Aquarium, which will be the largest aquarium in the Southwest, spanning 200,000 square feet. Its list of critters will range from sharks to penguins. There will be behind-the-scenes tours as well as space for group events in both indoor and outdoor venues.
Scottsdale’s resort options are also expanding, according to Kelli Blubaum, vice president of convention sales and services for the Scottsdale CVB. Mountain Shadows Resort is opening in April 2017 in Paradise Valley with 183 guest rooms. It will feature a golf course, 12,500 square feet of indoor event space and 25,000 square feet of outdoor space, including a 5,000-square-foot roof deck with views of Camelback Mountain. Meanwhile, Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Spa is opening this fall with 201 rooms and 20,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor function space.
Fairmont Scottsdale Princess has been undergoing an expansion and offers 102 additional guest rooms for a total of 750 rooms. It also added Sunset Beach, the largest of its six pools with 9,000 square feet of white sand. The property also introduced a new Grand Lawn, a 35,000-square-foot outdoor space.
The Phoenician, A Luxury Collection Resort is renovating its guest rooms with a September completion date. The Embassy Suites by Hilton Scottsdale Resort, formerly a Chapparal Suites, recently completed a $25 million renovation, including 312 upgraded guest suites and 60,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, which includes an 11,200-square-foot conference center.
A transformation at the Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort and Spa is complete, offering the new 3,500-square-foot Spa House, which offers groups of up to 16 a unique spa escape.
The Boulders Resort & Spa, previously a Waldorf property, is now part of the Curio Collection by Hilton, and recently underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation. It added the 5,500-square-foot Latilla Ballroom and renovated 160 casitas. Corporate wellness programs include a memory enhancement class and an Aroma Blend Bar where attendees create their own aromas during breakout sessions.
Sedona
Surrounded by 1.8 million acres of national forest land, Sedona is known for its outdoor recreation and scenic beauty, according to Jennifer Wesselhoff, president and CEO of the Sedona Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau.
“Resorts work closely with hiking and guided tour companies,” she said. “They can organize guided meditations. Many of our groups also head out on after-dinner astronomy tours.”
Wesselhoff noted that L’Auberge de Sedona offers forest bathing, a new trend where participants immerse themselves in a natural experience such as a meditative walk through a forest.
The region also has a burgeoning wine district, according to Wesselhoff, with more than a dozen wineries and tasting rooms in the Verde Valley.
“There is a lot of opportunity for attendees with wine tasting and wine tours, incorporating local wine to off-site dinner events,” she said.
Sedona Arts Center offers another option for groups with its on-site pottery classes. Groups can also bring in teachers from the arts center into a meeting and set up a plein air class, for example.
New this year, shopping district Tequa was rebranded The Collective Sedona, with new breweries and a new 5,500-square-foot indoor venue with a large open patio and access to an 8,000-square-foot grass courtyard.
New hotels include a Courtyard by Marriott slated for September with small meeting space and more than 120 rooms.
