Tucson is a bit of an outlier in Arizona, at least based on my personal experience. While Phoenix has risen in status among the state’s elite cultural hot spots in recent years, Tucson is the true originator of quirky, desert cool in Arizona, blending the laid-back resort life with an abundance of things to see and do in downtown Tucson’s various districts.
The AAA Four Diamond, 428-room Hilton Tucson El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Resort served up a prime example of what Tucson can offer groups meeting in the area during a Meetings & Events Media FAM trip from Nov. 7-9, 2016. For starters, the Hilton El Conquistador, situated at the base of Pusch Ridge and surrounded by mountain and desert vistas, offers tons of on-site amenities and activities.
If your group likes to be pampered, there’s the Elements Spa; if you have a sportier group then there’s 45 holes of championship golf nearby and 31 outdoor tennis courts; and if your group simply wants to hang out by the pool after a day of meetings, there are five outdoor swimming pools.
Our media group dined on the Epazote Kitchen & Cocktails patio, which serves Southwestern fare and some creative cocktails. Its menu contains several gluten-free items and can be modified for other dietary needs.
After dinner, we closed out our first night with a “tequila toast” and some fireside s’mores for dessert—Arizona resorts love their s’mores—and rested up for an action-packed day of activities, and yes, more food. But before we get to that, let’s talk meeting space. The Hilton El Conquistador offers 54,000 square feet of flexible indoor function space and over 100,000 square feet of total space with its outdoor options.
Much of the indoor space is split between two 11,000-square-foot ballrooms (Turquoise and Presidio) and an 11,000-square-foot Executive Conference Center with seven meeting rooms and a boardroom. The highlight of the outdoor space is The Last Territory, a standalone, Western-themed desert venue where groups can partake in a teambuilding exercise or hold dining events such as a Southwestern barbecue.
As mentioned, my group explored much of the Hilton El Conquistador during our morning property tour, and overall the resort gives off a laid-back vibe that still has a certain elegance to it—comfortable but not overly uptight. After the property tour we walked to some nearby desert trails for a scenic guided group hike that everyone wished was a little longer than an hour, but that will largely depend on your group.
In other notable news, the Hilton Tucson El Conquistaor is currently undergoing the largest renovation in the resort's storied history. The renovation includes a refresh of all 428 guest rooms and suites alongside a number of outdoor upgrades that include redesigned pools and outdoor fire pit areas. A series of new wildlife and nature programs including an on-property, 18-horse stable and a soon-to-be unveiled hummingbird garden are also part of the project. All renovations are on course for the original spring 2017 completion date.
We eventually met up with Visit Tucson (the local CVB) for an off-site trip to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and a progressive dine-around in downtown Tucson, both of which were a lot of fun.
The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is “a fusion zoo, natural history museum, botanical garden, art gallery and aquarium” that features 230 animal species, 1,200 plants and interesting event space for up to 450. We spent two hours at the museum and I definitely could have stayed longer. Bring comfortable shoes!
Finally, we headed to downtown Tucson, the city’s cultural hub where modern urban-style properties are mixed in with colorful barrios. The closest comparison in vibe to the area is Austin, but you definitely get more of the desert culture in Tucson, versus the Texan ’tude (and yes, there’s a lot of hipster style).
In December 2015 Tucson was designated as a UNESCO World City of Gastronomy, the first in the U.S. to earn the honor, so naturally we took part in a dine-around. We made stops at The Carriage House (a private dining space led by James Beard Award-winning chef Janos Wilder), Charro Steak, Maynard’s Kitchen and Hotel Congress, a quirky historic hotel that is home to The Cup Cafe and a buzzing nightlife.
To sum it all up, I ate a lot of excellent food—including a delicious steak at Charro—and was not disappointed by any of the offerings. Also, people-watching opportunities abound at Hotel Congress.
CONTACT INFO
Hilton Tucson El Conquistador
520.544.5000
Visit Tucson
520.624.1817
