What's New

Apart from reveling in the demand for their dramatic mountain vistas, inspiring sunsets, and wide open spaces, the most popular desert cities are facing an important challenge: how to manage explosive growth and the ongoing development of top-tier resorts, convention centers, and infrastructure while preserving the inherent allure of the Old West. Meeting attendees may clamor for high-tech meeting rooms, plasma televisions, and luxurious spas, but they also expect traditional Western nuances and a sense of “place” that says they're not in Kansas, or New Jersey, anymore.

Fortunately, the region's resorts are answering the call by providing a broad range of experiences that meet these expectations to varying degrees, giving meeting planners myriad choices encompassing the Old West, the New West, and everything in between.

In Phoenix, the 1,000-room Sheraton Downtown Phoenix and the 175-room W Phoenix Hotel are scheduled to open in 2008 as complements to the new Phoenix Convention Center. The first phase of the $600 million center opened in July 2006 with 156,000 square feet of meeting space. When completed in late 2008, the former Phoenix Civic Plaza will have tripled in size to offer 900,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space. The concurrent debut of a 20-mile-long light rail system will link downtown to Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport and the nearby city of Tempe, where a 14-story, 183-room Le Meridien hotel will open in late 2008. When the meeting calls for a hacienda, not a high-rise, look to nearby Paradise Valley, where a classic Southwestern-style Ritz-Carlton resort will open in late 2009 with 225 guest rooms and meeting space.

Nearby, Scottsdale offers a full spectrum of accommodations ranging from chic new boutique hotels near the $60 million Waterfront shopping and entertainment district to opulent resorts offering extensive meeting facilities. Recognizing that many of the city's guests enjoy venturing less than two hours north to Arizona's spectacular red rock country, the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau has formed a partnership with the Sedona Chamber of Commerce Tourism Bureau. Planners interested in adding Sedona to a meeting or incentive program in Scottsdale will appreciate www.scottsdale-sedona.com, which offers information about both communities.

In New Mexico, home to ancient petroglyphs and the iconic Route 66, plans are under way to extend Albuquerque's light rail system, Rail Runner, to historic Santa Fe by late 2008. Construction of Santa Fe's $50 million civic center expansion will culminate in August 2008 with the debut of 72,000 square feet of facilities, including meeting, exhibit, and special event space. By that time, the city may see increased regional airline service. The certification of the Santa Fe airport was recently upgraded to allow larger commercial aircraft. In the past, the facility could land planes with up to 30 passengers.

One of the area's largest resorts is the 228-room Sandia Resort & Casino in Albuquerque, with 50,000 square feet of meeting space, a 12,000-square-foot spa, and an 18-hole golf course.

Facility Updates

Arizona

• Arizona's first W HOTEL will open in downtown Scottsdale this fall with 224 guest rooms, a spa, three meeting rooms, and a 3,500-square-foot ballroom.

• The 453-room CAMELBACK INN, A JW MARRIOTT RESORT & SPA marked its 70th anniversary in April by breaking ground on a $35 million renovation. Scheduled for completion in March 2008, the project includes a new 20,000-square-foot ballroom and two new restaurants.

• The former James Hotel in downtown Scottsdale has undergone a $5 million renovation and debuted in January as MONDRIAN SCOTTSDALE. The 194-room hotel offers a spa, restaurant, open-air bar, and 10,000 square feet of meeting and event space.

• The ROYAL PALMS RESORT near Scottsdale completed a $12 million guest room reconfiguration and renovation project in January that includes a new enclave of 70 rooms surrounding a Mediterranean-style courtyard. The resort now offers 119 guest rooms and suites including 17 courtyard suites, a two-bedroom spa villa, and six spa suites.

• After the $250 million purchase and conversion of the former La Posada Resort, the property will reopen in early 2008 as the 292-room INTERCONTINENTAL MONTELUCIA RESORT & SPA. Features of the resort will include a 30,000-square-foot spa, a restaurant, five pools, and 31,000 square feet of meeting space.

• The 651-room FAIRMONT SCOTTSDALE PRINCESS completed $1.5 million in improvements to its 42,000-square-foot conference center.

• The Red Rock Boardroom is the high-tech cornerstone of a $5.5 million renovation of The Canyon Suites, a 60-room, boutique-style “hotel within a hotel” at THE PHOENICIAN.

• The 404-room SCOTTSDALE PLAZA RESORT has completed the remodeling of 180 suites. The resort offers five swimming pools, a spa, and 30,000 square feet of meeting space, including 14 conference rooms and an amphitheater.

• For small meetings, the creekside L'AUBERGE DE SEDONA offers 56 guest rooms and cottages, a spa, and 5,300 square feet of meeting and event space, including five renovated meeting rooms.

• FIESTA RESORT CONFERENCE CENTER in Tempe will unveil 30,000 square feet of new meeting space this fall, including seven meeting rooms and a 7,500-square-foot ballroom. The resort recently completed the refurbishment of 270 guest rooms and is undergoing a $2 million renovation of its guest bathrooms, restaurant, and lobby.

• As of April, FIRESKY is the new name of the former Caleo Resort in downtown Scottsdale. The 204-room resort recently completed a $4 million upgrade of guest rooms, lobby, and landscaping.

• The 487-room WESTIN LA PALOMA RESORT & SPA is undergoing a $6 million renewal project that includes the recent debut of a new 4,300-square-foot meeting room.

• OMNI TUCSON NATIONAL GOLF RESORT & SPA began a $55 million renovation and expansion project in June that will add 72 guest rooms, bringing the total to 239, including 28 suites. Slated for completion in late 2008, the project also encompasses a new 7,500-square-foot ballroom and enhancements to the resort's two golf courses and spa.

New Mexico

• ALBUQUERQUE MARRIOTT HOTEL in the Uptown area has renovated its 411 guest rooms and bathrooms.

• The 295-room DOUBLETREE HOTEL offers access to Albuquerque's convention center via an underground concourse. The hotel completed a $6 million project in late spring, refurbishing guest rooms and conference rooms and adding of 1,500 square feet of meeting space.

• Downtown's historic LA POSADA DE ALBUQUERQUE is closed for a $22 million renovation and will reopen in early 2008.

• The 276-room WYNDHAM ALBUQUERQUE HOTEL will begin a $6.5 million renovation in November. After completion in March 2008, the hotel will be rebranded as a SHERATON property.

• ELDORADO HOTEL & SPA, adjacent to the historic Santa Fe Plaza, is undergoing a renovation of the property's 219 guest rooms and 22,000 square feet of meeting space. Other recent enhancements include the renovation of the hotel's restaurant, lobby, and fitness center.

• As the final touch to a recent guest room renovation, LA POSADA DE SANTA FE RESORT & SPA, a RockResort, has completed renovations to 113 of its 157 guest bathrooms.

Ask the CVB

Arizona

GREATER PHOENIX CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU
(602) 254-6500; 877-CALLPHX
www.visitphoenix.com
Total Hotel Tax: 12.07%

SCOTTSDALE CVB
(480) 421-1004; (800) 782-1117
www.scottsdalecvb.com
Total Hotel Tax: 11.92%

TEMPE CVB
(480) 894-8158; (800) 283-6734
www.tempecvb.com
Total Hotel Tax: 12.07%

METROPOLITAN TUCSON CVB
(520) 624-1817; (800) 638-8350
www.visittucson.org
Total Hotel Tax: 12.05% to 14.05%, depending on location

New Mexico

ALBUQUERQUE CVB
(505) 842-9918; (800) 733-9918
www.itsatrip.org
Total Hotel Tax: 12.87%

SANTA FE CVB
(505) 955-6200; (800) 777-2489
www.santafe.org
Total Hotel Tax: 14.62%

Phantom Planner

• The majority of Tempe, Ariz., hotels offer complimentary airport transportation. Some also offer local transportation, making a rental car unnecessary for many meeting attendees.

• Downtown Scottsdale has evolved into a collection of hip hotels, clubs, shops, and restaurants that are ideal for energetic visitors. To enjoy panoramic sunsets, desert flora, and Western cookouts, however, you'll want to head to a resort in North Scottsdale.

• Although marketed as one destination, the eight cities comprising Palm Springs Desert Resorts have individual charms. Whether you are considering lively Palm Springs, sophisticated Rancho Mirage, or one of the other cities, it's worth the time to investigate which one best suits your group.

• The Santa Fe Railyard is a new 50-acre project that will become the town's new center for commerce and social activity with new retail, dining, galleries, a 10-acre park, and a huge plaza. A contemporary art museum, farmers market, and El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe, which can be booked for special events, already anchor the site.

Special Venues

• SCOTTSDALE's new SU VINO WINERY in the downtown Arts District allows groups of up to 75 to participate in the science of winemaking and to receive a bottle of their customizedvintage. The process includes sampling types of wine and learning about their characteristics, followed by an explanation of the techniques used in fermentation, racking, clarifying, filtration, oak aging, and packaging. The wines are then blended to each guest's taste, and the bottles are shipped a few months later. www.suvinowineryaz.com

• Meeting attendees can enjoy a muscle-relaxing massage followed by a gourmet picnic after a day of activities in the scenic high desert of southern Arizona. SOL JOURNEYS, a TUCSON-based outdoor adventure company, combines yoga, massage therapy sessions, and fine cuisine with hiking, backpacking, and biking excursions. Trips can be customized for groups. www.soljourneys.com