Looking to Plan a Phoenix Meeting?
Learn everything you need to know about this sunny locale at
Destination Arizona, Northstar’s premier event for meetings and incentive pros looking to book biz in the area.
Whether your attendees seek modern spaces for connecting in the lobby of a convention hotel or the ambiance and amenities of a resort, Greater Phoenix is home to more than 495 hotels and resorts — that’s over 68,000 guest rooms — and even more on the horizon.
• The Sheraton Phoenix Downtown (pictured above), a short distance from the city's convention center, is in the process of renovating its guest rooms, lobby, meeting space and culinary offerings. The 1,003-room property — the city's largest — was selected to become the prototype for Marriott's portfolio-wide rebranding of Sheraton. Guestroom, lobby, restaurant and meeting space renovations are projected 2020 completion.
• Following an exterior refresh last year, the Hyatt Regency Phoenix completed floor-to-ceiling renovations of its 693 guestrooms as well as revitalization of meeting spaces and three new meeting rooms. The 24-story hotel, located across the street from the Phoenix Convention Center, also revealed a new patio, an expanded rooftop courtyard and renovated third-floor deck — all for enjoying Phoenix's perfect weather. Additionally, an expanded grab-and-go market will complement Barrel & Bushel, the new indoor/outdoor eatery that opened in January 2020.
• Neighboring Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel completed a $12 million renovation on their lobby and exterior in 2017 and has now shifted focus to remodeling their guestrooms rooms — splitting the construction between summers 2019 and 2020. The Renaissance rooms will get fresh carpet, wall coverings, lighting, window treatments and walk-in showers.
• The Cambria Hotel Downtown Phoenix Convention Center, a seven-story, 127-room property in the downtown Phoenix's Roosevelt Row Arts District, opened its doors in late November 2019. The $26 million hotel features a rooftop bar (From the Rooftop Bar & Lounge, with 360-degree views of the city and can accommodate up to 499 guests; 900 square feet of indoor meeting space; several large art pieces, including murals that span the height of the building; and an onsite restaurant, Poppy, led by chef Nate Cayer, former the executive chef of The Godfrey Hotel in Chicago.
• The new AC Hotel by Marriott broke ground at the Arizona Center in September 2019. The 199-room hotel, which is scheduled to open in 2021, will be the third AC Hotel in Phoenix after the AC Hotel by Marriott Phoenix Biltmore and the AC Hotel by Marriott Phoenix Tempe/Downtown. The mixed-use Arizona Center completed a $25 million renovation to office space, dining, entertainment and outdoor space in 2019.
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• The iconic Arizona Biltmore, a Waldorf Astoria Resort, (pictured above) is in the midst of a $35 million facelift, which includes a highly anticipated adult pool; a family area, complete with larger-than-life water slides and newly dressed cabanas; followed by the new event lawn and bar, perfect gathering places equipped with water and fire features. The resort’s 22,000-square-foot spa, fitness center and soaking retreat will reveal expansion efforts —as well as the transformation of The Wright Bar — in 2020.
• Ritz-Carlton Paradise Valley Resort, projected to open in 2020, will span more than 20 acres overlooking Camelback Mountain. The resort’s 215 guest accommodations will include spacious rooms, oversize suites, detached casitas and private bungalows. A specialty dining concept will harvest seasonal produce from the resort’s anticipated herb garden and 400-tree citrus orchard, incorporating ingredients into the daily menus. The property will also feature a 16,000 square-foot spa; a 2,500 square-foot, state-of-the-art health and fitness center; various indoor/outdoor meeting and event spaces, including an amphitheater and secret garden; and a grand lawn with stunning views of neighboring mountains and unobstructed sunsets.
• Forbes Travel Guide, the world-renowned and global rating system for luxury hotels, restaurants and spas, unveiled its annual Star Award winners in February. For 2020, both Aji Spa and Kai restaurant at Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass earned the Five-Star Award, distinguishing the property as the only resort in Arizona to boast both a Five Star spa and restaurant within its collection of luxury amenities.
• The Arrive hotel is set for 2020 completion in uptown Phoenix. Venue Projects and Vintage Partners have joined forces restoring twin midcentury modern towers, just north of the Melrose District, which will feature a pool bar helmed by Ross Simon, local cocktail guru behind globally awarded cocktail bars Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour and Little Rituals. Guests will be able to enjoy poolside craft cocktails at the fittingly named Lylo — a British colloquialism for a pool float. The all-new $20 million, 79-room neighborhood hotel also promises a lineup of food and beverage offerings as well as a retro rooftop cocktail lounge with 270-degree city views.
• Great Wolf Lodge has added Arizona to its roster of family-friendly resorts. The Scottsdale location, which opened in September 2019, offers an 85,000-square-foot indoor water park (heated to 84 degrees year-round), a 27,000-square-foot family entertainment center and 350 rooms. With the grand opening came the debut of a new ride: Diamond Drop. This high-speed, four-person waterslide features serpentine curves and high-bank thrills. Great Wolf Lodge Arizona is the first water park in the world to offer this slide.