Meeting News - April 21, 2008 - (Page 14)

Destination Insider: Phoenix-Scottsdale Edited by Lori Morris lori.morris@nielsen.com Paradise Found: Tiny Paradise Valley Emerges as a Major Resort Player Ritz-Carlton, InterContinental, and Ian Schrager’s Edition lead wave of hotels Until recently, the upscale, low-key hamlet of Paradise Valley was known primarily for its gated homes and notoriously well-enforced speed limits. That image will soon be burnished, however, by a series of posh resort properties either on the drawing boards or about to come on line. “The new resort developments are a great complement to the Scottsdale-area product and enhance the overall cachet of our destination,” said Dan Tavrytzky, vice president of sales and services for the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau (Paradise Valley is covered by the sales and marketing arm of the Scottsdale CVB, which includes group bookings). “These luxury properties will offer more options for meeting planners, especially those who are looking for new venues within the area.” For starters, there’s the anticipated unveiling this August of the InterContinental Montelucia Resort & Spa, with 293 guest rooms, five pools, a signature restaurant, full-service spa, wedding chapel, and 27,000 sf of meeting space—all spread across 34 acres. The 110-acre Ritz-Carlton, Paradise Valley Resort project, which includes a 225-room hotel and 46 luxury residences, plus 100 patio homes, is nearing town council approval pending a series of public hearings. Five Star Development Group, the firm behind the project, is also looking to build one of Ian Schrager’s new Edition hotels on the site’s Scottsdale side. The boutique-styled property, variously described as hip, sexy, and not at all like RitzCarlton, could open in 2010 with up to 220 rooms and would be among the first nine Editions that Schrager hopes to roll out worldwide in conjunction with Marriott International. Value In The Valley Discount travel website Hotwire.com honors Phoenix for high affordability Those considering Greater Phoenix for both work and play may find inspiration in a recent Hotwire.com report. The travel website’s annual Travel Value Index just ranked Phoenix number one for vacation affordability, based on airfare, hotel prices, rental car rates, and entertainment prices. Given the economy’s sluggishness, the Hotwire.com report offered a boost to those who appreciate it when attendees stay on after their meetings are done. “We try to promote pre- and post-meeting activities, although it’s hard to do because people are so time-impoverished,” said Kevin Kamenzind, senior VP of sales and marketing for the Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau. “We’re hiring a company to track post-meeting delegate activities and working on a survey that also talks about day trips and overnight stays. Where else can you come and drive from the golf course to a ski resort in just a few hours?” The survey comes at a time when the area’s hospitality industry is increasingly promoting itself as a seasonal value, notably during the toasty summer months, when even the top resorts slash rates to lure guests. “When [planners are doing] religious or educational meetings—and we target those markets—but can’t afford our destination in March, they can get the same bells and whistles just a few months later,” said Kamenzind. Making a Splash: InterContinental Montelucia Resort & Spa has pools with a view. New Automated Train System To Serve Sky Harbor Airport Compared to many of its big-city competitors, Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport is a breeze for picking up and dropping off passengers. That said, and with a nod to future growth, officials hope to cut air pollution and reduce auto congestion by 20 percent (roughly 20,000 cars per day) via a new automated train system. Phase I of the twopart project is expected to open by 2013, with trains running at roughly three-minute intervals along a two-mile stretch from the new Metro station at 44th and Washington streets to Sky Harbor’s Terminal 4. 14 MeetingNews April 21, 2008 The second leg, set for a 2020 debut, will continue along Sky Harbor Boulevard, through the airport’s remaining terminals, to the facility’s new car rental center. Among the train system’s potential time and convenience considerations: ticketing kiosks and a remote baggage check-in facility. Starwood’s Lofty Goal Having seen chances for a downtown Phoenix W Hotel fizzle last fall amid legal wrangling, Starwood Hotels & Resorts is back with a new boutique placement, albeit on a somewhat more modest scale. On March 25, the Phoenix City Council approved plans by Copper Pointe 2 Development to erect a $20-million aloft hotel at the corner of Central Avenue and Adams Street. The council had also green-lighted the W concept, but a part of that project—an 11-story office/condo tower directly over the 1920s Sun Mercantile Building—raised serious hackles among local preservationists. Pending Starwood’s final approval with Copper Pointe, construction could begin as early as December on the new 100-room hotel, one of several of the hotel giant’s “urban-influenced” aloft properties targeted for Metro Phoenix (Glendale, Tempe, Chandler, and Sky Harbor Airport). H —Section written by Marc Boisclair www.meetingnews.com http://www.Hotwire.com http://www.Hotwire.com http://www.Hotwire.com http://www.meetingnews.com

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