Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - 20

* * * TUCSON
TUCSON'S
ELEVATED ALLURE
DARK SKIES, COOL NIGHTS AND SUN-DRENCHED DAYS
BY GRETCHEN KELLY
T
ucson's location in the high Sonoran Desert
of Arizona gives it pride of place when it
comes to wind (those hot air balloons!),
night breezes and dark skies full of stars.
Tucson is a city of over 500,000 and is known
as one of the country's darkest-skied populous cities.
It is also known for its affinity with wellness as
home to spa/resorts like Miraval Arizona Resort
& Spa and Canyon Ranch Tucson quartering
here for the climate (several degrees cooler than
nearby Phoenix year-round), wide open spaces,
the beauty of the Sonoran Desert and its iconic
Saguaro cacti.
Graeme Hughes, former senior vice president
of sales for Visit Tucson and new executive vice
president of the same destination, highlights easy
access to Tucson International Airport (TUS) and
the fact that " It is not an urban environment here.
We are interested in preserving the desert not
developing it. "
20
SEPTEMBER 202 1 * smartmeetings . com
WELLNESS PIONEERS
Hughes told Smart Meetings in April that the
modern Arizona resort wellness boom had its
matrix in Tucson.
" Brands like Canyon Ranch and Miraval whose
roots are in Tucson, " Hughes said. " They were
pioneers of wellness early on and really brought the
spa and wellness trend to Arizona. "
Hughes noted that Tucson's landscape is distinctly
different from its neighbors in the Phoenix/
Scottsdale area.
" We're high desert here, that's the difference, "
he says, pointing out that the area is usually a few
degrees lower in temperature and humidity. Hughes
also said that new contenders like JW Marriott
Star Pass Resort & Spa (575 guest rooms and
more than 80,000 sq. ft. of meeting space), Loews
Ventana Canyon Resort (398 guest rooms and
37,000 sq. ft. of indoor meeting space with nearly
40,000 sq. ft. outdoors), The Westin LaPaloma
Resort & Spa (487 guest rooms and more than
Miraval Arizona
92,000 sq. ft. of meeting space) and Hilton's El
Conquistador Tucson (428 guest rooms and more
than 100,000 sq. ft. of indoor and outdoor meeting
space), all of whom have signature spa experiences,
have added new chapters to Tucson's status as a
wellness magnet.
" The destination lends itself naturally to wellness, "
says Hughes. " So many of our activities are outdoor-oriented.
We are also bordered on two sides
by Saguaro National Park. At Star Pass, you can
walk from the resort right out into the mountains. "

Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue

September Cover
Bright Perspective
Smart buzz
Feature: Event Mavericks
Event Recap
Destination: Western Canada
Destination: Tucson
Destination: Nebraska
Destination: Palm Springs
Destination: Wosconsin
Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - September Cover
Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - Cover2
Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - 1
Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - Bright Perspective
Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - Smart buzz
Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - Feature: Event Mavericks
Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - 5
Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - 6
Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - 7
Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - 8
Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - 9
Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - 10
Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - 11
Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - 12
Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - 13
Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - Event Recap
Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - 15
Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - Destination: Western Canada
Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - 17
Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - 18
Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - 19
Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - Destination: Tucson
Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - 21
Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - 22
Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - 23
Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - Destination: Nebraska
Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - 25
Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - 26
Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - 27
Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - 28
Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - Destination: Palm Springs
Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - 30
Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - 31
Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - Destination: Wosconsin
Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - 33
Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - Cover3
Smart Meetings September 2022 Digital Issue - Cover4
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