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New year, new travel plans? With hot hotels, a jam-packed events calendar, Spring Training baseball and ideal Sonoran Desert weather, there’s no shortage of reasons to plan a visit this spring. It’s time to kick the winter blues and follow the sunshine to Scottsdale.
RESORT & SPA SCOOP
THE BIG NEWS: Senna House, Arizona’s first purpose-built, soft-branded hotel, opened to the public Dec. 15, boasting six stories, 169 guest rooms, an expansive Sonora Swim Club overlooking Camelback Road, and best-in-class views of the Valley’s mountain surroundings and Old Town Scottsdale. The hotel’s name comes from the Senna flower of the Sonoran Desert and is representative of the property’s desert-modern design. Built on the historic property that once housed the beloved Don & Charlie’s restaurant, Senna House, A Curio Collection by Hilton, was brought to life by Opwest Partners and Argosy Real Estate Partners and is the first hotel to open in Scottsdale’s Entertainment District since W Scottsdale in 2008.
THREE MORE UPDATES:
On Dec. 27, Choice Hotels announced the opening of the 108-room Comfort Suites at Talking Stick, just steps away from Salt River Fields, the Spring Training home of the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks, and adjacent to numerous attractions like OdySea Aquarium, TopGolf, and PopStroke, Tiger Woods’ new 36-hole putting facility.
Stay busy and learn a new skill at the Boulders Resort & Spa with new Golf Academy courses, four new pickleball courts at the Tennis Gardens, and culinary adventures like a four-course wine dinner or Herradura tequila dinner. Travelers can also reconnect with nature on the resort’s 1,300-acre grounds prime for hiking, stargazing and more.
Gurney’s Resorts recently acquired Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort and Spa in Paradise Valley. The property will remain fully operational as Sanctuary Camelback Mountain, a Gurney’s Resort & Spa, through a comprehensive renovation and property-wide refurbishments beginning this summer. Renowned for its prime locations in coveted resort destinations, Gurney’s debut in the Scottsdale market highlights the evolution of the area’s thriving hospitality sector, further cementing its appeal as a domestic oasis. Sanctuary currently offers a 12,000-square-foot spa, fitness center, hiking trails, swimming pools, tennis courts, 109 casitas and suites, and eight private mountainside villas.
EVENTS + ATTRACTIONS
THE BIG NEWS: Scottsdale is soon to be a “field of dreams” for baseball fans, as Cactus League Spring Training returns Feb. 26 – March 29. The San Francisco Giants call Old Town’s Scottsdale Stadium home base, while the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks take the field at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Not to mention, within a 30-minute drive of Scottsdale, travelers can find a dozen more teams, including the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres and Texas Rangers, slugging it out at stadiums across the Valley of the Sun.
SEVEN MORE TO SEE + DO:
Feb. 2-March 31: Coinciding with Spring Training, The Gallery at Mountain Shadows Resort Scottsdale will display a new exhibition, “Abstract Athlete.” All works on display will be on loan from The Abstract Athlete, founded by Virginia Commonwealth Professor Ron Johnson and industrial designer Chris Clemmer, to represent artists who are former and star athletes as well as military veterans.
Feb. 5: Managed by the Scottsdale Charros – Scottsdale’s Goodwill Ambassadors – the 68th Annual Scottsdale Parada del Sol Historic Parade and Trail’s End Festival will enliven the streets of Old Town Scottsdale. Combining a traditional parade and family friendly activities, Parada del Sol honors Scottsdale’s western roots and vibrant cultures, and has been an important part of the city’s heritage for nearly 70 years.
Feb. 5-6: The Arizona American Indian Tourism Association (AAITA), in partnership with Arizona’s Native American tribes and the City of Scottsdale’s Western Week, will host its annual, free, Arizona Indian Festival in Old Town Scottsdale featuring art, food and dance, and including the popular Arizona Native Edible Desert Experience. This curated evening brings together Native American Chefs working with ancestral ingredients in contemporary dishes alongside contemporary Native American Artists and traditionalists, showcasing both art and food practices.
Thru Feb. 21: Visitors can travel back in time with, “Lincoln: Assassination and Honor,” a new exhibit at Arizona Boardwalk. The exhibition features a collection of authentic, verified artifacts related to President Abraham Lincoln’s life and death, including one of the two derringer guns carried by his assassin, John Wilkes Booth.
Thru June 19: Catch “Chihuly in the Desert” at Desert Botanical Garden and Taliesin West, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This stunning, large-scale exhibition by Dale Chihuly, activated in two iconic Arizona locations, showcases the American glass sculptor’s masterpieces which draw on color and light from the surrounding desert.
Wandering Heart Adventures makes exploring the wonders of Arizona easy this spring with six different day tours departing Scottsdale daily – from Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend, to Sedona, the Grand Canyon and beyond.
Travelers seeking romance can live out their Hallmark movie dreams on a sunset hot air balloon flight with Rainbow Ryders– available now through mid-March – by booking the new Proposal Picnic Package, created in partnership with Rust + Honey. After soaring over the majestic Sonoran Desert and Lake Pleasant, couples can enjoy a picnic setup along with charcuterie eats and bubbly to celebrate the engagement.
FOOD SCENE
Later this month, Clive Collective, a Scottsdale-based restaurant group, will open Cala at Senna House. Cala offers an escape to the Mediterranean, serving farm-fresh coastal cuisine inspired by the flavors of Greece, Spain, Italy and Morocco. Internationally known chef and Food Network personality, Beau MacMillan, serves as culinary director.
Soon to open in Scottsdale is California-based Mexican bistro, Mama por Díos. This 9,200-square-foot establishment will highlight the best of Mexico through its flavors, aromas, colors, traditions and art.
Coming to Scottsdale Waterfront is Buzzed Bull Creamery, an alcoholic and non-alcoholic frozen dessert concept that is the first in the U.S. to infuse alcohol into ice cream using liquid nitrogen for a “mad scientist experiment” effect.
EXCEPTIONALLY SCOTTSDALE
THE BIG NEWS: At the tail end of 2021, several Scottsdale businesses launched new, interactive experiences that invite visitors to not just shop, watch, sip, or eat, but immerse themselves in all that this city and its myriad diverse business owners and attractions have to offer. These 11 innovative, expertly curated, memorable experiences for tourists and residents alike can be found atExceptionallyScottsdale.com.
THREE EXCEPTIONALLY SCOTTSDALE ACTIVITIES:
Experience the perfect pairing of Carlson Creek’s Arizona wine and local artisanal cheeses prepared by the vineyard’s winemaker and founder, with, “The Perfect Pairing,” a fun and approachable class for wine tasters of all levels.
At French Designer Jeweler, visitors can discover all that sparkles, with, “From Gemstone to Studio: The Art Of Designer Jewelry.” Learn how gemstones inspire artists to create pieces of one-of-a-kind jewelry as French Thompson, working goldsmith and owner of this unique gallery in Old Town Scottsdale, uncovers the intricacies, techniques and styles of his curated collection featuring 15 studio jewelers from around the world.
“Be the Maker at The Merchantile” invites guests to unleash their creativity with a workshop experience. First, browse the works of over 100 Arizonan artisans and craftspeople, before painting a desert-inspired masterpiece to take home.
WHAT’S NEXT
Ritz-Carlton, Paradise Valley – a 215-room, 20-acre new-build slated to open later this year – will have it all; exemplary service, views of Camelback Mountain, modern and sleek interiors, a 16,000-square-foot spa and a prime location.
In 2023, Caesars Entertainment Corporation will open Caesars Republic Scottsdale, its first non-gaming hotel in the United States. The 11-story glass structure will house 256 rooms, a bar and coffee shop, two signature restaurants from Chef Giada De Laurentiis, a rooftop pool, and a fitness center.
Accor, in conjunction with Dakota Development and DESCO Arizona, will open SLS Scottsdale in June 2023, with 235 hotel rooms (30 luxury suites), two floors of entertainment space, plus on-property dining and a bar.
Macerich, one of the nation’s leading owners, operators and developers of one-of-a-kind retail and mixed-use properties in top markets, and Life Time, the nation’s premier healthy lifestyle brand, recently announced a new luxury athletic resort planned for Scottsdale Fashion Square. The three-level, 40,000-square-foot Life Time will open in 2023, adjacent to the mall’s Luxury Wing entrance, a dedicated luxury enclave which features Arizona’s only Dior, St. Laurent, Nobu, Bottega Veneta, Jimmy Choo and a wealth of other exclusive global brands.
For more Scottsdale travel news and story ideas, visit www.scottsdalepressroom.com.