These are only a few names that make up the hospitality epicenter that is Scottsdale and Paradise Valley.
The municipalities have long been destinations for resort living and tourism in the Valley, entrenched in an ecosystem that continues to sustain, even after the pandemic cliff.
Yet on the other side of town, the West Valley is a resort desert comparatively. However, leaders say the region could be poised for growth in that sector moving forward.
Surprise Regional Chamber of Commerce President Raoul Sada admits that for whatever reasons — whether it be economic or demographic — the West Valley does not yet appear to attract a lot of resorts. However, he said the greatest strength in the northwest Valley are the collective regional assets.
West Valley cities have easy access to highways and lots of regional assets like the White tank mountains, spring training, golf courses, Westgate, Wild Life World Zoo, Wickenburg and others.
At some point, as those regional assets expand, resorts will find the West Valley more attractive, Sada said.
“The attractiveness of the area is not necessarily a single point of interest but a collective group of tourism assets, and it’s only a matter of time before resort developers see our unique offerings,” he said. “Our offerings of restraints are also growing rapidly, and the growth of this sector will also make our region more attractive for resort properties.”
Sintra Hoffman, president and CEO of Westmarc, added resorts in Paradise Valley and Scottsdale have been around for decades and continue to refresh to attract tourists, event visitors and corporate clients.
Historically, she said, the West Valley has been comprised of bedroom communities, but because of continued growth and development since the mid-2000s, there has been a shift in companies choosing to locate on the west side.
National events such as the NASCAR Championship Race and, once again, the Super Bowl continue to elevate the region nationally, she said.
“We’re already seeing the market turn west in response to the quality growth and excitement here,” Hoffman said. “I’m confident that our quality growth, employment increase and retail investments will drive the need for more resorts.”
Glendale leading
A good example of the Super Bowl attracting development to the West Valley is the new Vai Resort, which is rising up next to Westgate in Glendale, and has plans to be the largest hotel in Arizona.
It recently expanded from 630 original rooms to now more than 1,200, projected for a likely opening of late spring 2023.
The water-themed resort will feature a large 360-degree concert stage, 13 elevated fine dining concepts, white sand beaches, and Caribbean-blue water. A 52,000-square-foot island will be a centerpiece for the unique 60-acre entertainment resort.
Located at the southeast corner of Cardinals Way and Loop 101, it is expected to bring more than an estimated $700 million in new sales, property and bed tax revenues to the city, county and state during the next 25 years, according to city of Glendale officials.
“We’re excited for this project on many fronts, but two really stand out,” Glendale city manager Kevin Phelps stated. “Not only will this be a great example of experiential retail, which is the only area of growth in brick-and-mortar development over the past 10 years, but this project further cements Westgate as the largest sports and entertainment district in Arizona.”
Peoria efforts
In recent years, Peoria officials have been diligently working at attracting high-end hospitality products to the city and recently scored big with the ambitious Stadium Point mixed-use development, which has plans to include an upscale hotel with 200-220 keys, adjacent to the Peoria Sports Complex.
The city inked a development agreement with master developer Steinhauer Properties on April 20, 2021.
Peoria commissioned hospitality consultant Revpar International, in 2018, to conduct a resort study to determine the most optimal and feasible location to house a full-service hotel.
The study found there is strong market support for a new, upscale full-service branded hotel in Peoria. Five locations throughout the city were identified to evaluate marketability, with a location in the P83 Entertainment District as the top prospect for a future hotel.
This analysis was used to draw Steinhauer Properties to Peoria where Stadium Point is now in the works, with groundbreaking is expected in a couple years.
The $500 million, 1 million-square-foot mixed-use development is also planned to include Class A office, multifamily, retail, dining and entertainment uses, as well as structured parking on 17 acres.
Peoria Economic Development Director Jennifer Stein said the upscale hotel will have great amenities, convention space with ballroom, restaurant and roof top bar and pool.
And cool vibes, she said.
“Peoria today is primed for the next resort/hotel given our consistent growth and high quality amenities, assets and demographics,” she said.
The big dogs
Paradise Valley and Scottsdale are the high-end giants in the Valley of the Sun’s resort industry, and that will not change anytime soon.
In recent years, Scottsdale has seen openings of new properties including Senna House Scottsdale as well as Canopy by Hilton Old Town Scottsdale, and Paradise Valley is primed for the long-awaited opening of the Ritz-Carlton planned for fall 2023.
In the works are Hilton North Scottsdale at Cavasson and Caesars Republic Scottsdale and the Smoke Tree Resort in Paradise Valley.
Meanwhile, established resorts are renovating and improving, such as Fairmont Scottsdale Princess with the upcoming Privado Villas.
Scottsdale and Paradise Valley use part of their general plans to focus on resorts and how they should fit into their municipalities — ranging from land-use designations to open space. The municipalities are entrenched in the hospitality industry and invest in organizations such as the nonprofit Experience Scottsdale that conduct destination marketing efforts on behalf of these municipalities.
For services rendered, Scottsdale and Paradise Valley contract with Experience Scottsdale based on the municipalities’ bed tax revenue. In June, Scottsdale City Council approved a five-year $11.25 million contract with Experience Scottsdale. Paradise Valley approved a three-year $2 million contract in June 2020.
The organization acts as an extension of resorts’ marketing, sales, tourism and public relations teams. Experience Scottsdale advertising raises awareness about Scottsdale and Paradise Valley as year-round, luxury travel destinations.
The business’s public relations efforts generate positive media coverage that provides exposure for resort clients, their tourism programs connect travel advisers and tour operators with their resorts, and their convention sales team secures business meetings into their resorts. All this helps sell Scottsdale and PV vacations and packages.
Stephanie Pressler, director of community and government affairs for Experience Scottsdale, said though tourism was affected by the pandemic, Scottsdale has seen leisure visitors and meetings groups return.
There is an interest in the marketplace that speaks to the strength of the PV and Scottsdale brands, which invest in the hospitality industry and the success of their tourism industries, Pressler said.
In 2019, Scottsdale welcomed 11 million domestic and international travelers who generated an economic impact of $3.3 billion.
“Scottsdale recognizes the importance of tourism and invests in the industry, such as through its programs to develop, support and grow special events and through its partnership with Experience Scottsdale for destination promotion,” Pressler said. “Our team keeps Scottsdale and Paradise Valley top of mind with national and international audiences, including leisure visitors, meetings groups, travel professionals and travel media.”
She added that tourism is the foundation of Scottsdale’s economy, and it has been for decades, where people travel great distances to relax and rejuvenate.
“Beginning in the late 1800s, people sought the desert’s healing climate at medical camps and guest ranches in the area. Shortly thereafter, those camps were traded for inns like The Hermosa Inn and Camelback Inn. Those paved the way for luxury resorts and upscale hotels that have opened in the decades since, from Hotel Valley Ho in 1956 to Fairmont Scottsdale Princess in 1987 to the soon-to-open Ritz-Carlton Paradise Valley,” she said. “Scottsdale has been positioned as a destination for tourists since the 1940s, and today, the city is known around the world for our luxury resorts and all the activities and attractions surrounding them.”
Much is the same in Paradise Valley. With 12 resorts within a town of under 13,000 people spanning only 15 square miles in the middle of the Valley, the residents play a big part in saying whether those resorts are welcome or not. Tourism is important in Paradise Valley but it is the residents who are regulars at those resort restaurants and teeing off at those golf courses.
And they show up to town council when a resort is being remodeled or developed.
Such has been the case recently, as Walton Global Holding bought Smoke Tree Resort for $14 million on June 29 from former owners Gentree LLC.
The property has been sitting, closed, for several years, and now The Walton team say they are open and willing to hear what the community wants.
Walton Global CEO Bill Doherty says the group is setting the bar to provide a finished product the community and tourists will be proud of.
“The location and land use of this particular parcel is one of a kind in the town,” Doherty said. “We feel honored to be the owners of such a special property and we want to get our development right. We believe we can achieve this by working collaboratively with Paradise Valley residents and elected officials in the town.”
Paradise Valley Community Development Director Lisa Collins said residents and town council are foundational to the town’s resort nature.
Of course, the town’s physical beauty — nestled around Camelback Mountain in a semi-rural, low density community with recreational activities — is a good starting point for attraction, but she said the council and residents have been able to keep it that way for years and at the same time foster new resort development as well as remain relevant in attracting new visitors by consistently re-developing or upgrading established resorts.
“This is not a typical community because we don’t have commercial [real estate],” Collins said. “I think it is a delicate balance keeping it fresh. [When resorts are] proposed in Paradise Valley, the council and residents take it very seriously. Everything is really well thought out, so we get good results. ... It really is like a slice of paradise here and feels like a rural area in the middle of the Valley. The residents and council are adamant in keeping it that way.”
Philip Haldiman can be reached at phaldiman@iniusa.org, or on Twitter @philiphaldiman.
Editor’s note: News Editors Steve Stockmar and Melissa Rosequist contributed to this report.
Meet Philip Haldiman is an award-winning journalist who most recently took first place for investigative reporting in 2023 from Arizona Newspapers Association. He joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2015, covering Sun City West his first year. Since 2016, he has covered the city of Peoria. Prior to coming to INI, he was a reporter with The Arizona Republic for seven years, covering numerous cities throughout the Valley. Before that, he was a freelance writer.
Community: Haldiman spearheads the Peoria Independent Hometown Heroes Awards program, honoring local individuals and businesses that give back to the community. He has hosted local candidate forums over the years and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. Haldiman also served as a member of the Journalism Program Community Advisory Board at Glendale Community College. Outside journalism, Haldiman served as a member of the city of Peoria Complete Count Committee for the Census, 2019-2020. Lastly, he has served as a member of his HOA governing board since 2021.
Education: Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications and a BA in Theater.
Random Fact: Haldiman is a fourth-generation Arizonan as well as wrote and produced an autobiographical comic book about his time spent in Hollywood and his life as a cult film star.
Hobbies: He enjoys hiking Arizona’s mountainous landscapes and is currently working on a play for the stage.
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