Notes from Phoenix, and creative ways to expand your budget and pleasure while visiting Arizona.
EVENTS
Cactus League Spring Training, a seasonal rite in Greater Phoenix, roars to life Feb. 25 with the iconic sounds of cracking bats, snapping mitts and cheering fans. The 2009 Cactus League season features 14 teams and more than 175 games, with action scheduled every day in March. A dozen Cactus League call the Phoenix area home, and that roster includes two new additions for 2009: the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cleveland Indians. The Dodgers have relocated "Dodgertown" from Florida to a beautiful new training complex in Glendale called Camelback Ranch. The tradition-rich National League franchise will share its stadium with the Chicago White Sox, who recently migrated to Phoenix from Tucson. The Indians were one of the adventurous franchises that gave birth to the Cactus League when they came Arizona to train for the 1946 season. This spring, the Indians return to desert in grand style, moving into a new stadium in Goodyear. Baseball fans from Los Angeles, Cleveland and everywhere else will be pleased to discover that tickets to Cactus League games remain famously inexpensive - from $5 for lawn seating to $30 for a lower-level perch behind home plate.
RESORT NEWS
After three years of property renovations that updated both public and private spaces, Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort completed the process by opening doors to the Highland Center in mid-December. Featuring high ceilings, a spacious outdoor plaza, and enhanced technology, the Highland Center offers greater options for meetings, trade shows, and social events.
Camelback Inn has extended its "$100 off" special until April 30, 2009. With a rate of $299 until December 31 and $349 after January 1, this package represents a savings of more than 25 %. Camelback, an AAA Five-Diamond resort for 32 years running recently completed a $45 million renovation. The project touched on nearly every aspect of the property: there are new meeting spaces; restaurants, including Arizona's first outpost of Laurent Tourondel's BLT Steak and Rita's Kitchen, which serves fresh Southwestern cuisine with Mexican influences in a rustic setting; upgraded guest rooms; expansive outdoor features with fire pits, sculptures, and fountains; a new bar/lounge serving specialty tequilas and margaritas; and a new main building and lobby.
The Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North in partnership with the Heard Museum and Heard Museum North Scottsdale has a new "Docent for a Day" program that provides an unprecedented intimate learning experience, shedding light on the mystery of the museum world as seen through the eyes of leading curators and designers. The program begins with a personal tour of the Heard Museum North Scottsdale campus and introduction to the Heard's exhibitions, publications and programming with a master docent. The participant then travels to the Heard Museum in Phoenix and has lunch with a docent or staff member in the Arcadia Farms Café. The program continues as a curator or designer guides the participant through a selected exhibit of their choosing. Following the tour, the participant receives a take-home packet, information about the exhibit and introduction to the Museum's acclaimed Shop and Berlin Gallery. The cost for the program, which includes yearlong membership privileges, is $250 for one person and $450 for two people, and does not include transportation.
Sip premium bourbons and smoke fine cigars under the stars before and after a multi-course gourmet dinner prepared by the acclaimed Chef de Cuisine of the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa's historic signature restaurant. The Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa is offering the 'Bourbon & Cigar Dinner' on April 16, 2009. Held in Wright's at The Biltmore, the dinners feature a menu of Wright's signature American Lodge Cuisine, prepared by Chef de Cuisine Conor Favre, and both pre-dinner and after-dinner receptions on the restaurant's beautiful patio and lawn. The April 16 Bourbon & Cigar Dinner will begin at 6:30 p.m. The cost is $115 per person, plus tax and gratuity.
The Boulders Resort and Golden Door Spa, renowned for its innovative meeting programs and distinctive function venues, has added new regional comfort food to the "Rolling Stone Diner" menu. The new Airstream Bullet "diner" was recently introduced as a moveable retro dining venue for meeting guests to enjoy a wide variety of locations on the resort's 1,300 acres of breathtaking desert landscape amidst the 12-million-year-old boulders. Items added to the menu include a new Southwest Corndog served in a corndog tray with a red chipotle beef chili and sour cream.
The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa was recently lauded with two "Stars of the Industry Awards" from the Arizona Hotel and Lodging Association: the "Prism Award" for the Scottish Traditions at The Westin Kierland Resort and the "Guest Relations Award" for "The Compass" FUN Passport Program. The Scottish Traditions serve to pay homage to the contributions made by the Scottish immigrants to the development of Arizona's railroads, mines and towns. The Compass: A Trailblazer's Guide is designed to provide guests a with a welcome amenity of a scavenger hunt to help them discover all that the resort offers, and it provides guest interaction with resort associates.
In the spring, Phoenix transforms into a Mecca for baseball fans. Home to Cactus league Spring Training games, visitors from all over come to see teams like the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Cleveland Reds play. In anticipation of traveling, devoted fans, the Pointe Hilton resorts have created the Triple Play package. For as low as $149 baseball enthusiasts can enjoy the Pointe Hilton Resorts and:
- 3 full nights from February 20 - March 31, 2009
- 2-Full American Breakfasts per day during their stay
- Complimentary high-speed Internet access
Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch has been chosen by the readers of Smart Meetings magazine as a winner of the 2008 Platinum Choice Award. This is the fourth year that the resort has received this award. The resort's Platinum Choice Award is one of only 100 given this year.
"4Paws" a pet friendly program has just been unleashed at the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa. Guests want to travel with those they love, which for many includes their pets. With an ever-increasing number of pet owners wanting to travel with their four-legged friends, the resort has created "4Paws," providing a luxurious alternative, complete with "pet- amenities", to boarding and pet sitters. The "4Paws" rate for pets, which must weigh 40 lbs or less*, is $50 daily, non-refundable.
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