Here's a look at the best new Phoenix/Scottsdale restaurants, hotels, party rooms, corporate event venues, conference centers, and private rooms to open this winter. These new and renovated Phoenix/Scottsdale venues can accommodate groups large or small for private and corporate events, meetings, business dinners, cocktail parties, conferences, weddings, and more.
Omni Hotels & Resorts took over Montelucia Resort & Spa in January, renaming the property the Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia. The 293-room hotel at the base of Camelback Mountain offers more than 27,000 square feet of indoor meeting space and 74,000 square feet of outdoor space; it's largest ballroom is 9,216 square feet. Other event spaces include Joya Spa and food and beverage outlets such as the sleek Centro Lounge.
Cake Nightclub, which opened in February in Old Town Scottsdale, blends baroque-era decor with modern technology such as a Funktion One Sound System and a lighting system from CG Lighting. The 3,500-square-foot venue holds 150 people for events and has a layout with seven built-in banquettes, six high-top tables, staging for dancing behind each table, aerial rigs for performances, and two go-go platforms for dancers. The venue also has several LED screens for custom video graphics and messaging.
JW Marriott Camelback Inn Resort and Spa opened a $10 million Ambiente Golf Course in November. Ambiente, which means “environment” in Spanish, is the first new golf course development in greater Phoenix in more than five years. The par-72 course was designed with environmental features including 100 acres of new native desert and grass areas intended to promote wildlife habitats, water conservation efforts, and a decrease in fertilizer and fossil fuel usage.
One of the region’s most expansive resorts, Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch upgraded and expanded in September to include 35,000 square feet of space for indoor events, including a 10,000-square-foot prefunction area, 40 meeting rooms, and 35,000 square feet of outdoor space. Other on-site amenities include 27 holes of championship golf, five restaurants, a spa, and a $5 million 2.5-acre water playground.
La Bocca Wine Bar and Urban Kitchen opened in January in North Phoenix. The sister restaurant to La Bocca Urban Pizzeria & Wine Bar in Tempe has a similar concept with its own design, which includes touches such as laser-etched logo tabletops and a walk-in wine cellar. Other decor elements include a bar made of wood from a Midwestern barn, a hammered tin ceiling, and a collection of vintage mirrors. The 2,800-square-foot interior seats 80, and a 500-square-foot patio, available for private events, seats 36 or holds 60 for cocktails.
Scottsdale's the Clayton on the Park added a full misting system and bistro lighting to its patio last summer. The event venue's largest space, the 2,088-square-foot Clayton Room, accommodates 150 guests for a seated dinner and 200 for receptions. The space has floor-to-ceiling windows, an illuminated bar, and an open floor plan. Two other rooms—the Gallery and the Terrace—can be used separately for preparty cocktails or an after-party or be combined with the Clayton room for receptions of 400. In-house caterer Clayton Catering uses local and seasonal foods in its menus. The venue opened in 2011.
Scottsdale Plaza Resort has continued its ambitious renovation plan that began in 2012, making over its guest rooms, fitness center, suites, and restaurants. The main pool was also remodeled with new surfacing and stone work. More work will continue throughout 2014. The hotel has 40,000 square feet of meeting space, including the 10,080-square-foot Grand Ballroom, which seats 1,200.
The fine-dining restaurant at Scottsdale Plaza Resort, Remington’s Restaurant & Lounge was refreshed as part of a property-wide renovation. The restaurant seats about 150 inside and 50 on its patio, which had its trellis work redone during the renovation. Remington's has a regular schedule of live entertainment.
The family entertainment chain Main Event Entertainment opened its first location outside of Texas in November with a new space in Tempe. The facility offers bowling, billiards, laser tag, video arcades, and dining options spread over its 60,000 square feet. Its banquet space includes audiovisual equipment. The entire facility holds more than 1,000 people.
The 290-room the Wren, a Crowne Plaza Hotel opened in January after it was converted from an independent hotel and given an $8 million renovation. The airport hotel has 18,000 square feet of meeting space including 13 meeting rooms and a ballroom. It also has a contemporary American restaurant, the Post, and a bar, dubbed Perch. The renovation added a 2,500-square-foot deck to the outdoor heated pool.
