Here's a look at the best new Phoenix/Scottsdale restaurants, corporate event venues, hotels, conference centers, and private and party rooms to open for events this winter. These new and renovated Phoenix/Scottsdale venues can accommodate groups large or small for private and corporate events, conferences, meetings, weddings, business dinners, teambuilding activities, cocktail parties, and more.
Dierks Bentley's Whiskey Row opened a Tempe location in September. The venue offers a fun, down-to-earth atmosphere for events with live music, concerts, and DJs. The new location seats 280 guests or holds 599 for receptions. The gastropub menu and 55 beer taps are complemented by lawn games, 50 built-in TVs, and a dance floor.
Arizona's first Autograph Collection hotel will open in December in the building formerly occupied by the Phoenix Ritz-Carlton. The Camby Hotel will include 277 guest rooms, a full-service restaurant, two bars, a rooftop pool with cabanas and ping-pong tables, a boutique spa, and more than 20,000 square feet of meeting space. Groups can also opt to meet in the Back Office, a private dining space that boasts a pool table that converts into a boardroom table and a shuffleboard game that becomes a buffet table. The property will be colorful, elegant, and whimsical. Smart technology will be built into the hotel, making it easy for guests to connect and for planners to control the meeting environment.
Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa completed a $2.5 million renovation in September. The Chandler property now offers 125,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space, including the new Komatke Ballroom, which added 35,330 square feet of meeting space to the resort. Additional meeting rooms seat as many as 1,600. The expansive desert resort also includes 500 guest rooms, a AAA Five-Diamond restaurant, a Native American spa, the Native American Historical Library and Research Center, four swimming pools, 36 holes of golf, and a 1,000-acre equestrian center.
In December, the Boulders Resort & Spa will complete a renovation to its 5,500-square-foot Latilla Ballroom. The space, which seats 300 guest theater-style, offers 25-foot ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows with waterfall views, artisan-crafted bronze chandeliers, contemporary Southwest decor, and an extended patio with an adobe wood-burning fireplace. Elsewhere in the resort, guests can enjoy championship golf, tennis, a spa, four swimming pools, and five restaurants.
The spacious new Pedal Haus Brewery offers 8,000 square feet of indoor space in addition to a 6,000-square-foot patio, the largest in Tempe. Open since September, Pedal Haus can hold events of all kinds, from live rock concerts to political speeches to breakfast buffets. Using both the indoor and outdoor space, the venue seats 450 guests. For outdoor-only events, the patio holds 400 for receptions and is equipped with an elevated stage, light fixtures, amplified sound technology, 12 flat-screen TVs, a kitchen and bar, and a dog-friendly beer garden with lawn games. Inside, 17 additional flat-screen TVs are available for use during events. The brewery serves 24 draft beers as well as Belgian-influenced gastropub fare such as mussels and fries, beer-braised beef, and fried cheese balls.
Arizona's first full-service makeup-only studio the Sparkle Bar made its debut in downtown Scottsdale in September. Here, more than 20 skilled artists offer affordable makeup services using high-end brands such as Bobbi Brown, Laura Mercier, and MAC. The fun ambiance is designed to give patrons a carefree environment so they can relax while being pampered and beautified. Groups of as many as 45 people can book the 650-square-foot space for a girls' night out or pre-event party.
Base Pizzeria, a new addition to Paradise Valley, opened in July. The menu features modern, organic pizza, salad, and appetizers. At about 1,900 square feet, the venue holds 62 guests inside and another 24 on the patio.
The Coronado opened in October and serves a Southwest-inspired, locally sourced, vegetarian menu. The space is more than 100 years old, complete with the original hardwood floors, and is adorned with vintage furniture, a back bar made from repurposed wood, fresh plants, and vibrant art on the walls. The venue measures 2,000 square feet and seats 85 guests. Small rooms and nooks throughout the restaurant offer semiprivate areas for meetings and events, and the patio is suited for parties with DJs or acoustic musicians.
In December, Helton Brewing Company will open a 10,000-square-foot facility that will include a working brewery, tasting room, and beer garden. Helton will specialize in hand-crafted beer, artisanal cheese, small-batch cured meats, and an array of wines and spirits. The tasting room at the industrial-style space will offer tastings, educational classes, food pairings, cooking demos, and more for as many as 40 guests.
The award-winning culinary team behind Crudo opened Okra Cookhouse & Cocktails in central Phoenix in September. The unique concept features authentic Southern cuisine with an Italian twist in a space that is reminiscent of an upscale country home. The restaurant can be reserved for partial or full buyouts. Measuring 2,400 square feet, Okra has 100 total seats, including a 40-person dining patio accessible via a rollaway window wall. Audiovisual equipment can be rented from the restaurant.
