Here's a look at new Phoenix/Scottsdale hotels, conference centers, restaurants, private rooms, and other spaces to open for events this fall. The new and renovated Phoenix/Scottsdale venues are available for corporate parties, weddings, fund-raisers, outdoor functions, business dinners, teambuilding activities, conferences, meetings, and more.
The Arizona Mills Mall in Tempe welcomed a Legoland Discovery Center in April. The 42,000-square-foot playland is loaded with millions of Lego bricks. Two party rooms, which have high-definition multimedia-interface equipment, seat 30 people each, and can be combined to seat 60. A 4-D theatre has seating for 96, and the attraction holds a total of 999 guests.
Housed inside a reused former office building, Stock & Stable debuted in June. The American gastropub serves shareable plates, homemade pasta, and artisan meats, and planners can book events ranging from intimate dinners to full buyouts. Between the dining room and the patio, the 2,661-square-foot restaurant can seat a total of 195 guests. Stock & Stable is open daily for lunch and dinner, and serves brunch on weekends.
An unusual combination of upscale lounge and virtual gun range, Modern Round opened in June in Peoria’s P83 Entertainment District. In between indulging in the chef-driven menu and extensive cocktail list, guests can enter simulated worlds and shoot fake weapons. The 11,638-square-foot space can accommodate groups of as many as 400 for cocktail parties, or as many as 250 for seated dinners. The restaurant is open daily for lunch, brunch, and dinner. Amenities include video projection, a full-function DSP system, and a microphone.
Open since June, AC Hotel Phoenix Tempe/Downtown includes just over 1,000 square feet of meeting space for groups of as many as 20 for executive board meetings or 40 for cocktail-style parties. Meeting planners can utilize an 80-inch flat-screen TV, as well as plug-and-play capabilities. The hotel also boasts a rooftop pool, a tapas lounge, and a full bar.
Accessed via a back door and up a staircase, Honor Amongst Thieves opened above Stock & Stable in June. The atmosphere at this bar conjures a speakeasy: low lighting, wood paneling, and no windows. The menu includes creative signature cocktails as well as bar bites, assorted cheeses, and cured meats from the Stock & Stable kitchen downstairs. Measuring 1,800 square feet, the cocktail lounge can accommodate receptions for as many as 90 guests.
The Orchard PHX, a two-acre mixed-use property, opened on the site of a former citrus farm in May. In addition to an ice cream parlor, a market, and a cafe, the Orchard offers three options for private events. Pomelo, a full-service American restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating, includes a 12-seat private dining room and a 25-seat event room on the basement level. The Barn can accommodate as many as 30 seated guests, and an outdoor lawn seats 100. An in-house catering and events manager is available.
In April, El Samaritano Equestrian Center in Scottsdale began renting out its facility for private parties, offering a massive space for events with unobstructed views of the vast Arizona sky and the Sonoran Desert. The 30-acre property includes a 40,000-square-foot outdoor arena, a 29,000-square-foot indoor arena, and a 20,000-square-foot desert reception area, enabling planners to book events for as many as 3,000 seated guests indoors or 3,500 seated guests outdoors. Venues of North Scottsdale handles bookings for El Samaritano, as well as for several other event spaces in the area.
The Venue Scottsdale opened VirtueVice, a swanky, lounge-style event venue, in June. The space has a built-in stage with audio, lighting, and video capabilities, as well as a projector, a flat-screen TV, and Wi-Fi access. The lounge spans three levels: One indoor floor accommodates as many as 200 for receptions; the other floor has a capacity of 130 for receptions; and an open-air rooftop with views of the mountains and downtown has room for 400 standing. In total, the venue spans 36,000 square feet and can accommodate 1,500 seated guests or 2,100 for receptions.
