10 New Phoenix/Scottsdale Venues for 2020 Spring Meetings and Events

In January, Paradise Valley’s Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain Resort & Spa unveiled its eight renovated private residences, now rebranded as the Villas at Sanctuary. Each of these architecturally distinctive mountain homes occupies more than an acre of land and can be reserved for small groups and private events. Individual homes include Villa Luna, a 5,500-square-foot, five-bedroom masterpiece by architect Paul Christian Yeager; Villa Roca, a secluded 2,800-square-foot home with four bedrooms, a private pool, floor-to-ceiling windows, and desert views; and Villa del Sol (shown here), a 3,500-square-foot space dedicated to whole-body and mind wellness, including four bedrooms, a massage treatment room, a movement studio, and four adjacent Terrace Casitas. Guests have full access to all of the amenities at the resort, including the Sanctuary Spa, Elements restaurant, and jade bar.

Who says breakfast has to be the first meal of the day? At OEB Breakfast Co., eggs, pancakes, and the like are always on the menu. The restaurant opened in Scottsdale in November, marking the Canadian mini-chain’s first foray into the U.S. market. The menu features elevated spins on classic favorites, like Nutella French toast with hazelnut gianduja, torched marshmallows, and cocoa; and eggs Benedict with wild blue crab and duck-fat-fried herb potatoes. Spanning 2,900 square feet, the restaurant seats 84 guests inside and 18 on the patio. Venetian plaster walls, a Terrazzo bar, brightly colored chairs and booths, and an open kitchen create a contemporary, clean feel.

Cambria Hotel Downtown Phoenix opened in the Roosevelt Row Arts District in November, adding 127 rooms to the city’s inventory. The hotel offers several spaces for events: the 1,600-square-foot Poppy restaurant, which serves locally inspired cuisine, seats 150; the 5,000-square-foot From the Rooftop bar, which offers sweeping views of downtown Phoenix, seats 375; and the 900-square-foot Masai Room seats 100. The hotel also features a state-of-the-art fitness center, a sun deck, and complimentary Wi-Fi access throughout the property.

Expanding to a second Phoenix-area location, Tempe’s Pedal Haus Brewery opened a Chandler outpost in March. The menu includes award-winning beer brewed at the Tempe location, as well as signature dishes like smoked wings, chicken pot pie, and a German-style charcuterie board. Pedal Haus boasts 3,000 square feet of indoor space, as well as a 2,000-square-foot patio available for private events of as many as 80 guests. An additional, smaller patio seats 22.

Marriott Phoenix Airport completed a multimillion-dollar, property-wide renovation in February, including the guest rooms, meeting and public spaces, restaurant, bar, Concierge Lounge, and pool area. The new, sophisticated decor incorporates raw elements, rich desert tones, and geometric patterns; enhancements to the meeting space include new carpeting, lighting, sound systems, air walls, and automated digital signage. In total, the hotel features 346 guest rooms and suites, many of which feature balconies overlooking the South Mountain Range, and 15 event spaces totaling more than 24,000 square feet of space. Options for events include the 6,912-square-foot Arizona Ballroom, which accommodates 750 guests for cocktail-style events, 500 for seated banquets, and 450 classroom style; the 4,480-square-foot Diamond Ballroom, which fits 400 for cocktail receptions and 250 for banquets; and four 1,120-square-foot rooms that each accommodate 100 for receptions and 60 for banquets. Two 750-square-foot Parlor Suites can also accommodate groups, and the 12th-floor Concierge Lounge offers all-day dining and evening cocktails for Concierge Level guests.

Local brewer PHX Beer Co. opened a brewery and tap room in November in a renovated 15,000-square-foot building on East Washington Street. The tap room features a mix of low and high tables with seating for 200 guests, while darts, shuffleboard, and other lawn and bar games add an element of fun. Barn doors allow for private events, and garage doors, when open, offer a behind-the-scenes peek into the brewery. Complementing the full bar, the food menu features options like Morenci Ale pretzel bites, veggie paninis, and an assortment of flatbreads. Culinary elements like Iron Horse Porter Mustard and Arizona Gold Pickles incorporate PHX Beer Co. brews.

In December, Chandler Fashion Center became home to the region’s third location of the Sicilian Butcher. The menu features build-your-own meals featuring 10 varieties of hand-rolled meatballs, 10 house-made sauces, from-scratch pasta, and Sicilian-style charcuterie. The 6,500-square-foot restaurant seats 420 guests and features a pasta room, a chef’s table in the dining room, a butcher knife wall, and a patio with fireplaces and seating for 300. Next door, the Sicilian Baker offers a variety of cannoli combinations with ingredients like strawberry ricotta cream, peanut butter filling, and white-chocolate dipped shells.

The Phoenix Zoo debuted its all-new Doornbos Wildlife Discovery Amphitheater in October. Ideal for presentations and concerts, the outdoor space can seat as many as 490 attendees and is equipped with an on-stage screen, wireless microphone capabilities, and a state-of-the-art sound system. The venue is used for public programs during the day but is available for private events during the evening hours, and planners can even book private shows led by the Zoo’s Animal Ambassador Resource team. Elsewhere on the property, the Zoo boasts more than 15 additional venues that are available for private events.

Los Angeles-based restaurant chain Zinqué opened in the luxury wing of Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall in December, marking the brand’s first foray into a market outside of southern California. Spanning 2,930 square feet, the restaurant includes a 120-seat main dining room, a 620-square-foot semiprivate event space that accommodates as many as 50 guests for cocktail receptions, and a 1,474-square-foot outdoor patio complete with a 30-foot-tall oak tree and seating for 68. The interior decor includes wrought-iron windows, a working fireplace, wooden tables, and concrete walls. An extensive menu encompasses breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with goodies like freshly baked chocolate croissants, brioche French toast, charcuterie, deviled eggs, and steak-frites.

MercBar at The Esplanade in Biltmore completed a renovation in December. Taking its style cues from the original location in Manhattan’s chic SoHo neighborhood, the 23-year-old Phoenix outpost offers a glamorous vibe, with dark wood walls, indoor greenery, and plush velvet lounge seating. The bar serves high-quality cocktails and spirits complemented with bar snacks like rosemary truffle popcorn and pork belly buns. The 3,000-square-foot space can accommodate as many as 200 guests for buyouts or as few as 20 in the 700-square-foot Copper Room, which is equipped with audiovisual capabilities, antique black steel and glass doors, and curtains for full privacy.