Insurance Conference Planner: The Southwest

Byline: Lauren Haro

WHAT'S NEW

The pioneers of the Old West were a colorful collection of cowboys, homesteaders, and mine workers whose fortitude was rewarded by the region's natural beauty, sunny skies, and - perhaps - an occasional gold nugget. The prospectors of the new millennium are more likely to be meeting planners than miners and their search will yield a veritable treasure trove of hotels and resorts suited to meetings and incentives.

Perhaps nowhere is this abundance more statistically evident than in Palm Springs and the surrounding desert resort communities, where approximately 111 golf courses, 600 tennis courts, and more than 500 restaurants await.

In Phoenix and Scottsdale, a zest for growth and development recently pushed the metropolitan area to the position of fifth largest in the country. The Scottsdale Waterfront project broke ground in early 2005 with more than $250 million committed to developing a visitor-friendly mix of restaurants, retail, and commercial businesses along the banks of the Arizona Canal in the heart of downtown.

Phoenix is moving full speed ahead on a 20-mile light-rail project that, by 2008, will link one of the nation's busiest airports to downtown hotels, theaters, museums, and sports arenas.

To the east, New Mexico embraces its growth while retaining a unique character stemming from its roots in Native American culture. The cultural charms of historic Santa Fe are drawing a record numbers of attendees. For the fiscal period 2003 to 2004, the city saw a near 22 percent increase over the previous year for meetings bookings.

Albuquerque is a city committed to investing in its past as well as its future. An ongoing $350 downtown revitalization project continues to transform the city's core, and a $6 million program of capital improvements is under way at the convention center.

And in Las Vegas, which began its 100th birthday celebration earlier this year, numerous special events are taking place through December 31. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitor Association can assist planners with scheduling meetings and incentives to coincide with the festivities. For more information, visit www.lasvegas2005.org.

FACILITY UPDATE

ARIZONA

Radisson Fort McDowell Resort & Casino will open in fall 2005 on the Yavapai Reservation adjacent to Scottsdale with 248 guest rooms, an 18,000-square-foot ballroom, 23,000 square feet of additional meeting space, golf course, and casino.

In February, Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North completed enhancements including the addition of a 5,630-square-foot ballroom and three meeting rooms.

At the 204-room Sunburst Resort in Scottsdale, a $9 million renovation was completed in March and the resort was renamed Caleo Resort & Spa. There's a new spa and restaurant, and guest rooms and meeting space have been refurbished.

La Posada Resort in Paradise Valley in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area has closed. It will reopen in fall 2006 after an extensive conversion as Montelucia Resort, a boutique luxury resort hotel and spa. The resort will offer 157 guest rooms and a 31,000-square-foot spa.

In May, Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch opened a $9 million, 21,000-square-foot spa with 18 treatment rooms.

The Wigwam Resort & Golf Club near Phoenix has begun construction of a $5 million health spa with completion scheduled for this fall. The two-story, 16,000-square-foot spa is the first phase of a $10 million improvement plan.

A $70 million renovation and expansion of the historic Scottsdale Hotel Valley Ho is under way with a December reopening scheduled. A tower with 194 guest rooms, a 5,000-square-foot ballroom, and a spa will be added.

The $200 million JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort opened in January in Tucson with 575 guest rooms and suites and 88,000 square feet of meeting space encompassing 30 meeting rooms, including two ballrooms. There are seven restaurants, a 20,000-square-foot spa with 23 treatment rooms, and 27 holes of Arnold Palmer Signature Golf.

The 428-room Hilton Tucson El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Resort is in the final phase of a $4 million renovation.

In Tucson, Miraval, Life in Balance, is undergoing a renovation of 106 casitas and suites, meeting facilities, spa, wellness center, and equestrian center. Completion is scheduled for early 2007.

CALIFORNIA

La Quinta Resort & Club in the Palm Springs area has completed a three-year, $60 million renovation and expansion that included construction of 177 new spa villas and a restaurant and the refurbishment of 800 guest rooms.

A $9 million renovation at the 215-room Miramonte Resort & Spa in Indian Wells includes refurbishment of all guest rooms. A 6,000-square-foot ballroom should be complete by June 2006.

NEVADA

THEhotel at Mandalay Bay, in Las Vegas, offers 1,120 suites, a spa, a rooftop restaurant and lounge, and 5,000 square feet of conference space.

The 816-room Westin Casuarina, which opened in 2003 in Las Vegas, added 12,000 square feet of meeting space this past January.

Also in Las Vegas, a $275 million expansion at The Venetian includes a 1,013-all-suite guest room tower and 150,000 square feet of new meeting space encompassing three ballrooms, 64 meeting rooms, and three boardrooms

Wynn Las Vegas opened in late April. The $1.8 billion resort offers flat-screen plasma televisions in all 2,700 guest rooms, an 18-hole golf course, a spa, and 200,000 square feet of meeting space.

Renaissance Las Vegas opened in early 2005. Adjacent to the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Marriott property has 548 rooms and 20,000 square feet of meeting space.

Bellagio Spa Tower opened in December in Las Vegas with 925 guest rooms, a spa, a restaurant, retail space, and 60,000 square feet of meeting space.

In Las Vegas, the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino opened an expansion of its Pavilion in its convention center in December, adding 60,000 square feet of meeting space.

Hyatt Regency Lake Las Vegas is a Moroccan-inspired resort with 25 acres of waterfront along a 320-acre lake with white sand beaches. The hotel has 493 guest rooms, 40,000 square feet of meeting space, a casino, a spa, and two on-site golf courses.

NEW MEXICO

Sandia Resort & Casino will open in Albuquerque this fall with 228 guest rooms and suites, 35,000 square feet of meeting space, a 5,000-seat outdoor amphitheater, an 18-hole golf course, a casino, and a spa.

The 411-room Albuquerque Marriott has finished remodeling its lobby, meeting space, and ballroom.

The 157-room Hilton of Santa Fe completed a $1.5 million renovation and expansion in April. The project included refurbishment of the lobby, guest rooms, corridors, and ballroom and the addition of a 2,100-square-foot meeting room.

ASK THE CVB

Arizona

Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau (602) 254-6500, (877) CALLPHX www.visitphoenix.org Total Hotel Tax: 12.07%

Scottsdale CVB (480) 421-1004, (800) 782-1117 www.scottsdalecvb.com Total Hotel Tax: 11.92%

Metropolitan Tucson CVB (520) 624-1817, (800) 638-8350 www.visittucson.org Total Hotel Tax: 11.5%

California

Palm Springs Desert Resorts CVB (760) 770-9000, (800) 967-3767 www.palmsprings.usa Total Hotel Tax: 9% to 12.5%

Nevada

Las Vegas Convention & Visitor Authority (866) LVMEET-1; LVCVA.com Total Hotel Tax: 16.5%

New Mexico

Albuquerque CVB (505) 842-9918, (800) 733-9918 www.meet@itsatrip.org Total Hotel Tax: 12.02%

Santa Fe CVB (505) 955-6200, (800) 777-2489 www.santafe.org Total Hotel Tax:14.56%

Phantom Planner

The abundance of hotels and resorts in the Palm Springs, Calif., area is daunting. It helps to know that the Palm Springs Desert Resorts Convention & Visitors Bureau offers one-stop shopping for the entire resort area of Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Indio, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, and Rancho Mirage.

The extra effort sometimes required to get to New Mexico is exactly what makes a meeting or incentive there so memorable. New Mexico doesn't look like Arizona or Texas, the food is unique, and the influence of Native American culture is everywhere. Albuquerque is accessible from just about anywhere in the U.S., and many of the state's top attractions are within a two-hour drive.

If a tight meeting schedule prevents attendees from taking an excursion into the desert, ask your sales person to arrange a private on-site tour of the hotel's grounds. Most Southwest resorts feature extensive native flora and can bring in a local botanist to explain desert ecology to groups.

Add pizzazz to a golf tournament by inviting the resident golf pro to a reception prior to the event. Have the pro give golfers tips about the course they will be playing, answer questions, and provide a swing analysis.

Special Venues

From its origins in 1932 as a 50th wedding anniversary gift from a chewing-gum magnate to its current status as a private club owned by a Hormel meat packing heir, the Wrigley Mansion Club offers visitors a taste of Phoenix, past and present. Thirteen historic hilltop event rooms accommodate up to 1,500 guests with catering provided by an on-site restaurant. www.wrigleymansion club.com (602) 955-4079

The nine exhibit galleries at the famed Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe wrap around a courtyard that can accommodate up to 150 people for a cocktail reception or 50 for dinner. A private viewing of O'Keeffe's works with a museum director, curator, or docent is included. The venue can also host events in the museum's lobby, galleries, and in the O'Keeffe Cafe. www.okeeffemuseum.org (505) 946-1019

The Crown Room at Skyline Country Club offers one of the highest points from which to view Tucson's cityscape. The private club is reached via a drive through ruggedly scenic foothills. The room accommodates 150 for dinner and boasts floor-to-ceiling windows affording a 180-degree vista of mountains, desert, and city lights. (520) 299-1111