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The Camby HotelLocation: Corner of Camelback Road and 24th Street in Phoenix Quick pitch: Quirky luxury à la The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, minus the casino Owners: Marriott Autograph Collection Hotels Opened: December 2015 Situated in the Biltmore district, The Camby has some massive hospitality hosiery to fill: The Ritz-Carlton, which vacated the high-rise space at the Camelback Esplanade last summer. It offers 12 meeting rooms for business and 277 hotel rooms and suites – all adorned with Arizona-inspired art and copper chairs – for relaxation. The Camby integrates smart technology into its guest experiences, from digital room keys downloaded to smartphones and roving concierges with tablets to a fitness center named “JIM” that caters to the hotel’s professional sports clients as well as those Camby “Chief Inspiration Officer” Greg Miller calls “playful professionals” (read: wealthy Millennials). The Camby has a restaurant and two bars: Artizen, which features seasonal, regionally-inspired customizable plates; The Bees Knees, a dark wood-paneled and leather couch-clad cocktail lounge; and the Rooftop Pool & Bar, a place to hang out, play ping pong and listen to local DJs. |
The Graduate HotelLocation: Corner of Apache Boulevard and College Avenue in Tempe Quick pitch: Stylish, college-adjacent accommodations with an Americana accent Owners: AJ Capital Partners Opened: September 2014 With American flag blankets, postcards on bathroom mirrors, and brightly painted walls, the Graduate Hotel offers a 140-room modern retreat for the young (or young at heart) to visit the heart of Tempe. The hotel was designed with Arizona State University in mind, and features one-of-a-kind art from the art department and visuals inspired by ASU’s study of human origins and life sciences, including a digital print of Charles Darwin’s Origin of the Species, and a large-scale ant farm, co-created by the Social Insect Research Group at the ASU School of Life Science – all of which will no doubt help allay the lingering uncertainties of parents visiting from out of town who still think of ASU as a one-trick party school. One of the Graduate’s most popular embedded destinations is The Normal Diner, a 1970s Southwestern-style diner with modern takes on classic comfort foods. The menu flaunts originals like red velvet waffles and fried chicken, breakfast burgers, and homemade biscuits and gravy. Meanwhile, the Tapacubo Rooftop provides views of A Mountain and the hotel pool while serving south-of-the-border food and margaritas from gas pumps. |
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Mountain Shadows Golf Club and ResortLocation: Corner of 56th Street and Lincoln Drive in Paradise Valley Quick pitch: A PV classic, resurrected Owners: Westroc Hospitality ETA: February 2017 Mountain Shadows features a combined boutique hotel and luxury condominiums with mixed-use facilities like restaurants, technologically advanced fitness facilities, and a revived and newly designed 18-hole golf course, courtesy of a combined $65 million from Westroc Hospitality, Woodbine Development Corp., and Crown Realty and Development. The new hotel will stand where the old Marriott Mountain Shadows Resort, which was closed in 2004 and demolished in 2014, once stood. The “Desert Modern” design primarily features the Arizona landscape, with Camelback Mountain overlooking the resort’s pool, according to Westroc Hospitality CEO Scott Lyon. The hotel will be the first newly constructed hotel in Paradise Valley in years, offering guests a secluded change of pace from other options in the area. Lyons calls it “the coolest new resort in the desert.” |
FOUND:RE PhoenixLocation: Central Avenue and Portland Street in Phoenix Quick pitch: A refurbished hotel with industrial décor in the Downtown arts core Owners: Habitat Metro Opened: Spring 2016 Located in the former Lexington Hotel on the edge of the Roosevelt Row arts district, revamped FOUND:RE features 105 rooms with custom-made furnishings and exposed ductwork to give it an industrial chic look. Tim Sprague of Habitat Metro says the renovation comes hand in hand with the building of Portland on the Park condominiums. The new living space will share the hotel’s amenities, like two gourmet restaurants and bars with professional mixologists. “We want it to be the local place for folks to be able to come and have a drink,” Sprague says. Everything is centered around art, from the custom light fixtures to masterful culinary creations to unique hallway galleries. “When this hotel is finished, there will not be a better place in the world to go,” Sprague says. “Portland Park will become the place.” |
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