10 Aug 2022
A Brief Update of News around Arizona - August 2022

Tags: Kingman, pinetop-lakeside, scottsdale, Phoenix, Flagstaff

Arizona Office of Tourism

Attractions

A Walkabout Kingman with Jim Hinckley 

The Walkabout Kingman is a new interactive and audio-narrated self-guided tour of significant sites along Route 66 and in historic downtown Kingman. Tour locations include Hotel Beale, where Charles Lindberg stayed when he flew into Kingman in 1929 to dedicate Arizona's first commercial airport, and the original St. John Methodist Church, where Clark Gable and Carole Lombard were married in 1939.

Art in the Park at Jack Barker Memorial Park in Pinetop-Lakeside

If you haven't been to Pinetop-Lakeside or the Jack Barker Memorial Park recently, you will notice some changes next time you stop by for a visit. Over the last few months, the Town has relocated several streetscape public art pieces provided by the Arts Alliance of the White Mountains from downtown Lakeside to the park. The Town has installed a backdrop for selfies which will change throughout the year to reflect the seasons and holidays. Jack Barker Memorial Park is located across from the Pinetop-Lakeside Libary. 

 

New Public Artwork Installed at Scottsdale Waterfront 

New public artwork has joined the Scottsdale Public Art Permanent Collection. Scottsdale Public Art worked with artist Annette Coleman to design and install mosaic artwork enhancements at the splash pad near Marshall Way Bridge at the Scottsdale Waterfront. The splash pad is a user-activated, low-water-use, plaza-style splash pad intended to attract families to the Waterfront and give them a place to play and relax. Coleman's design, “Pinball Wizard,” includes a new concrete wall and bench with 30 mosaic spheres and domes of various sizes, along with inset waves of vertical glass mosaic pieces. The artist's glass is cut into random shapes and in a variety of colors that dance with light in any weather. Coleman also draws on popular cultures, such as television shows and science programs, and she often names her work based on those intersections of commonalities. “Pinball Wizard” references popular games to evoke a fun and playful nature for the splash pad. 

   

Accolades

Castle Hot Springs Named the No. 1 Resort Hotel in Arizona by Travel + Leisure 

Castle Hot Springs was recognized in the Travel + Leisure 2022 World's Best Award as the No. 1 Resort Hotel in Arizona for the second consecutive year. Earlier this year, the resort was also named a Top 500 Hotel in the World by Travel + Leisure.  

Flights

Delta Plans New Boston Service 

Delta has announced they will begin a new service between Phoenix and Boston on Dec. 17, 2022. The flight will arrive in Phoenix around noon with a red-eye departure to Boston. The Phoenix-Boston market currently consists of four daily American flights and one daily JetBlue flight.

Welcome Southern Airways Express

On July 18, 2022, Southern Airways Express began service at Phoenix Sky Harbor. The new airline is currently offering flights between Phoenix and Show Low, Arizona. They operate out of Terminal 3.

Looking for more information on all the places you can travel to from PHX? Visit Sky Harbor's Where We Fly page.    

Hotel News

Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Debuts Ultra Luxe Guest Experience at the Privado Villas

The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, Arizona's largest and longest-running AAA Five Diamond hotel, is opening a new ultra-luxe boutique hotel within a hotel. The Privado Villas will replace the Casitas with 119 residential-style suites situated on the west end of the 65-acre property, in an exclusive and private area. The Privado Villas will have a dedicated entrance featuring a personalized check-in by specially trained concierges. The Casita Pool will be updated and renamed the Privado Relaxation Pool and is exclusively for Privado guests.

The Privado Villas will offer feature two room types: 50 one-bedroom villas and 69 signature studios, at  850- and 700-square feet. All rooms will feature a walk-in closet, bathroom with two vanities and a walk-in shower; 31 rooms will feature full-sized bathtubs. The Privado experience will feature a pre-arrival phone call to assist with planning transportation, dining and spa reservations, and destination experiences.

Guests will enjoy an in-room coffee café, featuring a high-end Nespresso machine that includes a frother for specialty drinks, a refrigerator is stocked with complimentary champagne, cold brew coffee, sparkling and still water and fresh seasonal fruit and have the option to stock additional items from a menu prior to their arrival and during their stay.

Other complimentary amenities include morning delivery of seasonal juice and freshly baked pastries, a mini bar with gourmet goods, complimentary access to Well & Being Spa, complimentary valet parking and chauffeur service within a 3-mile radius, and complimentary laundry service.

Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Debuts $4 Million Meeting Space Renovation as Final Phase of Total Hotel Transformation

Arizona's largest hotel, Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, completed a comprehensive $4 million renovation of its meeting and event spaces in addition to debuting a new Sheraton Club.   

One of the city's premier convention hotels, Sheraton Phoenix Downtown boasts 1,003 guest rooms and suites paired with 110,000 square feet of versatile event space featuring the latest audiovisual technology, as well as an award-winning, on-site planning team and diverse food and beverage offerings. The meeting and event space renovation includes new acoustic boards and lighting, fresh carpets, wall coverings, new furniture and curated artwork across the second and third-floor meeting spaces including pre-function, Grand Ballroom, Junior Ballroom, and all meeting rooms. 

On the first floor, the new Sheraton Club is an exclusive space for Marriott Platinum Members and guests who purchase Sheraton Club access. Guests can enjoy elevated food and beverage offerings, enhanced connectivity and amenities including Starbucks coffee, a water filling station, sweet and savory snacks, fresh pastries in the mornings, a dessert bar in the evenings, and lockers to store luggage and laptops.

The First New Hotel Inside Grand Canyon National Park, in More Than 50-Years, Opens to the Public

After its $35 million reconstruction by Xanterra Travel Collection, Maswik South Lodge is the first new lodging inside the park in more than 50 years. Constructed in 1971, the original 90 rooms have been replaced with 120 new lodging units across four new lodging structures in the same general location.

Maswik South is close to Maswik Lodge where guests can access the Maswik Food Court, Pizza Pub, Transportation & Activities Desk, and the Village Loop (Blue) park shuttle line. The new units are approximately a ten-minute walk from both South Rim itself and the Hermit's Rest/Village Loop Shuttle Bus Transfer Station.

The architecture nods to the original lodge constructed in 1927 by the Fred Harvey Company and the Santa Fe Railroad. The architects preserved the original stone pillars from the historic lodge buildings while the interiors offer modern furnishings. The rooms are decorated with textiles inspired by Native American artwork of the southwest. Artwork showcase studies of local fossils, after which each building is named, and a historic map of the Grand Canyon area.

Xanterra Travel Collection's stewardship of national parks and long-standing commitment to conservation and sustainability informed the building's design, and constructed to the LEED Gold standard. 

General

The Native Art Market

The Native Art Market is the first Native-owned shop in Old Town Scottsdale. Native Art Market is a safe and affordable avenue for Native Americans to sell their artwork directly to consumers. The new storefront located in Old Town Scottsdale brings cultural awareness while offering local residents and visitors a chance to immerse themselves in Arizona's rich Indigenous culture and art. Native owned and operated, all vendors provide only quality Native handmade items and are of Native American decent, giving visitors a chance to interact and directly support elders, mothers, fathers, and college students. Events and performances are offered Thursday through Sunday. In November, visit the Outdoor Market at the Pavilions at Talking Stick on 9151 E. Indian Bend Road in Scottsdale. From November to March, the market is open on the weekend with events and performances occurring from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. 

 

COVID-19 Updates in Arizona

For visitor guidance due to COVID-19 such as mask-wearing, a list of tourism-related reopenings or closures, and a link to public health guidelines, click here: https://www.visitarizona.com/covid-19/ . Some attractions are open year-round and some are open seasonally or move to seasonal hours. To ensure the places you want to see are open on your travel dates, please check their website for hours of operation.

 

Connect

Newsroom: https://www.visitarizona.com/newsroom/

Official State Travelers Guide: https://digital.milespartnership.com/publication/?m=63603&i=718412&p=2&ver=html5

Attachments
Photos
MED LRG
MED LRG
MED LRG
MED LRG
MED LRG
MED LRG
MED LRG
MED LRG
MED LRG
MED LRG
MED LRG
MED LRG
MED LRG
MED LRG
MED LRG