Rated as the Number One travel destination in the nation by the 1997 Zagat Survey of hotels, resorts and spas, Scottsdale now boasts 57 resorts and hotels with a combined total of nearly 11,000 rooms. Scottsdale continues to enhance its prestigious reputation by renovating existing properties and adding new offerings.
Resort Offers Lesson in Native American Culture
The Hyatt Regency Scottsdale at Gainey Ranch has long been known as one of Scottsdale's finest resorts offering championship golf, a world-class water playground and fine restaurants. Now this premier resort is combining the best of leisure and luxury with a bit of learning at the newly opened Hopi Learning Center. The unique collaboration between the Hopi Advisory Committee and the resort is aimed at providing guests -- who often travel to Arizona to experience Native American culture -- the opportunity to learn and experience aspects of Hopi culture with the Center's Hopi interpreters. The small Center focuses on five components: An orientation and demographic detail of the Reservation; examples of Hopi art; insight on the significance and preservation of the Hopi language; katsinam; and the katsina named Angwusnasomitaka (Crow Mother). Other programs include tours, artisan demonstrations, inforrnal discussions, lectures and cultural exchange dinners. The Hopi Learning Center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. For reservations or general information, call 602-991-3388 or 800-233-1234 or fax at 602-483-5550. For media information only, call Ann Lane at 602-991-3388 or fax at 602-483-5550.
AAA Arizona Honors Four Diamond Lodgings
Four Scottsdale area restaurants received the American Automobile Association's top rating of Four Diamonds for 1998. Hyatt Regency Scottsdale at Gainey Ranch, Radisson Resort Scottsdale, The Phoenician and The Scottsdale Plaza Resort properties were all awarded the association's top rating. Travelers will find AAA's hotel and restaurant ratings published in the 1998 TourBooks and Travel Guides that are provided free to the association's 40 million members. AAA began rating properties in 1963 and adopted the diamond rating system for lodgings in 1977. Restaurant ratings were added in 1989.
The Boulders resort, located in the Sonoran Desert foothills of Carefree, Ariz. among 12-million-year-old granite boulder formations, invites resort guests to experience state-of-the art ITT vision gear and see the desert night as never before. Developed for military use, the night vision equipment will illuminate cool desert evenings and treat nighttime hikers to a kaleidoscope of sights that may include night-blooming cactus, desert coyote, jackrabbits, javelina and deer. The one- to two -hour hikes begin in February and are limited to six guests. Cost is $40 per person. For reservations or general information, call 602-488-9009 or 800-553-1717 or fax at 602488-4118. For media information only, call Debora Bridges at 602-488-7337 or fax at 602-488-9428.
Originally built as a posh winter retreat for financier Delos Cooke in 1929, the Mediterranean-style Royal Palms has been renovated to exude its original opulence. In addition to 103 renovated rooms, the property features 19 casitas individually designed by members of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID). Grounds are lined with palms, lush flower gardens, antique stone water fountains, outdoor wood-burning fireplaces and weathered stone walkways and balconies. The property also features a swimming pool, tennis court and fitness center. Rates in high season range from $300 to $2,800 and from $175 to $2,000 in low season. All rates include valet parking, tennis court fees, complimentary in room minibar and poolside soft drinks. Situated near Scottsdale's finest shopping, dining and entertainment, and conveniently located near downtown Phoenix and the airport, The Royal Palms is the ideal location for business and leisure travelers. For information or reservations, the public may call 800-672-6011 or 602-840-3610. For media information only, call Kathy Massarand at 602-840-3610 ext. 466 or 602-808-3166.
The Phoenician resort is celebrating spring with a special rate. The rate applies to single or double occupancy, and children 17 and younger stay free when sharing a room with an adult. Guests can try something new during their spring holiday and join in pottery painting, star-gazing, cactus garden tours, hiking, a chef's tour of the kitchens, a sunrise service on Easter Sunday and a Seder dinner as well. For children ages 5 to 12, the fun begins at 9 a.m. each day when it's time to feed the resort's fish and ducks as part of the daily full- or half-day programs by Funicians Kids Club. Activities also include games, arts and crafts, special guest entertainers, evening programs and more. The Phoenician, a recipient of the Mobil Travel Guide Five Star Award, is a 654-room luxury destination resort with 27 holes of golf, 12 tennis courts, a 22,000-square-foot Centre for Well-Being spa and expansive meeting facilities. For reservations or information, call 602 941 -8200 or 800-888-82345. For media information only, call Sally Cooper, director of public relations, at 602-423-2405 at 602-947-4311. For reservations or general information, call 602-488-9009 or 800-553-1717 or fax at 602488-4118. For media information only, call Debora Bridges at 602-488-7337 or fax at 602-488-9428.