New and redesigned properties are expanding Arizona’s luxury hotel scene. We check out the hotels and resorts you’ll want to check in to.
RITZ-CARLTON PARADISE VALLEY
RENDERING, COURTESY FIVE STAR DEVELOPMENT
Scheduled to open in March, the Ritz-Carlton Paradise Valley will offer 200 suites, casitas and bungalows, each marked by deep overhangs and connected in a village-like form through walkways and courtyard gardens. Designed by Washington, D.C., firm Monogram, the property will play up its locale through clean forms and a palette of desert neutrals. Among the architectural highlights: a water feature in the lobby, which will overlook Camelback Mountain, that flows to the spa, and the bragging rights of having one of the longest resort pools in North America, spanning nearly 400 feet.
CIVANA
PHOTO COURTESY CIVANA
In March, the Carefree Resort and Conference Center reopened as the 189-room Civana, the Phoenix area’s first wellness resort. Scottsdale’s 3rd Story handled the architecture and interior design and was careful to respect the 1964 midcentury-modern architecture by Joe Wong, who studied under Frank Lloyd Wright. Civana’s ethos of health and wellbeing extends to its redesign, which focuses on energy efficiency as well as natural colors and materials influenced by the Sonoran Desert such as stone, wood, metal and glass. Strategically, beds are placed in middle of each room to take advantage of north and west mountain views.
WESTIN TEMPE
RENDERING, COURTESY CAI INVESTMENTS
With an expected opening date of May 1, The Westin Tempe has broken ground and will rise 18 stories in the downtown area. Capped with a rooftop pool and lounge, the project is led by Tempe-based RSP Architects, which will inject a modern look to the 290 rooms, including five suites spanning the 17th floor. Materials like brick, steel and glass will define the structure, and accommodations will boast custom-designed furniture, wallcoverings and carpeting for a one-of-a-kind look.
ARRIVE PHOENIX
PHOTO COURTESY ARRIVE HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Next year, the Arrive boutique hotel chain will open its third location and first in Arizona, giving Uptown Phoenix its only dining, entertainment and hotel venue. Developed by Phoenix firms Vintage Partners and Venue Projects, the boutique property will come in the form of two midcentury-modern mid-rises merging into a 79-room stay with a rooftop cocktail bar. The structure is intended to include nods to the work of notable Valley-area architects who left their mark in the 1950s, while interiors will exhibit the work of local artists.
