Monday, 1 February 2021

A Brief Update of News Around Arizona Winter 2021

Culinary

New tasting room opens in Old Town Cottonwood
Old Town Cottonwood's newest tasting room, Provisioner Wines & General Store is now open on the Verde Valley Wine Trail. During the frontier days, the General Store was used as a social hub and lifeline for the pioneers that settled the American Southwest. Representing the soul of Arizona in the spirit of the old-time General Store, Provisioner Wines are “Wine for the People!” The tasting room is open Monday through Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Hotel in Downtown Phoenix unveils new dining, take-out and market concept
The FOUND:RE Phoenix Hotel's new signature dining, take-out and market concept, Match Market and Bar (MMB), opened on Oct. 12,. MMB's concept combines an artisan market with a restaurant and bar. The market features grab-and-go items, pantry staples, and specialty gifts from local vendors. MMB serves breakfast, lunch and dinner for in-restaurant dining and take-out. The bar and lounge area features a sprawling patio with nightly happy hour and an extensive list of craft cocktails and wine. The Market and Kitchen is open from 5:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily; the Espresso Bar is open from 5:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily; and the Bar opens for service at 11:00 a.m.

Attractions

Taliesin West announces new self-guided audio tour
UNESCO World Heritage Site, Taliesin West, reopened on Oct. 15, 2020 in Scottsdale with a new self-guided audio tour. The new tour allows visitors a safe and interactive experience that can be accessed through their personal smartphone device. The highlight of the audio tour is hearing Wright's own spoken words firsthand through original audio recordings. Wright discusses his work and sources of inspiration at Taliesin West and across the United States.

Hotel News

New hotel in Uptown Phoenix
ARRIVE Phoenix, the $25M boutique hotel spanning two restored mid-century modern towers is now open. The property has 79 hotel rooms, featuring king beds, bath products, custom vanities and wardrobes, concrete sinks, and mid-century-inspired fireplaces in select rooms. A record collection curated by local institution Stinkweeds is available for guests to cue up on their in-room record player.

ARRIVE's registration desk/popsicle stand, called The Pop Stand, offers hotel guests complimentary handcrafted paletas-style popsicles while completing their check-in process. The popsicle menu is ever-changing, made from fresh fruit, luxurious cream or booze, such as strawberries con crema, chile mango, pink lemonade, and frozen margarita. The hotel has an onsite coffee shop, featuring Cartel Coffee Lab. Cartel Uptown Phoenix, housed in a 600 square-foot space, offers fresh baked goods and grab-and-go meals, and offers their full coffee program, complete with single origin beans, canned cold brew, plus the classic six-ounce cappuccino. Lylo Swim Club, pronounced lie-low, is the hotel's mid-century style poolside bar led by Ross Simon of Great Minds Drink Alike, known best for his globally-awarded cocktail bars Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour and Little Rituals in Phoenix . Lylo offers craft cocktails, such as rotating sorbet bellinis, fresh fruit Caipirinhas and other reworked poolside favorites, like a rum-spiked version of the classic Dole Whip frozen pineapple drink. Lylo also features an all-day menu of light, Hawaiian-Japanese influenced bites, such as made-to-order musubi, stunning poke bowls and Japanese-style fried chicken. ARRIVE's bon vivant-style penthouse cocktail lounge, Don Woods' Say When, is scheduled to open Nov. 15. The lounge will be a true step back to the '60s and '70s with retro-modern cocktails and throwback bar bites such as Fondue for Two or Chilled Shrimp Cocktail and chef-crafted canapes. As for Don Woods? A longtime Arizona real estate developer active in the 1950s and beyond, Don held an office inside the building for decades, and the bar is a tribute to his work and his legacy in Arizona.

Canopy by Hilton opens in Old Town Scottsdale
Designed as a natural extension of the surrounding arts district, Canopy by Hilton Scottsdale Old Town, the new 177 room hotel at the northeast corner of First Street and Marshall Way, boasts spacious guestrooms and suites and features approximately 2,000 square-feet of meeting space. Cobre Kitchen +

Cocktails, the hotel's signature restaurant, is an American brasserie inspired by the Southwest and features small and shareable plates highlighting local flavors. Within the bar is a grab-n-go counter offering locally roasted coffee and artisanal breakfast treats and pastries. Outrider Rooftop Lounge, Old Town's newest rooftop pool and bar perched atop the hotel's seventh floor, focuses on delivering locally inspired dishes and cocktails. Offering 180-degree panoramas of the surrounding vistas, guests can enjoy casual seating, private cabanas, a roaring fire pit, and social spaces.

First Dark Sky Zone Resort opens in Scottsdale
ADERO Scottsdale, an Autograph Collection Hotel, opened on Oct. 15, 2020, is Scottsdale's only Dark Sky Zone resort. The summits of the Four Peaks wilderness frame the view from the resort. The six-story, newly developed resort offers 177-rooms including 16 oversized suites, outfitted with the latest technology, and expansive balconies. The majority of accommodations are positioned to take in the panoramic mountain vistas. The resort also maintains an exclusive sustainability trail with indigenous flora. ADERO Scottsdale's Adventure Concierge, in partnership with REI Co-op, offers offsite guided excursions including hiking, mountain biking and kayaking, direct access to golf offerings in partnership with SunRidge Canyon Golf Club, and telescope tours led by official 'Dark Sky Zone' guides. ADERO Scottsdale features a boutique spa, two heated pools and sundecks, and a 5,000 square-foot wellness studio. The wellness studio offers daily classes, such as yoga, stretch, sculpt and Pilates, as well as an indoor cycling studio with Peloton bikes. ADERO Scottsdale is equipped with more than 16,800 square-feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space, and offers team building experiences for groups consisting of volunteer trail work and wildlife habitat renewal. The resort's signature restaurant, CIELO meaning 'sky,' offers a curated selection of craft cocktails. The menu includes inventive cuisine created with regionally sourced ingredients, as well as partnerships with local companies including Bone Haus Brewing.

Accolades

Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopter ranked No. 1 Best Helicopter Tour in North America
Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters received the No. 1 ranking in the 2020 USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice travel award contest for Best Helicopter Tour in North America. A panel of industry experts partnered with 10Best editors to pick the initial nominees and then top 10 winners were determined by popular vote. Earlier this year, Papillon received two Diamond Awards from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for excellence in maintenance and compliance, the highest industry honors within the William O'Brien Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT) Awards program.

Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain is awarded as one of the top destination spa resorts in the country
Condé Nast Traveler has announced the results of its annual Readers' Choice Awards, naming Scottsdale's Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain Resort & Spa among the top 20 destination spa resorts in the United States. The Condé Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards are the longest-running and among the most prestigious recognition of excellence in the travel industry.

Verde Valley ranked in the Top 10 Wine Region in USA Today Reader's Choice Poll
The Verde Valley was ranked tenth in the USA Today's Readers' Choice Poll of the nation's top wine regions. Praised for its dry climate, dramatic temperature changes, and volcanic soil, Verde Valley winemakers are winning accolades and gaining national recognition for improving their art to reflect the Valley's unique conditions. The Valley is also on the verge of government recognition as an American Viticultural Area, a term reserved for highly distinctive wine growing regions.

General

Virtual activities every week for families to enjoy throughout the fall
Great Wolf Lodge has partnered with crafting expert Lynn Lilly of Craft Box Girls, to develop Paws 'N Play, an online content hub where families can access new recess activities every week. Paws 'N Play recess activities are designed for families to refresh and reset, featuring quick, lighthearted projects composed of DIY games, interactive crafts, snack recipes and more. Paws 'N Play recess activities will be updated weekly, and encourage families to move around, go outside and take a mental break from the school curriculum.

New 'Meet the Maker' video series reveals authentic, only-in-Arizona experiences
To see a true Arizona talent at work, look no further than Watson's Hat Shop of Cave Creek, Ariz., which is featured in the first episode of the Arizona Office of Tourism's new “Meet the Maker” short film series. Whether it's stitching hats, rolling tamales or weaving baskets, the series highlights Arizona's robust maker culture by providing audiences a front-row seat to watch creators at work. Click here to take a step back in time and watch master craftsman Eric Watson of Watson's Hat Shop build custom-fitted hats for modern customers with antique machinery.

2020 Work and Play Hotel Packages

Work From Here, Learn From Here package at Amara Resort and Spa
Amara Resort and Spa in Sedona introduces the program, Work From Here, Learn From Here. The new program is included within the resort fee and provides guests with an ideal space for a workation. The 750 square-foot-space is set up like a private classroom or office and is complete with classroom-style seating, whiteboards, a speakerphone, a printing station, shelves stocked with school supplies and a screen or projector is available upon request. Guests also have access to an on-call executive assistant or teacher's aide who can assist with day-to-day tasks like sending faxes, shipping assignments and setting up audio and video connections while on-site tutors or nannies can be reserved two weeks in advance for $50 per hour. Amara has also tapped locally-owned concierge service RemoteWell, to curate on and off-site experiences for guests looking to prioritize their health and wellness while working remotely. Daily rates start at $188, the resort fee is $33 plus tax and also includes valet parking, Wi-Fi, and unlimited local and toll-free calls.

Virtual Tours

The following are a few virtual tours from throughout the state, for more please visit our website.

London Bridge, Lake Havasu
Learn how England's London Bridge ended up in Western Arizona during a virtual tour of the rehomed bridge and surrounding area, courtesy of Go Lake Havasu.

Virtual Tour: https://www.londonbridgetour.com/

Arizona Science Center, Phoenix
The center provides videos on insight, tips and tricks to maintaining your health and wellness, a collection of articles that allow you to plan accordingly and crafts and experiments for kid-friendly science at home.
Website: https://www.azscience.org/pieceofmind#

OdySea Aquarium, Scottsdale
Your oceanic adventure from home. OdySea Aquarium shares weekly educational content and animal updates for kids and adults.
Website: https://www.odyseaaquarium.com/adventure-animals/

The Nash, Phoenix
Downtown Phoenix jazz club and community center posts near-weekly videos of local jazz musicians and ensembles.
Website: https://www.facebook.com/TheNashJazzClub

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

Official State Travelers Guide: http://digital.milespartnership.com/view/arizona-official-travel-guide/arizona-official-state-travel-guide/arizona-2020-21
Website: www.VisitArizona.com

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