A couple of weeks ago, I did some site visits with a client to Phoenix and San Diego. Just wanted to share some quick notes about the four hotels we saw. (scroll down past each set of pictures). All hotels were able to meet our budgeted rate of under 160 for a 2013 program, as well as offering confirmed prices for food and beverage within our budget.

In Phoenix, we started off at the Arizona Biltmore. This is a very cool historic hotel, partially designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. I know we had our HPN conference there a few years back, but wanted to provide some info about the property in case someone has never visited it before. You walk into the lobby, and there is a simply stunning stained glass work designed by Wright himself. The rooms are modern, and well appointed. They have a total of 758 guest rooms, set throughout the resort, surrounding the great lawn. Each building has a private pool, and there is a massive central pool that has water slides and a swim up bar.

The meeting space is all in one section of the hotel, and is pretty impressive. The FLW ballroom is 24,000 sq. ft., and also has about 10,000 sq. ft. of function space. The MacArthur ballroom is right next door (although not connected inside), and gives you another 15,000 sq. ft. of meeting space and 6,500 sq. ft. of pre function. Both main spaces have very high ceilings. Attached to the hotel is the conference center, which is about 30,000 sq. ft. of total space, anchored by the Arizona ballroom at 11,000 sq. ft. The hotel has a great feel to it, especially at night when the fire pits are roaring under the perfect Phoenix weather.

After the Biltmore, we went to the Sheraton Downtown Phoenix. The have 80.000 sq. ft. of total meeting space and 1000 rooms. They are located about a block from the convention center in the event you need more space. The lobby and public spaces are dominated by art work, and the hotel has a very welcoming vibe to it. The meeting space is on two levels, the grand ballroom that is 29,000 sq. ft. on the third level, and then the Valley of the Sun ballroom of about 14,000 sq. ft. on the second level, along with most of the breakouts. Both levels are connected with elevators and escalators. It is also right across the street from a massive shopping complex with a food court, movie theater, and some specialty stores

Once we saw the two hotels in Phoenix, we took a quick flight over to San Diego. The Sheraton Marina was our first stop. The have 1050 rooms, but 750 or so are in the main tower, which also houses the 120,000 sq. ft. of meeting space. They are very close to the airport, and offer complimentary shuttle service to all guests. The hotel offers some of the best views of San Diego and the bay. They have a pavilion that is outside of the main tower that is 20,000 sq. ft. This is an air conditioned area, and not your standard hotel tent. Inside the Marina tower, the Grande Ballroom is 14,500 sq. ft. and the Harbor Island ballroom is just under 10,000 sq. ft. of space. One level below, is Nautilus, which adds an additional 14,000 sq. ft. of space, although the ceilings are lower in Nautilus, it can be great for exhibits or meals. The hotel is decorated in a bold maritime style, perfect for their location on the water and marina.

After leaving the Sheraton, we went several venues we were considering for offsite events. We did a quick site of the Zoo, Sea World, Petco Park, Balboa Park, the Prado, Hornblower cruises, and Old Town San Diego. (I would be happy to send over any pictures of these places if requested). Ted Files from the San Diego CVB was incredible. His sole job is to take potential clients around to see the hotels and sites, while promoting San Diego. If you are planning sites of San Diego, use him, he will make your life so incredibly easy. (Ted File, Director of Site Inspections, San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau, Phone: 619-557-2843, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )

Upon completion of our whirlwind tour of the city, we checked in to the to the Town and Country Resort, about 3 miles away from the airport. By year end, all 1000 some odd rooms in the hotel will be renovated to the style and décor below.  All of the rooms have some sort of outdoor space, either a patio for the garden rooms, or a balcony for the rooms in the tower. The rooms do have exterior corridors, but security was pretty evident throughout the hotel.

The meeting space is mostly in the convention center. They have a 40,000 sq. ft. exhibit hall, and next to that is the Atlas ballroom which is 24,000 sq. ft. Right down the hall on the same level is the Golden Pacific ballroom, adding an extra 17,000 sq. ft. of meeting space. In front of the Atlas ballroom is a massive pre function space. While the hotel is a nice three star hotel, they do have some of the best and most flexible meeting space I have seen in a long while. The hotel is next to a metro stop that can take attendees into downtown or Old town for just a few dollars. It is also right behind a major shopping mall for those that enjoy that sort of thing.

All my best,

Timothy Arnold, CTA, CMP, CMM
Regional Vice President
Hospitality Performance Network - HPN Global
972-624-1144 Phone

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