Easter Weekend At Montelucia Spa Resort in Scottsdale AZ

Escape to warm weather and sunny skies at the new InterContinental Montelucia Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, Arizona, located in the warm, dry climate of the Sonoran Desert. Nestled in the foothills of picturesque Camelback Mountain and located just minutes from shopping, arts districts, restaurants and nightlife, the resort and 31,000 square-foot Joya spa is the newest and most luxurious way to soak in warmth and sun in the popular warm-weather destination.

In celebration of the most temperate of seasons, through June 14 stay 3 nights and receive a $300 resort credit to use in Joya Spa, Prado signature restaurant, Kasbah poolside restaurant and lounge or anywhere on the 23-acre resort property

Easter Brunch Menu & Resort Activities

Click here to view Prado’s Easter Brunch Menu!

Click here for Resort Activities for Easter Weekend

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Planet Trekkers First Annual Easter Egg Hunt

With over 300 eggs to find, this event will be one to remember! We will even have a special guest appearance from the Easter Bunny himself!

WHEN: Sunday, April 12, 2009, 8:00am – 10:00am
WHERE: Cortijo Plaza, Valencia Lawn, and Planet Trekkers

(Pick up your egg hunt bags in Cortijo Plaza!)

Planet Trekkers will will be open 7:30am – 3:30pm for this special event. Easter & Spring crafts, bouncy house, and group games are just a few of the fun things we have planned!

Make your reservations today! 480-627-3159

Exclusive Montelucia Easter Package!

Exclusive Montelucia Easter Package starts at $295!

This incredible offer includes overnight accommodations in a Montelucia Signature Suite, Easter Brunch for 2 on Sunday morning and tickets to the 1st Annual Montelucia Easter Egg Hunt starting at 8:00am Sunday morning! Kids 10 and under eat free!

CLICK HERE TO BOOK THE MONTELUCIA EASTER PACKAGE NOW!

Or please call our Experience Designers at 888 627 3010 and ask for the Montelucia Easter Weekend Package

This package is valued at $630, representing a savings of over 50%!

Sundays on Us Package

Simply put, we’re giving you an extra day to do with what you please. We want you to fully experience all that this wonderful destination has to offer, so start thinking about what you will do with your extra time…

BOOK THE “3 FOR 2″ OFFER NOW!

*Payment must be made in full at time of booking. Offer valid through April 30, 2009. Rate based on double occupancy.

$300 Resort Credit

Escape to warm weather and sunny skies at the new InterContinental Montelucia Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, Arizona, located in the warm, dry climate of the Sonoran Desert. Nestled in the foothills of picturesque Camelback Mountain and located just minutes from shopping, arts districts, restaurants and nightlife, the resort and 31,000 square-foot Joya spa is the newest and most luxurious way to soak in warmth and sun in the popular warm-weather destination.

In celebration of the most temperate of seasons, through June 14 stay 3 nights and receive a $300 resort credit to use in Joya Spa, Prado signature restaurant, Kasbah poolside restaurant and lounge or anywhere on the 23-acre resort property.

BOOK THE “EXPERIENCE MORE” PACKAGE NOW – CLICK HERE

For more information or to reserve this package, call one of our Experience Designers at 888-627-3010

CopperWynd Resort and Club

Spa – Tini Girls Getaway

One night in a luxurious mountain-view guestroom featuring gas fireplace and private balcony
Two chocolate martinis served in our award winning spa
Two manicures and two pedicures
Unlimited use of our Private Club & Fitness Centre,including state-of-the-art facilities and workout programs such as Pilates, BodyFLOW® and Yoga

Visit us on-line or you can let us customize your spa vacation package today. Call our reservations department at 877-707-7760

CopperWynd Resort and Club, a AAA Four Diamond boutique Arizona resort property, one of the best Arizona Resorts, is nestled high on a mountain ridge above Scottsdale, Arizona offering breathtaking views of the Arizona Sonoran Desert and mountain vistas.

Our enchanting 32 European-inspired guest rooms offer luxurious king-size beds with Italian linens by Filo D’Oro, gas fireplaces and private balconies where you can view spectacular hues of Arizona desert sunsets. For guests who enjoy larger accommodations, CopperWynd Resort offers an array of elegant Villas for family and friends.

CopperWynd Resort is also one of the best spa resorts in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Spa will inspire the soul, swim in azure pools, golf at renowned courses, play tennis, work out at the Fitness Centre and complete your journey at Alchemy, CopperWynd’s award winning magical culinary adventure. Come Take the Journey at this one of a kind Arizona resort.

Girl Friends Getaway

romantic getaway

wedding anniversary getaways

cheapest vacation package

relaxing getaway

Except for this year. The sun and baseball are still fixtures, but sky-high prices night in, night out, are mostly a memory. Hotels and resorts from Litchfield Park to Scottsdale, socked by the economy and the country’s biggest jump in room supply, have slashed rates or added freebies to lure vacationers and business groups.

Call it the hospitality industry’s economic-stimulus plan, an effort to save a season that financially carries tourism-dependent businesses through the summer doldrums.

Hotels and resorts that routinely command $300 to $500 a night during the winter are on sale for 15 percent to 20 percent off, with some dangling rates of $199 a night and less on select dates, as well as previously unheard-of last-minute deals.

The Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa has rooms for sale on Expedia.com for as low as $179 a night during the second week of March, the peak of the peak season. Stay a minimum of four nights, and the resort will throw in a $50 gift card.

The new InterContinental Montelucia Resort and Spa in Paradise Valley is offering rates on Travelocity .com starting at $195 a night in early March.

Hotels normally in those price ranges, such as the Hilton Scottsdale Resort and Villas, suddenly find themselves battling luxury competition they never had to worry about, on top of the recession. The result: Rates that have dipped below $100 a night on certain dates – rates normally seen only in the summer.

“The season as we know it is not happening,” said Susan Baer, area director of sales and marketing for the Hilton and its sister Scottsdale Road resort, Doubletree Paradise Valley.

Steve Moore, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Phoenix Convention and Visitors Bureau, is even more blunt.

“We’re in a very horrible situation,” he said.

Industry officials say the circumstances are more dire than after the 2001 terrorist attacks because the economic downturn is longer and more far-reaching.

“This is just in every facet of life,” Baer said.

The greater Phoenix hotel market registered the biggest drop in occupancy among 25 major markets last year, down 11.5 percent, according to Smith Travel Research. It also registered the biggest decline in revenue per available room, down 8.3 percent.

The pain has continued into 2009.

In the week that ended Feb. 14, which included the first part of the NBA All-Star festivities, occupancy was down 15.9 percent, with the average daily rate off 2.4 percent and revenue per available room down 18 percent, according to Smith Travel.

Year-to-date figures are not yet available, but preliminary estimates for January show Greater Phoenix with among the biggest declines in all the major categories, especially revenue per available room. Those figures are skewed somewhat by the 2008 Super Bowl in Glendale.

The area has taken a disproportionate hit for several reasons, the biggest being a significant increase in hotel rooms for sale. Metropolitan Phoenix led the country in room-supply increases in 2008, at 4.4 percent, thanks to the opening of W Scottsdale, Montelucia and the 1,000-room Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel, among others.

No other major city topped 4 percent. The U.S. average was 2.7 percent. Big newcomers opened late in the year, making this their first peak season.

Other factors:

• Luxury hotels dominate the landscape, and they have been the segment hardest hit by the Wall Street meltdown and general economic malaise. In January, occupancy in that category nationally was down 15 percent to 17 percent. Revenue per available room was off 22 percent to 24 percent, according to Smith Travel. That compares with averages of 10 percent to 12 percent and 15 percent to 17 percent, respectively.

One reason: Big businesses, which fill a majority of the rooms at the area’s largest resorts during peak season, are cutting back on their meetings and incentive trips because of the weak economy and increased public scrutiny of lavish events.

• Phoenix also has the disadvantage of being a fly-in destination. People have the added expense of an airline ticket to get here, and until recently, airfares were up sharply because of dramatic flight cutbacks by airlines coping with high fuel prices and, now, the recession.

“We don’t enjoy a huge population within 300 miles of greater Phoenix that many other destinations do have,” Moore said, citing California, Florida and Texas as examples of states that do. “That puts us at a disadvantage when these crises occur.”

In response, the Phoenix convention bureau this weekend launched its first-ever peak-season promotion of bargain room rates. The “Spring Stimulus” promotion at visitphoenix .com/springstimulus features a roundup of hotel and restaurant deals.

It is aimed at visitors and local residents and businesses seeking a bargain for a getaway or a meeting, something normally out of reach until the temperature creeps past 100 degrees and stays there for weeks.

The bureau has stepped up efforts in Southern California, too, to lure more spring-training fans given the addition of the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Cactus League. It also is targeting more trade associations, which meet once a year in good times and bad.

Potential tourists and business groups are getting a similar sales pitch from the hotels themselves.

“This is probably the best time in recent history to come to Scottsdale and the Phoenix market,” said Clark Albright, director of sales and marketing for the luxury Camelback Inn, a JW Marriott Resort and Spa in Paradise Valley.

“You’ve got all these four- and five-diamond hotels with distressed inventory.”

Albright said Camelback Inn is holding up relatively well because there was a lot of pent-up demand from regulars who stayed away last season during its $50 million renovation. It is seeing a payoff from a marketing and PR blitz about the makeover of its rooms, restaurant lineup and lobby. Still, its rates are far from usual levels.

Camelback Inn has extended its renovation introductory offer of $299 a night into peak season, which is down from the high $300 to low $400 range during the renovation a year ago. Its golf business is off 15 percent to 20 percent despite a decrease in rates of 25 percent.

Pete Ells, general manager of Royal Palms Resort and Spa, said that the luxury boutique resort in Phoenix surveyed its competitors’ leisure rates and found they each were down about $90 to $100 a night.

That’s not to say they’re giving away rooms. Top-of-the-line resorts command $400 to $500 a night and more on certain March dates with big demand.

Royal Palms and others are having to fill rooms with more vacationers than normal because of meeting cancellations. Ells said the decline in meeting attendance at Royal Palms, which gets 70 percent of its business from groups in peak season, has averaged 10 percent.

Albright said attendance at a doctors’ association meeting, a regular peak-season client, was off 45 percent as companies sent fewer representatives or skipped it altogether.

Resorts are using online travel agencies and discounters more than they have in the past during peak season. Albright said about 80 percent of Camelback Inn’s leisure business comes through Marriott reservations channels. That figure will drop to about 70 percent by the end of March as it sells rooms on Expedia.com and other Web sites.

“We’ve got to get our product on the shelf at a lot of different places in order to get the occupancy we want to get,” Albright said.

The sprawling Arizona Grand Resort, off Interstate 10 and Baseline Road in Phoenix, last week advertised on Travelzoo.com a special of $199 a night that included free golf, a $30 dining credit and $20 toward a massage. A year ago, the resort’s lowest price was $250, and that didn’t include freebies, managing director Richard Behr said.

“Everybody is prospecting,” he said.

More resorts are selling a limited number of rooms at fire-sale prices through deep discounters like Hotwire.com, where travelers don’t find out where they are staying until they’ve agreed to the price and location.

Winning bids for March stays include rates as low as $40 a night at Hilton and $70 at the newly renovated Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort, according to Web sites that track them.

Baer said, “We did not participate in those last year. We didn’t have to.”

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 Exclusive Scottsdale Spa Escape

Let the Wynd take you here to relax, dine, and spa in luxury. This one-night escape will feel like a week after invigorating spa treatments, gourmet breakfast overlooking the Four Peaks, and an afternoon on your private terrace overlooking serene desert vistas.

*Package Includes:

• One night in a luxurious mountain-view guestroom featuring gas fireplace and private balcony
• Two 60 minute spa treatment* from our comprehensive Spa menu
• Guest receives $50.00 Food and Beverage Credit per day.
• Unlimited use of our Private Club & Fitness Centre,including state-of-the-art facilities and workout programs
  such as Pilates, BodyFLOW® and Yoga
  

Exclusive Package Rate from $399.00*

Check here for Rate and Availability

Or, you can let us customize your spa vacation package today. Call our reservations department at 877-707-7760 or fill out our online request form.

CopperWynd Resort is one of the best spa resorts in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Spa will inspire the soul, swim in azure pools, golf at renowned courses, play tennis, work out at the Fitness Centre and complete your journey at Alchemy, CopperWynd’s award winning magical culinary adventure. Come Take the Journey at this one of a kind Arizona resort.

CopperWynd Resort and Club overlooks the breathtaking Sonoran Desert from its hilltop location on the border between Scottsdale and Fountain Hills. This AAA Four Diamond boutique resort property combines the luxurious services of an elegant private club with the spacious accommodations and amenities of a secluded vacation destination. Stunning desert vistas studded with saguaro cacti can be seen throughout the property, enabling guests to enjoy brilliant sunsets over a landscape possessing the stark, rugged beauty for which the American Southwest is famous. In keeping with this picturesque natural setting, the resort’s spa therapies and wellness services emphasize the importance of organic healing and rejuvenation.

In addition to an extensive menu of spa treatments incorporating elements of the surrounding landscape, visitors to CopperWynd can experience the myriad recreational offerings of Scottsdale, whose world-class golf, historic sites, and quaint storefronts are only 12 miles off property. The athletically inclined will delight in hiking and biking excursions through the five mountain ranges that surround the resort. Special packages including Pilates instruction are available for fitness enthusiasts, while couples can enhance romance with a package that involves in-room breakfast as well as spa treatments.

Opening day for Major League Baseball is April 6. But fans don’t have to wait that long to see their favorite teams. Spring training games are scheduled from Feb. 25 to April 5 in Florida and Arizona.

In Florida, attendance at so-called Grapefruit League games averages a total of 1.56 million each spring. In Arizona, the Cactus League set an attendance record of 1.31 million fans in 2008.

Kevin Reichard, author of The Complete Guide to Spring Training, Second Edition, says there are even more opportunities than usual this year for travelers interested in spring training. For one thing, “this is the longest spring training period in years,” he said. In addition, he said, ticket sales “are a little bit slower because of the economy.”

Premium seats usually sell out fast, and it can also be hard to get tickets for a few teams like the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants. But for others, regular seats will be available right up until game day.

And prices for most games are reasonable. General attendance or lawn seating is $10 or less for many games, and the stadiums are smaller, minor league-size arenas where you’re never too far away from the action.

Highest-priced tickets for most teams do not exceed $20 or $22, though the Yankees have a $35 category and the Los Angeles Dodgers made news this year by charging $90 for the best 692 seats in their new Glendale, Ariz., facility. The $90 pricetag includes a $20 coupon for food, beverages and merchandise, free parking and other freebies – a hat, water, sunscreen and cool, scented towels. The top ticket in their old spring training stadium in Vero Beach, Fla., was a mere $20, but with no perks.

In both states, many spring-training facilities are geographically so close that you could see several different teams play over the course of a week without driving too far. In Arizona, two teams play in Tucson and the other 14 play in the Phoenix metro area. Although spring training facilities for the 16 teams that play in Florida are located around the state, many are within a half-hour drive of two or three others.

“You could schedule an entire vacation around spring training for baseball fans,” said Lauren Tjaden, a sports and adventure expert for VisitFlorida.com. “You’ve got three or more teams playing very close together, so you could go to a different team in a different city every day – the Blue Jays in Dunedin, the Phillies in Clearwater, the Yankees in Tampa, the Detroit Tigers in Lakeland.”

Tjaden added that “one of the really fun games” scheduled for this season is the March 12 faceoff in Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte, Fla., between the 2008 World Series rivals, the Tampa Bay Rays and the Philadelphia Phillies.

Spring training also offers opportunities for fans to see their favorite players up close. “It depends on the team, but for instance, the Detroit Tigers have an autograph area at the ballpark,” Reichard said. “The other way to get close to the players is to go to workouts in the mornings. Every team does it a little different, but if you go to a workout at say 9:30 a.m., you might see them running, fielding, bunting and doing other drills. Sometimes the players will come by the fence to greet the fans.”

Reichard’s “Complete Guide to Spring Training” book also includes listings for “places where the true fans hang out before the game,” such as Lenny’s in Clearwater, where Phillies’ fans can eat that Pennsylvania favorite, scrapple. In Bradenton, Popi’s is where Pirates players can be found at breakfast time.

Reichard said most of the spring training games are “run in a low-key fashion. There’s no entertainment between the innings, for example.” But some of the ballparks are kid-friendly. “In Kissimmee, the Astros have a huge play area, and where the Braves play, they have an outdoor barn where kids can run around,” he said.

The big news this year in spring training was moves by four teams. In addition to the Dodgers’ relocation to Glendale, the White Sox also moved to Glendale, from Tucson; the Cleveland Indians moved from Winter Haven, Fla., to Goodyear, Ariz.; and the Rays shifted from St. Petersburg down the west coast of Florida to Port Charlotte.

On top of the Dodgers, White Sox and Indians, Arizona’s spring training season also features the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies in Tucson, the Milwaukee Brewers and Oakland Athletics in Phoenix, the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers in Surprise, the Los Angeles Angels in Tempe, the San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners in Peoria, the San Francisco Giants in Scottsdale, and the Chicago Cubs in Mesa.

In Florida, in addition to the Detroit Tigers in Lakeland, the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin, the Phillies in Clearwater, the Yankees in Tampa, and the Pirates in Bradenton, fans can also catch the Cincinnati Reds in Sarasota, the Red Sox and Minnesota Twins in Fort Myers, the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves in Kissimmee, the Washington Nationals in Viera, the New York Mets in Port St. Lucie, the St. Louis Cardinals and Florida Marlins in Jupiter, and the Baltimore Orioles in Fort Lauderdale.

Next year, the Reds join the Indians in Goodyear, leaving each state with 15 teams.

Resort Deals for Spring Training Arizona

Any question that Scottsdale is the capital of modern U.S. golf might have been put to rest with the latest edition of Golf Magazine’s “Top 100 Courses You Can Play” list.

Six golf courses in the Scottsdale-Phoenix area made the list, by far the most of any single city region. California and South Carolina are the only states with more golf courses in that top 100 than Arizona, with 10 and seven respectively, but those courses are scattered throughout the states; the six Arizona golf courses on the list are within driving distance of each other.

In fact, you could easily play Scottsdale’s studly six on a single trip.

“To me it’s just another indication of how great the golf is here,” said frequent Scottsdale visitor Eric Dixon. “That’s why I keep coming back. You hear a lot about other spots on the West Coast these days – like Chambers Bay. A lot of my buddies want to make a Chambers Bay trip and we probably will.

“But that’s one course. I keep telling them it’s not the same thing we’re used to in Scottsdale. You can get spoiled as a golfer going here.”

Part of that is because the very best golf courses in Scottsdale have not lost a step. Troon North’s Monument and Pinnacle golf courses are as much regulars on this list as James Gandolfini was at the Emmys during the height of the Sopranos. For 10 straight years, both Monument and Pinnacle have been in the magazine’s Top 100.

The difference this time is that after a two-year overhaul by original designer Tom Weiskopf, Pinnacle’s moved ahead of its attention-stealing sister course. Pinnacle is now tops in Arizona, 21st overall in America, up from 59th in 2006. Monument was 21 in 2006, but it’s still in the Top 50 now, coming in at 45th.

Troon North is no longer the only two-course Top 100 facility in greater Scottsdale. We-Ko-Pa Golf Club – the house-free, buzzed-over club on Native American Indian land that debuted its first golf course in 2001 and came out with its second in 2006 – now has the recognition that many in-the-know Arizona golfers long felt it deserved.

The Scott Miller-designed original course (now named Cholla) comes in at No. 35 in America, while the new, walking friendly, more open Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw brainchild Sagauro Course debuts at 44.

“The competition’s so intense in Arizona golf that if you stand up to the quality of the other top courses around here, you know you’re going to be among the best in the country,” said We-Ko-Pa Director of Golf Operations Derek Crawford. “As a new facility, we knew the standards were very high.”

Grayhawk Golf Club’s Talon Course and The Boulders Club’s South Course, both built in the 1990s like Troon North, helped set those standards. Grayhawk’s Talon ranks 87th and Boulders South 90th, rounding out Arizona’s selections in the Top 100.

Tucson – Scottsdale’s more desert-natural rival two hours away – did not place a single golf course in the list. But some think that could change with the 2009 opening of the new Jack Nicklaus course at Dove Mountain, which will host the World Match Play Championship in February.

What clearly has not changed is Arizona’s importance in the golf world – especially Scottsdale.

“People talk about the new restaurants and clubs or whatever in Scottsdale so much now that you can almost forget the golf is still pretty damn spectacular,” Dixon said.

Unless you actually go play it. One round at one of Scottsdale’s studly six is an undisputable reminder.

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Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the Royal Palms Resort and Spa in Phoenix has been named one of the 100 Best Luxury hotels in the world according to the 2009 Travelers’ Choice by TripAdvisor. With 117 custom-appointed guest rooms, swimming pool, an award-winning restaurant and intimate courtyards hidden within lush, 100 percent green gardens and grounds, the Royal Palms is the definition of a sumptuous environment of great comfort and ease. 

To help guests get comfortable, the Royal Palms offers luxurious and private in-suite spa experiences in the Alvadora Spa Terraces. These accommodations, designed by world-renowned spa designer Sylvia Sepielli, feature some of the resort’s most stunning views of Camelback Mountain rising above tiered gardens, trickling fountains, crackling fire pits and a reflecting pool. Inside, guests will find mosaic tiles, leather furnishings and four-poster daybed with built-in therapy bed and draped in white linen, two plasma televisions, a Bose stereo, a European soaking tub and a fireplace. Spanish guitar serenades herald the setting sun.

We focused on creating a spa lifestyle rather than a hotel room Sepielli said.

Guests selecting the Alvadora Spa Terraces receive a personalized tour of the suite, 10 percent of retail purchases in the spa and daily greetings including a daily intention card, a stone of the day and a suggested yoga pose to help balance the energy in one of the body’s seven chakras. Upon arrival, these pampered guests are met with a surprise welcome smoothie. Five special indulgences are offered (for additional fees) only to Alvadora Spa Terrace guests including: Hair Ritual (hydrating and rejuvenating hair), the Journey Manicure (an intensive chakra-based treatment), the Journey Pedicure (an aromatherapeutic foot ritual), Thai Massage (a relaxing yet energetic therapeutic massage) and the Savasana (an treatment that energizes the solar plexus, sacral heart, root and crown chakras).

Of course, comfort is only one aspect of the luxury equation. Ease is the other. Unfortunately, romance can make some people very uncomfortable, especially around Valentine’s Day or weddings. Fortunately, the Royal Palms has a Director of Romance making it easy for guests to get the romance right.

My role as Director of Romance goes way beyond ordering flowers and making dinner reservations; it’s more that of a personal romance coach, especially for the ‘romantically challenged.’ It’s designing the complete, personalized, over-the-top experience that I look forward to, and I have the perfect stage for doing so at Royal Palms,” said Robert H. Vickrey upon being named Director of Romance in September 2008. Vickrey had spent more than a year as the Maitre D’ at the Royal Palms’ ultra-romantic restaurant, T. Cook’s before becoming Director of Romance.

The Royal Palms Resort lends itself to romance, from single nights away from home to destination weddings. Guests can take romantic strolls along the stone-paved walkways through 100 percent organic gardens filled with poppies, calendula, snapdragons, purple cornflowers, black-eyed Susans and none of the gravel found in most landscaping around the Valley. Regal Spanish colonial architecture incorporating state of the art materials and unique details from the namesake row of palm trees, 250-year-old fountain and laja negra dating back to 1692 at the entry to the ceramic tile “Lady of Spain” mural from the Delos Cooke’s original home, offer the ideal romantic setting for photos, meals and weddings.

The resort and landscaping are so enchanting, we don’t have to embellish the property at all and are able to focus on fulfilling the couple’s special requests,” explained Jocelyn Kraus, director of catering.

The culinary program and signature T. Cook’s restaurant, under the direction of Executive Chef Lee Hillson has earned praise from just about everyone from America’s Top Restaurants to Zagats. In January 2009, T. Cook’s four-course Inauguration menu offers guests the opportunity get the taste of John McCain’s defeat out of their mouths with dishes inspired by, and in some cases served at, past Presidential Inauguration Dinners. The Inaugural Dinner menu is offered nightly throughout the month of January 2009 for $50 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Incidentally, guests who can correctly match the Presidents to their favorite dishes during January qualify for a one-night stay in the Royal Palms’ Presidential Suite. The winner will be drawn by Chef Hillson on February 2, 2009.

The Royal Palms Resort and Spa is a AAA four Diamond resort and one of 32 independent, upscale, luxury hotels, resorts and golf clubs managed by Destination Hotels & Resorts in the United States. A member of the Historic Hotels of America, the Royal Palms was built in 1929 as the winter home of New York industrialist and financier Delos William Cooke and his wife, Florence. After serving as the private residence of several of the Valley’s most prominent citizens, the property opened its doors to guests as the Royal Palms Inn in 1948. The property underwent a multi-million dollar renovation lasting 12 months in 1997

Valentine’s day is fast approaching. Don’t let it pass without showing your loved one how much they mean to you. Whether it’s a simple overnight stay or a long weekend, these packages will allow you to indulge in a romantic getaway. While in town, make sure to enjoy these special events in Scottsdale.

Inn at Eagle Mountain
Just for Two
Inn at Eagle Mountain’s “Just for Two” Package Includes:
-One (1) Night in a deluxe King mini-suite with private patio/balcony, Whirlpool Spa Tub for two, Gas Fireplace, TV, refrigerator and coffee-maker
-Bottle of our own Eagle Mountain wine from Napa Valley (Chardonnay or Sparkling cider)
-Spa basket with indulgent spa amenities
-Continental Breakfast for up to Two (2)
(Room Service Available upon request)
-Late check-out at Noon
-Upgrade to Luxury or Theme Suite for an additional $40.00 per night

For Reservations call 1-800-992-8083 or visit www.innateaglemountain.com

Special Rates: *JANUARY 2009 SPECIAL*
1/1/09 – 1/14/09
King Mini Suite: $135
Luxury or Theme Suite $175

1/14/09 – 1/31/09 Sunday – Thursday
King Mini Suite: $135
Luxury or Theme Suite $175

Not valid from January 15th – January 18th. Limited dates and limited availability.

*************************************************

Seasonal Package Rates:
1/1/09 – 4/11/09
King Mini-Suite – $260 per night for two
Luxury or Theme Suite – $300 per night for two

4/12/09 – 5/3/09
King Mini-Suite – $200 per night for two
Luxury or Theme Suite – $240 per night for two

5/31/09 – 9/30/09
King Mini-Suite – $109 per night for two
Luxury or Theme Suite – $148 per night for two

10/1/09 – 12/31/09
King Mini-Suite – $200 per night for two
Luxury or Theme Suite – $240 per night for two

*Prices are exclusive of taxes and gratuities.
Rates are subject to change and based on availability.

For Reservations call 1-800-992-8083 

InterContinental Montelucia Resort & Spa
Couples Only – “The Beauty of Love Lives On” Valentine’s Day Package

2 nights stay in a Montelucia signature suite
Includes the following Joya Spa Treatments for 2 persons in one of our luxury spa suites (4 hours)
One bottle of Dom-Perignon
2 – 90 minute Diamond Experience Facial
2- 90 minute Joyambrosia Organic Full Body Bliss treatments
Chocolate dipped strawberries
Kama Sutra Lovers Kit
Coffee-breakfast in Crave each morning
Chef’s table in prado Restaurant
Poolside Cabana each day
Valet parking
Lululemon Welcome Amenity
Joya Spa signature turndown service
Personal Coffin & Trout Trunk show
Please call 480-627-3020 to confirm your romantic rendezvous today!

Radisson Fort McDowell Resort & Casino
Couples Romance Package

Relax and Unwind in pristine sonoran desert surroundings at the Radisson Fort McDowell Resort and Casino. Relax, Rejuvenate and Revitalize! Escape for the night and simply pamper yourself! Whether you are celebrating a honeymoon, anniversary or just want to spend some quality time with your loved one – Reserve our Couples Romance Package and we will ensure a romantic getaway to be remembered.

Your couples romance package includes the following:

Deluxe Accommodations in our exclusive Sleep Number Bed guestroom, this allows you to set your bed to your perfect level of comfort.
Welcome bottle of Champagne
Breakfast for 2, either in Ahnala Mesquite Room or in the comfort of your guestroom through in-room dining.
Reserve your Couples Romance Package call 480-789-5300  promotional code ROMANC

Book now and enjoy the adventurous side of Scottsdale!

Royal Palms Resort and Spa
Royal Romance
Overnight luxury accommodations, dinner for two at T. Cook’s, gorgeous rose petal turn-down accompanied by champagne and chocolate dipped strawberries.

Royal Palms Resort and Spa

Do Not Disturb
One Night Luxury Accommodations, Dinner for Two, Couples Massage, Romantic Turn-down and Breakfast in Bed

Begin the afternoon with a relaxing couple’s massage in our award winning Alvadora Spa followed by an enchanting evening of candlelight over dinner for two in our world renowned restaurant, T. Cook’s. Return to a rose petal turn-down, champagne and a Valentine dessert for two in your luxurious guestroom. Hang the “Do Not Disturb” sign and awake the next morning to breakfast in bed.

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Hunt Construction Group shows off the luxury JW Marriott Desert Ridge and Sheraton Wild Horse Pass resorts in the portfolio of projects on its Web site. But there are no snapshots of its latest hometown hotel project: the trendy W Scottsdale.

Hunt and the hotel’s developer, Triyar Hospitality, are locked in a legal battle that threatens foreclosure of the 224-room property and hangs a cloud of uncertainty over it during an already challenging time for hotels.

At issue in the case: $20 million Hunt says is still owed for work on the hotel, which opened in early September after repeated delays. It is Arizona’s first W, the hip sister to the Sheraton and Westin chains, and became an instant social hotspot with its sushi restaurant and bars.
Triyar, a division of Los Angeles-based commercial real-estate developer Triyar Companies, is making its first foray into hotel development. It says Hunt did poor work, went over the $57 million budget by millions of dollars and delayed the hotel’s opening by more than a year.

Scottsdale-based Hunt is one of the country’s largest contractors, with several high-profile projects in metro Phoenix, including the convention center expansion and University of Phoenix Stadium. It blames Triyar for the delays, saying the extra work was at its insistence.

Hunt and its subcontractors, whose claims make up a large portion of the $20 million Hunt is seeking, aren’t alone in taking legal action against Triyar.

Two other Valley companies who worked on the W, but not under Hunt, have sued for non-payment. In all, nearly 30 liens have been filed against the property on Camelback Road, just east of Scottsdale Road, since November.

Officials with Triyar and Hunt declined to comment on the litigation.

Disputes between contractors and developers are common, especially when the economy is weak and money is tight, construction attorneys say. Still, the wrangling over the W stands out to many. Hunt’s $20 million lien, which started the legal feud when it was filed in November, is one of the largest ever recorded in the state.

“That’s not your average, run-of-the-mill case,” said Phoenix construction attorney Claudio Iannitelli, whose Phoenix law firm represents Canyon State Electric. It filed a lawsuit to recover more than $180,000 owed for work on the hotel’s condominium units.

Janet Summers, whose Tucson firm has filed liens on behalf of several subcontractors on the project, said it’s been a long time since she’s seen this many liens on a project.

“Even some (housing) subdivisions that have lots and lots of lots don’t get this many liens,” said Summers, the president of Van Rylin Associates. “All that tells me is it’s a very troubled project.”

A first hotel

The big question for many is whether Triyar Hospitality has financial woes or is playing hardball because it has a legitimate gripe with the work of Hunt and the subcontractors on the project.

Triyar Companies is privately held and doesn’t release financial information.

The family-run commercial real-estate business – the “Yar” is for the Yari family behind it – has roots going back to the 1950s in New York real estate. In the Valley, it has developed office buildings and retail centers, including the strip center near the W that houses its headquarters and Sprinkles cupcakes. Triyar also has interests in top Scottsdale nightclubs, including Axis/Radius, and previously proposed an entertainment district in the area.

The parent company also has Hollywood ties through an affiliated company, Yari Film Group, which produced the Oscar-winning movie Crash. An arm of that company filed for Chapter 11 recently after a dispute with creditors. A company official blamed the filing on the tight credit markets.

The swanky W is the hospitality division’s first hotel development, soon to be followed by a new aloft hotel nearing completion in Tempe. It is doing the latter and future hotel projects in a $160 million joint venture formed in 2007 with a private equity fund, Warburg Pincus Real Estate.

Unpaid bills

Some W vendors with unpaid bills said they got no answers from Triyar when they tried to collect. But others said Triyar mentioned at various times over the summer that it was waiting for money to be released from the bank or for invoices to get approved.

The firm’s construction lender was a New York division of German bank HSH Nordbank, which, like other lenders, has been hurt by the worldwide credit crisis. The bank’s CEO was replaced last fall after heavy losses.

Mesa small-business owner Chad Baltrusch was thrilled to be asked by Triyar to set up the rooms at the hotel and repair some damaged furniture.

“We were jumping through hoops to perform for them,” Baltrusch said of his firm, Marbecc Custom Design. . “When they needed something, they needed it right now.”

He said Triyar quit paying over the summer, leaving about half its bill, or $65,000, unpaid. Company officials told them it was waiting for money to be released from the bank.

Baltrusch said he met with Triyar Hospitality CEO Michael Mahoney to go over the invoice for the balance. He said Mahoney personally signed and approved the invoice and said it would be processed for payment.

“But that never happened,” he said.

Marbecc can’t easily swallow $65,000, especially in a recession, and is trying to “cut corners everywhere,” Baltrusch said. He has kept his sense of humor through it.

“If we foreclose on it (the hotel), it’ll be easy,” he said. “We’ll just flip the W upside down and make it an M.”

Stephanie Haldiman, one of Canyon State’s owners, said her firm was supposed to do $300,000 of work on the W condominiums this summer but stopped in October because it hadn’t been paid for any of the work. The firm is a subcontractor of DG Fenn Construction, the condominium contractor, and is owed $182,300.

“We’ve never not received any money on a project before,” Haldiman said.

$20 million lien

Scottsdale-based Hunt Construction, the 33rd-largest contractor in the country last year by revenue, according to trade publication Engineering News Record, began the legal feud when it filed the $20 million lien against Triyar.

Triyar responded with a civil lawsuit alleging breach of contract for “poor and defective” work and excessive cost overruns and delays. It did not detail the allegedly shoddy work. The developer says Hunt said it could build the hotel in 18 months, which would have set an opening day in July 2007.

Hunt denied the accusations and just before Christmas filed a counterclaim, contending that Triyar is to blame for the delays and extra costs.

It cites more than 215 revisions to the original plan, the latest less than two months before the hotel opened. Its lien says it did $21.4 million in extra work “at the special insistence and request of” Triyar.

Hunt contends the project was behind from the start, with Triyar providing late, and sometimes incomplete or faulty, drawings and other building plans. It said the original design of the parking garage ramp, for example, couldn’t accommodate certain types of cars.

“It’s very common for disputes to arise between owners and contractors in terms of extra work and change orders because as a project goes on there’s always some amount of interpretation as to what was included in the original plans and what may be additional work,” said Mike King, partner with the Phoenix law firm Gammage & Burnham.

In a memo to subcontractors the day after it filed the lien, Hunt said it spent a few weeks meeting with Triyar to resolve issues but didn’t make much progress.

Financial pressures

Liens and lawsuits, because they spook lenders, often have the effect of getting both sides back to the negotiating table.

“It is pressure, plain and simple,” said Ron Messerly, partner with the Phoenix law firm Snell and Wilmer. “The lenders are a lot more heavy-handed with the developer than the contractor might even have the right to be . . . All of a sudden their cash flow is cut off because of this situation.”

Another incentive to avoid trial: Construction cases are complicated and expensive to litigate. Messerly estimated that attorney fees in a case of this magnitude could easily run up to $2 million, fees that are typically paid by the loser.

The outcome likely will come down to finances, King said.

“If there’s enough money to go around, people tend to compromise and reach an economic solution,” he said. “If it’s a matter where, for some reason, either egos and personalities get involved, or there simply is not enough money to fix the problem, then it gets litigated.”

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