What’s New in Greater Phoenix?
January 2013

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THIS MONTH’S EDITION:

• The Cactus League Baseball Spring Training Season has been released. Fans get ready for the season opener kicking the season off in February.
• Arizona Biltmore offers “Any Weekend, Anywhere Sale”.
• Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) launches their winter/spring concert series.

The Westin Phoenix Downtown Hotel celebrates the New Year with your Birth Year. Celebrate the year you were born with a special offer for two or three night stays where guests will pay rates equal to their birth year. The first night rate is from $259 and your second and third nights at rates equal to your birth year. So if you were born in 1948, you’ll receive you second and third nights at $48.This offer is available for Thursday-Saturday arrivals.

Arizona Biltmore offers “Any Weekend, Anywhere Sale” where weekends are made for fun and relaxation so start planning yours with the Any Weekend, Anywhere Sale. Book a weekend stay* by January 31, 2012 for any weekend through 2012 and receive up to 33% off your stay. Plus, for each stay of at least two nights, Hilton HHonors™ members will earn 1,000 Bonus Points. Weekend stay means any night Thursday through Sunday. Advance purchase may be required.

The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa offers guests visiting during the 2013 Cactus League Baseball Spring Training Season the ultimate “Family FUN Experience”, and still be close to the nearby ballparks. With the Chief FUN Officer at the helm of the Family FUN Program, guests will explore endless possibilities for a memorable family getaway. Check in at the “Kierland Mining Co.” and receive a special welcome from the FUN team as well as a welcome gift of “The Compass: A Trailblazer’s Guide to The Westin Kierland.” “The Compass” offers a scavenger hunt that assists families in discovering the property. Learn about special programs and activities such as Kierland Kampfires, Phoenix Zoo presentations, Kids in the Kitchen, Digital Kid’s Club and more. When families aren’t at the ballpark cheering on their favorite team, they can enjoy the Adventure Water Park with a 900-foot lazy river, 110-foot-long waterslide and the new Kierland FlowRider board sport simulator, as well as poolside activities with the FUN Team. The “OK Corral” is adjacent to the Adventure Water Park with lawn chess, basketball, outdoor game tables, RC Car Race Tracks, and hosts Kierland Kampfires with a create-your-own s’mores experience. Plan a Family Escape this 2013 Cactus League Baseball Spring Training Season, and enjoy a $100 daily resort credit.

Montelucia Resort & Spa has partnered with Dress for Success® Phoenix, providing guests an opportunity to give back this holiday season with the “Give a Dress and De-Stress at Montelucia” package. Now through January 31, 2013, guests are encouraged to donate a dress to receive two $50 gift cards to the largest shopping mall in the Southwest, Scottsdale Fashion Square. After a day of shopping, relax with a complimentary “The Stiletto” cocktail at Mbar and decide what spa treatment to de-stress at the resort’s award-winning Joya Spa with a $50 spa credit when booking two nights.

Travel to The Phoenician and select from a trio of exclusive offers to enhance your experience including: “Epicurean Awakenings” where guests can enjoy breakfast for two each morning; “Savory Selections” where guests can enjoy two complimentary drinks from The Cocktail Collection; or “Points of Inspiration” where guests can earn Earn 500 Starpoints® per night with a two night minimum stay.

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Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) launches their winter/spring concert series. Tickets are currently on sale. From January through May, MIM’s winter/spring series will feature dynamic, live performances from some of the finest contemporary, instrumental, and vocal artists in the world including: Lucinda Williams (January 11); Kronos Quartet (January 14 and 15); José Feliciano (January 18); George Kahumoku Jr. (February 22); Interpreti Veneziani (March 2 and 3); Leipzig String Quartet (March 6); Colin Hay (April 2); Alpin Hong (April 5); and Béla Fleck (May 15).

Hale Theatre presents Forever Plaid. The hilariously charming hit musical Forever Plaid will take you on a trip to the fifties with Sparky, Jinx, Smudge and Frankie, a fictional 1950’s boy band. The group was tragically and inconveniently struck down before their first big gig. “The Plaids” will be brought back to earth to take the stage one last time. Forever Plaid will run from Jan. 8-Feb. 6, 2013.

Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium rings in the New Year with “Winter” the Snow White Tiger Cub. Santa brought Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium visitors and staff a Christmas present– a Snow White tiger cub named “Winter.” Born at another zoo in early November, Winter can now be seen on display at Wildlife World’s popular Baby Animal Nursery.

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The PF Chang’s Marathon Series and Half Marathon is a collection of road running events, most commonly known for the marathon and half marathon races. The series is known for lining race routes with live bands, cheerleaders and themed water stations. People from all over the country participate in this race. This event will be held on Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013, starting in downtown Phoenix at CityScape and ending in Tempe at Sun Devil Stadium.

Guests of The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa and local residents are now able to experience the best of Kierland Golf Club and Agave, the Arizona Spa with exclusive, discounted packages through the new Kierland Performance Center. This new concept has been developed in partnership with Kierland Golf Club and Agave, the Arizona Spa in effort to provide novice and expert golfers alike the full experience in golf performance and overall wellness. These golf packages allow regulars as well as first time visitors of The Westin Kierland to feel like “members” by enjoying award-winning golf instruction, access to FORE-MAX Golf Fitness – used by the pros, ProFIT club fitting, 27-holes of golf at the Troon-managed Kierland Golf Club, plus access to the Resort’s full-service Agave Spa. Offered as One-Day, Three-Day, Five-Day or One-Month packages, there is an option for those enjoying a quick visit, vacation stay, or who happen to live near The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa.

Known as “the world’s greatest collector car auction,” the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction takes place atWestworld of Scottsdale over nine days incorporating special events, displays and activities. This year the event will be held from Jan. 13- 20, 2013. The auction will feature more than 1,000 collector and special interest automobiles from all years being auctioned off at No Reserve, as well as daily “automobile” auctions. Over 350 vendors and exhibitors will also be on hand.

Dubbed “The Greatest Show on Grass,” The Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale has no problem living up to its name. In addition to playing host to the greatest players in the game, the tournament is the PGA Tour’s best attended event- drawing nearly 500,000 enthusiastic spectators each year. The dates for this year’s tournament are Jan. 28 – Feb. 3, 2013.

Baseball and sunshine have gone together for almost 100 years in Arizona. Get ready to follow your favorite team to the desert to see them in action during Spring Training baseball. The Cactus League Baseball Spring Trainingseason begins on February 22-March 30, 2013 The Cactus League has 15 teams including the Arizona Diamondbacks, Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, LA Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Kansas City Royals, LA Angels, Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers.

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Discover your harmony within at Alvadora Spa at Royal Palms Resort. Relax, refresh and restore this new year with a spa experience. Enjoy a traditional source of healing and embrace integrative wellness with the “Harmony Within” package. This package allows patrons to choose a favorite spa treatment and enjoy a vacation for the senses with a relaxing Mediterranean escape. The “Harmony Within” package includes one night luxury accommodations, a $200 Alvadora Spa Credit and resort fee is included in “Harmony Within” package rate.

VH Spa at Hotel Valley Ho welcomes 2013 with various specials. Every Wednesday and Thursday, save up to 50% on some of VH Spa’s most popular treatments with the “Mid-Week Mojo”. Beginning in February, Sultry Saturdays is added to the spa menu where patrons can enjoy a $10 Mineral Makeup Application with any service, from noon to 5:00 p.m. plus receive $10 off any purchases in the spa boutique that day. Also being offered is a “Sunday Spa Party Package” where patrons can enjoy 90 minutes of treatments and a glass of wine or Champagne for only $99.

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Think of it as a backyard, front porch and kitchen all rolled into one. “The Yard” will be Fox Restaurant Concepts’ biggest project yet transforming an old motorcycle shop near 7th Street and Bethany Home into the most distinct restaurant environment in Arizona. Culinary Dropout will open in mid-February followed by Little Cleo’s Fish House and Oyster Bar. In many ways it will serve as the “Living Room” for North Central Phoenix with something for everyone and it will be on the cutting edge of the 7th Street redevelopment.

The Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa announces that Conor Favre has been appointed Executive Chef of the resort. Favre is an expert culinary leader with more than 18 years of experience in the food and beverage industry. In his new role as Executive Chef, Favre will have the significant task of overseeing all culinary functions at Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa, including oversight of restaurant concepts and menus for Ko’Sin and the signature restaurant, Kai. Additionally he will oversee meeting and group banquets, event catering, guest room dining for the 500 room resort and all culinary staff recruitment and training.

With the Chicago Cubs set to open a new Arizona spring training facility just a mile to the east, one of the Windy City’s most famous restaurants has just closed on property at Arizona’s largest and most successful open-air retail center. Vestar, owners of the 1.3 million square foot Tempe Marketplace, recently announced that it sold a 2.38-acre parcel on its southwest corner to Portillo’s. The Midwest institution plans to open its high-energy, 7,000-square foot eatery in the summer of 2013. What goes better with taking in spring training baseball than Chicago hot dogs and beef—which is what Portillo’s does and does right every day of the year.

Proof recently debuted at Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale offering homestyle comfort fare sourced exclusively from the 50 states. Embark on a cross-country road trip through the main street of America, tapping into the nation’s rich heritage and the historic days of Route 66. Enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner in this relaxed American canteen, featuring menu items such as fried green tomatoes, shrimp and oyster po’boys, and chicken and waffles with bacon and bourbon syrup. Guests can take in the outdoors from every angle with walls that open to views of Pinnacle Peak and extensive patio dining. Televisions, games and a bustling bar bring buzzing energy to the restaurant on a nightly basis.

Field Kitchen, Arizona’s newest fast casual restaurant specializing in fresh, made-to-order homestyle meals has added even more reasons to dine at one of two exclusive Valley locations. Field Kitchen diners can rejoice this holiday season and celebrate with a selection of locally crafted beers and a variety of ten select wines. Wine lovers can toast to new resolutions with an array of whites and reds including Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio, Bridlewood California Pinot Noir, Apothic Red and Trinity Oaks Cabernet, Merlot and Chardonnay, while beer connoisseurs can imbibe various selections from Arizona Breweries such as Four Peaks Kiltlifter or Hop Knot IPA and Santan Epicenter and Hefeweizen brews.

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Douglas MacKenzie
Director of Media Relations
(602) 452-6250
dmackenzie@visitphoenix.com

Trish Hendrickson
Media Relations Coordinator
(602) 452-6249
thendrickson@visitphoenix.com