Several Arizona hotels are renovating their properties to improve their guest rooms, meeting spaces and common areas with brighter colors, more modern amenities and spacious event venues. These multimillion-dollar upgrades at hotels from Phoenix to Sedona elevate the guest experiences, with many hotel managers saying the renovations were intended to make guests’ stays feel more like home.
September saw the completion of the first phase of the first-ever renovation of the Kimpton Hotel Palomar Phoenix, which included a $5.5 million update to the guest rooms. The same month, L’Auberge de Sedona announced the debut of landscape-inspired rooms called The Cliffs as part of a resort-wide renovation.
There are even more renovation reveals expected before the year ends, including 20 new rooms at a historic, luxury desert oasis and a new hotel restaurant from a reality TV star.
Here’s a look at all the big changes to top Arizona hotels this year.
Kimpton Hotel Palomar Phoenix
This luxurious downtown getaway spot just completed the first part of its first-ever renovation after 13 years in operation, a $5.5 million refresh of its 242 rooms and suites.
Rooms at the Kimpton Hotel Palomar Phoenix were updated with a desert-inspired color scheme and feature new furniture, including beds, side tables, armoires and drapes.
Elevator banks, hallways and entry points leading to the rooms were updated to complement the contemporary, desert-inspired look and feel.
Hotel Palomar staff said the goal of the hotel’s renovation was to make the rooms feel more like home.
Details: 2 E. Jefferson St., Phoenix. 602-253-6633; hotelpalomar-phoenix.com.
Sanctuary Camelback Mountain
This resort and spa nestled along Camelback Mountain is working on a $7 million renovation of its meeting and event space, expected to be completed in December. Resort staff said they sought to elevate spaces used for weddings, conferences and private dinners by making them more functional and visually pleasing.
The renovation will include improvements to the resort’s Views Ballroom, Views Terrace, Paradise Views, Lower Lawn and Cholla meeting room. The Views Ballroom’s “dramatic” redesign calls for eliminating visual obstructions such as the existing fireplace, exterior bars and partial walls, which resort staff says will allow for better views of scenic vistas.
Details: 5700 E. McDonald Drive, Paradise Valley. 844-390-4754, sanctuaryaz.com.
L’Auberge de Sedona
One of Sedona’s most acclaimed resorts, L’Auberge de Sedona finished a $30 million renovation that upgraded its existing guest rooms and common areas and added more rooms, expanding its number of accommodations to 158.
L’Auberge debuted 70 new rooms known as The Cliffs, which overlook Oak Creek Canyon and feature panoramic views of Sedona’s red rock buttes. The room design is inspired by Sedona’s landscape and includes plush king beds, a spa-inspired bathroom with rain showers and a private balcony or patio.
The Cliffs are the renovated rooms from the former Orchards Inn. DiamondRock Hospitality Company purchased both the Orchards Inn and L’Auberge de Sedona in 2017, and repositioned the inn as part of L’Auberge with the renovation.
Other highlights of the renovation include a refresh of the existing guest rooms with a new color palette and new furniture, a new cliffside pool experience called Duck Pond, a new event terrace with unobstructed views of the red rock buttes and new menus at on-site restaurant Cress on Oak Creek and wellness spa L’Apothecary Spa.
Details: 301 L’Auberge Lane, Sedona. 855-905-5745, lauberge.com.
Hilton Scottsdale Resort & Villas
A $24 million renovation at the Hilton Scottsdale Resort & Villas included a $15 million facelift for rooms branded as The Villas at Hilton Scottsdale Resort. The villas’ first renovation in 13 years included room upgrades, new landscaping and new interior and exterior colors.
Beyond the villas, the resort-wide renovations included updates to the lobby, pool deck, pool bar and 12 new guest rooms.
Details: 6333 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. 480-948-7750, hilton.com.
Hotel Valley Ho
The Hotel Valley Ho in the 1950s.The hotel remodeling is one of several landmark projects for Kitchell Corp.
The historic midcentury hotel in Old Town Scottsdale, Hotel Valley Ho unveiled the first phase of an $18 million room renovation. Rooms in the hotel’s original wings were updated with an aesthetic that blends contemporary and vintage styles. Hotel staff is almost finished with upgrades to the remaining wings, anticipating the work to finish in October.
Besides the room renovations, Valley Ho added a new 4,080-square-foot outdoor event venue called Citrus Grove, adorned with palm trees and bistro lights. The new event space, which opened in May, can accommodate up to 160 people for a cocktail party and up to 200 people for a wedding.
Details: 6850 E. Main Street, Scottsdale. 480-376-2600, hotelvalleyho.com.
Marriott Phoenix Resort Tempe at the Buttes
All 353 rooms at Marriott Phoenix Resort Tempe at The Buttes were updated in a multimillion-dollar renovation. Staff said the hotel’s new design is inspired by its desert surroundings and features new furniture and furnishings, greater connectivity for guests’ electronic devices and bath amenities that take the local climate into account.
The hotel also upgraded its fitness center and expanded outdoor meeting space and the lobby bar’s outdoor dining area as part of the renovation.
Details: 2000 W. Westcourt Way, Tempe. 602-225-9000, marriott.com.
Caesars Republic Scottsdale
Caesars Republic, the non-casino hotel by the famous Las Vegas brand that debuted in March 2024, remained mostly the same after entering a partnership with Hilton. It still has 265 swanky guest rooms, event space for weddings, and restaurants from celebrity chef Giada de Laurentiis.
The biggest change with the rebrand was a renovation to the hotel’s seventh floor that shuttered the fine dining restaurant Seven. In June, it was announced that reality TV star and restaurateur Lisa Vanderpump would open WOLF by Vanderpump on the seventh floor. It’s scheduled to debut in the winter. The Scottsdale location will be the second for WOLF, which Vanderpump first opened in Caesars Republic Lake Tahoe (formerly Harvey’s Lake Tahoe).
Vanderpump is also working on transforming a Caesars-owned boutique hotel in Las Vegas into the Vanderpump Hotel, expected to open in 2026.
Details: 4747 N. Goldwater Blvd., Scottsdale. 480-903-4747, hilton.com.
Canyon Suites at The Phoenician
One of the most iconic luxury resorts in metro Phoenix, The Phoenician is following up a multiyear transformation of its meeting space by building new villas at its residential-style Canyon Suites. These new villas are scheduled to open on Dec. 24.
The upcoming Canyon Villas will include 20 new villas in eight free-standing, single-level buildings. Each villa will be configured to have two, three or four beds and offer city and golf views. This new area will also have its own pool.
Details: 6000 E. Camelback Road, Scottsdale. 480-423-2880, canyonsuites.com.
Nine historic AZ hotels: Before you stay, get to know their lore
Michael Salerno is an award-winning journalist who’s covered travel and tourism since 2014. His work as The Arizona Republic’s consumer travel reporter aims to help readers navigate the stresses of traveling and get the best value for their money on their vacations. He can be reached at Michael.Salerno@gannett.com.
Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: These 8 top Arizona hotels just got major upgrades