Resort deals, vacation giveaways signal summer’s arrival in Phoenix

PHOENIX (June 2, 2011) – In the northern hemisphere, the start of summer is marked by the summer solstice. But in Greater Phoenix, there’s an even surer sign summer is here: Resplendent resorts become as affordable as roadside motels.

All across metropolitan Phoenix, $199 rooms are morphing into $99 rooms, and $379 rooms are suddenly $179 rooms. At some resorts, the reduction from peak rates is as much as 60 percent.

To help savvy vacationers (and Arizona “staycationers”) find these summer values, the Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau has partnered with the Arizona Republic to produce the newspaper’s annual SummerScapes insert. SummerScapes also is distributed in the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson, and a digital version is available online.

SummerScapes showcases summer specials at nearly 30 properties across Greater Phoenix, from romantic resorts with secluded swimming pools to family-friendly hotels with lazy rivers and waterslides. Among the values:

• Rates start at $99 at Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa, which is also offering a $50 resort credit for guests who stay two nights or more.
• Rates start at $109 at the stately Arizona Biltmore, which is bringing in musical acts such as Jeff Bridges (performing songs from the Oscar-winning film Crazy Heart) during its “Hollywood & Wine” series of summer events.
• Rates start at $109 at the Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort, an all-suites property with a private water park.
• Rates start at $179 – with a nightly $50 resort credit - at the Montelucia, which recently was ranked as the “Top Resort in Arizona” by readers of Travel + Leisure magazine.

“These rates are a steal any summer,” said Doug MacKenzie, director of communications at the Greater Phoenix CVB, “but they are especially attractive to fans and families who are considering a trip to Phoenix for Major League Baseball’s All-Star Week.”

Greater Phoenix plays host to the 2011 MLB All-Star Game on July 12. The game caps five days of events, including the XM All-Star Futures Game, the Taco Bell All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game and the State Farm Home Run Derby.

All-Star FanFest, the most fan friendly of All-Star Week’s activities, will be open to the public from July 8-12. This interactive experience will transform the Phoenix Convention Center into a baseball lover’s fantasy land, with life-sized video batting and pitching cages, clinics taught by Major League legends, and free autograph sessions with MLB legends.

Also, the first-ever All-Star Charity Dance Party will take place July 9 at the convention center. Zach Woodlee, the acclaimed choreographer from the hit TV show Glee, will preside over a Saturday night dance-a-thon and judge a dance contest open to all party attendees. Net proceeds from the event will be donated to three charities supporting the fight against cancer - Stand Up To Cancer, the Prostate Cancer Foundation and Susan G. Komen for the Cure - and the winner of the dance contest will win a meet-and-greet visit to the set of Glee.

“I think All-Star Week will prove to a worldwide audience what locals and seasoned summer visitors have known for years - that Phoenix’s beauty and value transcend the heat,” MacKenzie said. “You’d be surprised how cool you feel sitting in a poolside cabana with a frozen beverage in your hand.”

The Greater Phoenix CVB is upping the ante for summer values with its Summer Sweepstakes, which gives entrants the chance to win multi-night stays at eight resorts. Entry into the Summer Sweepstakes is available online at VisitPhoenix.com.

The participating resorts are Arizona Biltmore, Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, Four Seasons Resort at Troon North, Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch, Montelucia, Pointe Hilton Resorts, Radisson Fort McDowell and The Wigwam.