In the series Last Resorts, The Show is looking at the history and future of resorts, and the Valley as a resort community. Visit some of the Valley’s oldest and newest resorts. Hear how they’ve impacted the region — from art and architecture, to how people all over the world view the West.
The newst resorts in the Valley tend to focus less on things like horseback riding in the desert or even basking in the sun, but rather on entertainment and the kinds of experiences you might be able to find in other cities.
And one of these new Valley resorts comes with a very familiar name — and brand.
Caesars Republic Scottsdale Hotel
“Caesars Entertainment is quite frankly a powerhouse when it comes to the casino world. We have been one of the leaders in the gaming corporation for quite some time. But for us, it was really about diversifying our portfolio,” said Ryan Kirby, the sales and marketing director at Caesar’s Republic Scottsdale Hotel.
The 265-room hotel opened in March, although it’d been in the works for about six years. It’s not on a huge piece of land — right next to Scottsdale Fashion Square — so it goes more up than out. And when you get to the top of the 11-story building, you’ll find a few penthouse suites for guests.
Inside is more than 2,000 square feet — it looks more like an apartment than hotel room.
“For us, I think that this is just a much more modern look — obviously you have the hardwood flooring here throughout, all the marble you see here throughout the kitchen area and dining. … But really it’s just for me, it’s all about the views,” Kirby said. “It is just drastic views here — incredible views of the Valley … looking here at the Biltmore area and then as you kind of go around the corner here you get some great line of sights here of downtown Phoenix, as well.”
Kirby points out the restaurant, Luna by Giada, as in celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis. The hotel has a bar and lounge, a café and two pools – including one that’s open for the public to use. But what Caesars Republic Scottsdale Hotel does not have is gaming. No slots, no roulette wheels — none of it. And that’s intentional.
Sitting with Kirby in the lobby, I ask about that, and what makes this property unique within the company.
“You know, we wanted our Caesars rewards members to now have a different product, a different hotel lifestyle hotel, a little bit more elevated luxury that was non-gaming. So for Caesars Republic, there's not an ounce of gaming here at the property level. You know, we really try to elevate your stay in every possible way here,” Kirby said.
“And this is truly the first non-gaming option now that Caesars rewards members can experience outside of our hotels nationwide, spanning from obviously Las Vegas, Tahoe and Atlantic City,” Kirby said.
I asked what about Scottsdale made this the right place for Caesars to do this for the first time.
“So we looked at 30 different cities where we have a lot of markets that can drive that customer back to Las Vegas a little bit in a way. Scottsdale made sense in terms of obviously the commute to Las Vegas being just an hour flight away. So that, that absolutely made sense,” Kirby said. “The second part was really what we were able to achieve from a location standpoint here in Scottsdale because, you know, for this brand, it's all about energy. It's about bringing those elements from Las Vegas, such as the music, the city itself, the food, the design.”
“And for us, we sit next to Fashion Square Mall in the fashion district of downtown Scottsdale, Old Town Scottsdale. … So for us having this opportunity with this piece of land so close here to the downtown destination was so crucial for us. So it just made sense all the way around to have Scottsdale as the first,” Kirby said.”
I asked about what people do when they come to the hotel, since it doesn’t have a large footprint.
“Well, so obviously, we want them to experience the hotel. So we have a couple of great concepts here. From Giada De Laurentiis is our signature restaurant here on our lobby level floor. … Amazing Italian restaurant, 300-seat concept,” Kirby said.
“We also have a rooftop bar Seven that looks at Camelback Mountain, just dramatic, incredible views here at sunset. But then, you know, for a lot of our guests that stay here at Caesar's,” he added. “They're going to go to Fashion Square. It's 2 million square feet of retail space or we have our great, you know, restaurant concepts. Ocean 44, Toca Madera, Nobu Scottsdale. There's probably about 40 different high end restaurants here within about a five block radius from our location. So it's all about walking distance for us.”
I ask if he thinks their guests will want to walk around outside in an Arizona summer.
“Well, luckily for them, you have to cross an alleyway that is no more than 20 feet to then go back indoors in the Fashion Square. So they don't have to brave the heat too much when they come here to the hotel,” Kirby said.
I ask if Caesar’s customers who come to Scottsdale are surprised that this is maybe something different than what they're used to.
“It's a great surprise. I think a lot of people have come into the property and said, ‘Wow, I didn't know what to expect. I heard you were a, the first non-gaming hotel here for Caesars. I thought we would see a little bit more elements of Las Vegas,’” Kirby said. “But at the same time, it's, you still get that eccentric feeling of Las Vegas, but it's much more modern, it's much more elevated here for the product. So everyone has been leaving here, so, so pleased with the concept.”
I ask how the hotel tries to differentiate itself from all of the other resorts that have been in Scottsdale for quite a while.
“That is a great question. You know, so, and I think one of the reasons why I love Scottsdale and I think a lot of travelers do is that yes, while I feel like there is a stereotypical resort, with spa with golf, there really are so many properties out there that differentiate from themselves. And for us, obviously, we sell more of that eccentric downtown vibe here for those customers,” Kirby said.
“So it might be … hey, we're coming in here for the weekend or we want to, you know, get a feel for downtown Scottsdale. We wanna go shop, we wanna kind of experience the city, the more. Having that walk and closeness and proximity to downtown is how we, I think excel more. And then we do have some travelers that might say, hey, we want to be on a resort, we want to go ahead and experience golf or, or go to the spa there for the day. And I think there's always another product and great product out there. If you are just coming to Scottsdale to come, enjoy whether that's here at Cesar Republic or another resort here in the Valley,” he added.
I asked Kirby if he sees the hotel as filling a niche that wasn't there before.
“Yes. You know, for us, this is truly one of the first high-end hotels to debut in downtown Scottsdale for more than two decades. So, you know, there really isn't another concept like us here that, that can offer what we do here in terms of a product standpoint. So yes, I think it definitely, you know, helps fill that niche market a little bit,” Kirby said.
Kirby says Caesars Republic Scottsdale doesn’t have some of the amenities you’d find at other resorts — there’s no golf, no lazy river. But he says what they do have are more experiences — live music, yoga and other wellness events and cooking classes, among others. He also believes the hotel can help in selling Scottsdale and the Valley to guests. As he mentioned, the property is walking distance to Scottsdale Fashion Square and close to Old Town. And he sees it as a potential template for future projects.
“I think, coming back to I feel like there is a hotel and resort out there for everyone that wants to visit Arizona. So, I do think that we need many more of these types of brands here, especially from a downtown market, for people to enjoy. But yes, absolutely,” Kirby said.
VAI Resort in Glendale
Across the Valley, another new resort is under construction that proponents say will also be a game changer for the region. VAI Resort is scheduled to open next year in Glendale; the $1 billion project will include more than 1,000 rooms, 12 restaurants, a 5-acre lake with white sand beaches, amphitheater and will be home to the Mattel Adventure Park. It’ll also be right across the street from State Farm Stadium, and the Westgate Entertainment District.
Glendale City Manager Kevin Phelps says experiences will be a big part of this resort, too – and says it’ll fit in well with the city’s focus on creating a sports and entertainment district focusing on those kinds of experiences.
“They are creating really a new genre of resort properties, so there’s nothing really like this to compare to,” Phelps said. "What they’re really doing is designing a resort geared more towards the more affluent younger traveler versus the more affluent older traveler such as myself.”
Phelps says the typical resort is a nice property with maybe a golf course and spa, which aims to attract people who like to travel and use those amenities. This project, though, he says will appeal to visitors who are more interested in things like live music. Phelps believes this, too, will serve as a template for how resorts are built in the future.
Like Caesars Republic in Scottsdale, Phelps thinks VAI Resort will benefit Glendale — in part by bringing more people to the city.
“All of those things are already here in place within the sports and entertainment district — the VAI Resort is just gonna be kind of additive to that and I believe it really starts to make this area a true destination spot for travelers,” Phelps said.
And in that way, the Valley’s newest resorts appear to be continuing the tradition of some of its oldest — finding new reasons to attract visitors to the area. And that’s something all of the people with whom we spoke for this series seemed to agree on — that there likely won’t be an end to those efforts in this area anytime soon.
