The Phoenician

Camelback Mountain rises straight behind The Phoenician, its red rock catching the evening light above the pools and the golf course. Charles Keating Jr., the Phoenix developer and banker, built the resort on the mountain's southern flank and opened it in 1988, spending freely on marble, art and a swimming pool tiled in mother-of-pearl. It sits in Scottsdale, near the boundary with Phoenix, on some 250 acres of desert and lawn.

History

Keating built the resort as the showpiece of his property business, and its top-floor restaurant was named Mary Elaine's after his wife. His companies, American Continental Corporation and Lincoln Savings and Loan, collapsed in 1989, and the resort passed into the hands of federal regulators soon after it opened. ITT Sheraton bought it in the mid-1990s, and it later came under Starwood and then Marriott, which runs it in its Luxury Collection. Mary Elaine's closed in 2008 and was replaced by a steakhouse the following year. A major renovation completed in 2016 reworked the golf course, reducing its 27 holes to a redesigned 18, and refreshed the main building, the bedrooms and the grounds.

Architecture and design

The main building is long and low, in desert tones, terraced into the slope so that the lobby and restaurants look out over the pools and the valley. Inside, the original finishes set the tone, with marble floors, chandeliers and a large art collection hung through the public rooms. Outside, a cactus garden of desert plants spreads beside the building, and the pool terraces step down towards the lawns. The mother-of-pearl pool is the one people remember, its tiles catching the light at the edge of the terrace.

Rooms and suites

Rooms are spread between the main building and casitas around the grounds, many with balconies or patios facing the mountain or the city lights. The Canyon Suites, a separate hotel within the resort with its own entrance, pool and staff, offers larger suites and butler service for guests who want more privacy.

Dining

J&G Steakhouse, from Jean-Georges Vongerichten, occupies the top floor of the main building in the space that was once Mary Elaine's, and has a terrace looking out across the valley. Mowry & Cotton, opened in 2017, cooks over a wood fire in a more relaxed room. The Thirsty Camel, a lounge off the lobby, is the place for a drink as the sun goes down over Phoenix.

Wellness

The Phoenician Spa has its own building, with treatment rooms and a fitness centre, and the resort's pools include a family pool with a long water slide. The golf course runs through the desert at the base of the mountain, its fairways threading between the casitas and the lawns, and there are tennis courts on the grounds. The hiking trails of Camelback, steep and popular, start a short drive away.

Weddings and events

The Phoenician has large ballrooms and terraces with mountain views, and conferences and incentive groups make up a large part of its business. Weddings use the lawns, the terraces and the ballrooms, with Camelback Mountain as the backdrop.

Location

The resort lies on Camelback Road, a ten-minute drive from Old Town Scottsdale and about a quarter of an hour from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. The Biltmore district of Phoenix, with its shops, is close, and the Desert Botanical Garden in Papago Park lies a short drive to the south. Winter and spring are the high seasons, when the desert days are mild and the nights cool. As a luxury resort in Scottsdale, it combines the desert setting with easy access to the city.