Just because you aren't in Phoenix for the Super Bowl, doesn't mean you can't watch the Big Game at a hotel. Or so say the sales and marketing departments for hotels nation-wide. Here's what's going on at these hotels on Sunday.
· The James Chicago: The hotel's executive chef Rick Gresh (Primehouse) will host a party at JBar featuring the big-game on the big-screen, beer specials ($4 for domestic bottles and $5 for imported bottles) and foods representing each Super Bowl team. So New England Patriots fans will get mini-crab cakes and Giants fans will mini-pastrami sandwiches on rye.
· Viceroy Santa Monica: The hotel's poolside restaurant Whist is offering up cabana rentals which include 32" flat-screen TVs, "gourmet game day grub" from executive chef Warren Schwartz and drinks galore. Small cabana rentals, which fit 15 people, start at $250. Food and beverage will cost an extra $500.
· Wynn Las Vegas: Even though this is Las Vegas and the sports books will be crowded, the Wynn is advertising $69 tickets to see John O'Hurley in Monty Python's Spamalot. And there's a post show cocktail reception where guests can meet O'Hurley and the men of Spamalot. The show starts at 8 so you'll be able to catch both the game and O'Hurley.
Many Super Bowl-goers have already forked out thousands for tickets and travel -- so what's a few grand more?
Ebay has several high-priced options for those with fat wallets. For example, one can have 4 nights at the "beautiful Embassy Suites Hotel in downtown Phoenix" for a mere $2499. Empassy Suites is only a few miles from downtown and about 10 miles from the stadium. And sold out. But hurry -- this deal expires in a little over 2 days.
Over at Craigslist, there's more pricey options galore. For about 15 grand, you can spend Super Bowl week in "Castle Mansion". This castle boasts 4 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, a theatre room, pool with Jacuzzi spa and waterfall.
And finally...(drumroll)... Located in the newly constructed Summit at Copper Square high-rise in downtown Phoenix, this million-dollar luxury rental defies comparison. Of course, it has the price tag to prove it.
Yesterday, we had some last-minute round-ups on Super Bowl XLII accommodations including a stay in a monastery. Here we have more details.
Big screen TVs, wireless internet, and free continental breakfast. Sounds like a 3- or 4-star hotel, right? Guess again. It's the Our Lady of Guadalupe Monastery in Phoenix, where the Benedictine nuns are renting out rooms for Super Bowl week.
Rooms are going for $250 a night, plus $50 extra for each additional person.
But for a room right next to the action (3.5 miles to be precise), it isn't half bad.
"We've never opened the monastery for an event like the Super Bowl," said Sister Linda of the Benedictine Sisters of Phoenix. "It's just a different clientele than we're accustomed to."
The Monastery rooms are normally rented out for Church retreats and individuals who feel their lives could benefit from the peace and isolation Our Lady of Guadalupe offers. The property includes a common area, cafe, Chapel and Meditation Grounds.
And though the sisters won't impose a curfew, they do have a few rules: no smoking, no rowdy behavior, and most importantly -- no alcohol.
Super Bowl XLII is only five days away so these are your last days to get a room. That is, if you've managed to snag tickets to the game in the first place. But even if you are planning to watch the game elsewhere, things may not go so smoothly.
We got a review in our mailboxes from one Cincigirl1 who was very disappointed in the Hard Rock Las Vegas for canceling a group reservation for the Super Bowl. Here's her story:
Our small company booked a large suite for the upcoming Super Bowl at the Hard Rock Las Vegas. We booked it months ago and it was "guaranteed." The room was expensive and we were even paying over $400 for a larger TV to host important clients for the game. We were called a week before and told there was a computer glitch and we couldn't have the room.
We were offered a meeting room with a long tables a regular TV and cafeteria chairs as their solution. Terrible now we are scrambling last minute to find something. Would never deal with them again.
The best of the offerings seems to be the three-star Park Plaza Phoenix North. Featuring a lap pool & Jacuzzi, 24-hour fitness center, a café, complimentary wireless Internet, and free shuttle service within a five mile radius. The big drawback here is the location -- far North Phoenix.
All-in-all this seems like a better option than sleeping in the stadium parking lot (which we don't advocate, by-the-way). But here's another hiccup: When we tried to make reservation a moment ago, no check in was allowed on Friday Jan. 1st, which means you'd need to come in a day early. Rates were however significantly lower then, at only $123/night.
Red Roof Inn Phoenix Westis much closer to the action (seven miles from US Airways Center and Chase Field, with easy access to Interstate 10), but may require a little more faith on your part to stay there.
Amenities include heated outdoor pool and free coffee and newspapers in the lobby. There is no restaurant onsite and Internet access is extra. TripAdvisor members seem to agree, the hotel is a clean, basic place to lay your head -- and that's about it. $300/night average rate.
Know of a Super Bowl Hotel with vacancies? Let us know!
We stumbled upon this intriguing option for staying in-and-around the Super Bowl vicinity and after checking it out, we could care less about who wins the Super Bowl.
Rancho de los Caballeros is a historic ranch/resort located 60 miles northwest of the metro Phoenix area in Wickenburg (and about 30 miles from the stadium itself). Los Caballeros is comprised of a main lodge, 79 guest rooms and suites, 18 holes of golf, a new full-service spa, pool, tennis courts, children's play area, conference facilities, hiking, riding trails and corrals.
And don't forget the 100 horses for exploring the surrounding 20,000 acres of Sonoran desert. The resort has also been chosen one of Golf Magazine's America's Top 75 golf resorts, and is on Travel + Leisure readers "Top 100 Golf Resorts in the World" list.
Should you want to visit in the next few weeks,
a search during the Super Bowl dates reveals rooms in several rates categories are still available, starting at $554/night (normally $462) for the Original Ranch Room:
These rooms are the original ranch accommodations and offer a king sized bed or a double and a twin bed. They have the charm and character of the Southwest and are the favorites of many of the returning guests. Rooms feature a refrigerator, coffeemaker, hairdryer, and private patio. Approx. 310 Sq ft.
But remember, that's with three meals a day, and the Motel 6 around here is going for over $300 during Super Bowl weekend. So, it's actually quite a deal.
If you want to visit after Feb. 3rd, we recommend calling the resort to customize a package deal. For example, for only $100 more than the rack rate and with a 3-night minimum, you get a little time on the links, some time in the saddle, and one spa experience. Super what?
Attention NFL stalkers: The New York Giants have rented out an entire hotel in Arizona for the upcoming Super Bowl weekend. Eli Manning, Michael Strahan and crew will be shacking up at the rustic Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Hotel
Interestingly enough, this had nothing to do with the Giants preference for the hotel.
Three years ago the Sheraton, which markets itself as in Chandler but is on the Gila River Indian Reservation, signed contracts through the Super Bowl Host Committee and the NFL.
"We had the NFC team regardless of who it was," said hotel spokeswoman Kristen Jarnagin.
All 500 rooms and 26 suites will be totally booked. The resort's AAA Five Diamond Restaurant, Kai, will be closed to the public and to the public during the stay so it can be used exclusively for the team and its guests.
And the hotel's spa is going so far as to create special treatments for the players including the Go-Deep deep tissue massage and a Manning manicure in which nails are painted Giants' colors. Let's hope only the WAGs get these and not Manning himself.
It looks like the dilemma facing any Super Bowl attendee or party-goer who hasn't yet secured hotel reservations is this: Either fork over several hundred dollars for a room worth about one-forth of that, or pay a reasonable (although still inflated) rate and put up with noisy air conditioners and vagrants in the lobby.
For example, a quick check of availability shows places like Marriott, Sheraton, Hyatt & Hilton are all full. A few mid-tier properties such as the La Quinta are available, but at mind-blowing $424 to $652 nightly rates!
On the other hand, you can still get a room at the bottom-basement bargain of $119 per night at Motel 6 Phoenix West. But (Big But), you might want to consider what a few TripAdvisor members had to say about the place first:
"Where's the soap? Nothing to wash your hands with, no shampoo, no lotion, no tissues, no shower cap, no alarm clock...nothing.
Horribly loud air conditioner. Scary people are hanging out in the parking lot. Was surprised to find no damage to our vehicle in the morning.
"Besides being in what seemed to be in a bad location, the staff was rude, the hotel room smelled of something rotting, and the sheets and floor were stained."
"This is a dungeon. Nothing works properly and towels are thread bear. They should just close the damned thing!"
So, there you have it. Either take out a second mortgage or get used to dirty sheets and no soap. Choices, choices....
1.21.08 Update Reports are coming in that there are plenty of hotel rooms left in and around Phoenix for the Super Bowl. See comments below.
Just because you aren't in Phoenix for the Super Bowl, doesn't mean you can't watch the Big Game at a hotel. Or so say the sales and marketing departments for hotels nation-wide. Here's what's going on at these hotels on Sunday. 
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by juliana
