Nothing make a girl feel cooler than spending the day in a posh little hotel. I was lucky enough last week to spend a morning touring the new Westin in Downtown Phoenix, and even got to experience the beautiful restaurant inside, province. This Westin opened March 10, 2011, and only seven months ago was a concrete shell of a commercial space! What was originally set to be offices has been transformed into a boutiquey, luxurious hotel downtown with urban views and modern finishes.
First Impressions
With a focus on business travelers, the location of the new Westin couldn't be better. This new hotspot is only five miles from Sky Harbor and two blocks from the Phoenix Convention Center, and conveniently sits next to the light rail stop on Van Buren and Central.
The ground floor is open and immediately connected to the hip new province restaurant. As you enter the space you can't miss the floor-to-ceiling windows with surprisingly cool, urban views, and the open patio which will soon house restaurant and bar seating. A short outdoor staircase takes you up a level to the boutique-style Lapis Pool Terrace.
The entire property has benefited from Westin's very latest interior design standards, meaning the most updated paint chips, fabric swatches and patterns have been used to craft the newest Westin experience. The general look is a lot of pretty neutrals (slate grays and woody browns) with cool purples and beautifully textured furniture- marble, mirrored pieces and beautiful woods are all used.
The lobby winds around a mini library seating area and soon-to-be shop to reach the hotel elevators. State-of-the-art touchscreen TVs are mounted in the lobby, showcasing the local events and resort happenings, among other things.
Guest Rooms
I was able to peek in one of the 242 guest rooms, which are on floors 11-19 (2-10 are all parking). The "back of house" resort areas are all in the core of the building, leaving each guest room and event space room on the exterior of the building, with beautiful, sweeping views. Unlucky for us, the corner suites were all sold out so we couldn't see them, but the upgraded rooms we saw were absolutely beautiful and spacious (comparable in size to, say, the Pheonician). Each room opens to dark hardwood floors and has 9.5' ceilings with floor to ceiling windows. Rain showerheads, slab marble countertops, ipod/TV jacks, supermodern design and European key card holders are all unique features the rooms offer.
Event Spaces & Common Areas
The 13,000 sq.-ft. of event space the Westin Downtown offers can seat up to 200 for dinner in the ballroom, which is on the 11th floor and also has floor-to-ceiling windows and jaw-dropping views. Board rooms are comfortable but modern, holding 6 or 12 for corporate meetings. Other interesting options include meeting areas that connect guest rooms with a comfy seating area, dining area, kitchen and 360-degree TV, which are perfect for both business gatherings and creating common areas for multiple families to share.
The fitness area is super motivating (you could elliptical forever with that view), and all equipment is new and high-tech, with individual TVs and iPod hook-ups. On the same floor as the fitness center is the lush Executive Club Lounge, where Executive-level guests can enjoy coffee, free wi-fi and hot breakfast, newspapers and flat-screens.
Province
After our tour we headed downstairs for lunch at province, the American restaurant with "Latin soul", which is a successful Chicagoan restaurant that's made its way to the southwest. As you can see above, the decor incorporates pops of color, cool natural touches like a wall of moss, succulents on display and tree branches installed in the ceiling. It also continues the trend of huge, crystal clear windows all around you.
We were all given a smorgasbord of delicious breads and appetizers, like herbed crackers with an insane goat cheese fondue, different flatbreads and other goodies. For lunch, I had a salad comprised of asparagus spears, parmesan and Meyer lemon vinaigrette and delicious crackers with cheese, along with a cup of tortilla soup that was deliciously spicy. For dessert (they made me) I had a half of a squash cupcake, which was incredible and not as healthy as the name suggests. Everything I tried was perfect, no "we're still working out the kinks" excuses needed. You can tell word has already gotten out because the place was bustling- full of diners by noon.
The restaurant will soon have outdoor dining and bar seating and brunch options (can't wait!) but for now they serve the other four important meals of the day- breakfast, lunch, happy hour and dinner.
The Westin Downtown Phoenix and province restaurant are located at:
333 N. Central Ave.,
Phoenix, AZ 85004
Westin Downtown Phoenix's Web site.
Province Restaurant's Web site.
