Three of the biggest hospitality stories in Paradise Valley broke this fall. A longtime resort on Camelback changed owners. A $70 million transformation moved into its final phase. A bankruptcy court set dates for the unfinished Ritz-Carlton. None of them changes where you can book dinner this holiday season.
Almost every renovation and opening in those announcements is scheduled for 2027 or later. The one exception is Miralina's Phase Two, which is set to start unveiling this quarter with no firm date yet. The Ritz-Carlton sale waits on a court hearing in mid-December. Between now and New Year's, the resorts run on the menus, chefs and event calendars they already have. The things that will change your routine before then are the Town's own road crews and one Sunday morning race.
The Announced Openings Mostly Land in 2027
Here is how the three projects line up, using each one's own published timeline.
| Property | What's planned | Earliest stated timing |
|---|---|---|
| Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort & Spa | Redesign of all 110 rooms and casitas, then dining and spa | Rooms start summer 2027; dining and spa in 2028 |
| Kimpton Miralina | Katsuya, 134 renovated Valley Villas, a 10-residence "hotel-within-a-hotel" | Phase Two starts unveiling Q4 2026; Katsuya and villas slated for early 2027 |
| The Ritz-Carlton Paradise Valley | Court-supervised sale of the unfinished hotel | Plan vote deadline Dec. 7; hearing Dec. 15 |
Sanctuary's news is the closest to home for a lot of residents. On Sept. 14, the resort announced on PR Newswire that it is returning to independent ownership under a partnership between Berger Holdings and RJ Hospitality, two local firms. Hart+Howerton is the architect and designer for the renovation. All 110 rooms and casitas get redone starting in summer 2027, with a target finish of September 2027. The work on the restaurants and Sanctuary Spa comes after that, in 2028.
So Elements and jade bar, the resort's restaurant and bar, are at least a year away from any planned work. In the same release, Managing Director Laura McIver said the resort is moving forward "as we look toward 2027 and beyond." The Arizona Republic covered the announcement on Sept. 16.
At Kimpton Miralina, the June 18 Phase Two announcement said Phase Two would start unveiling in the fourth quarter of 2026 and that the full project would wrap up in the first quarter of 2027. Katsuya, led by sbe Culinary Director Chef Benjamin Dayag, is part of that early-2027 group, along with the Valley Villas and the Enclave residences. The resort said construction is sequenced so its existing amenities stay open, including Hecho Libre with Chef Wes Avila. Reservation dates are still to come, and Miralina's own site lists Katsuya's opening only as 2027. For now, those dates are forecasts.
The Ritz-Carlton Timeline Moved Into December
The third story has the most moving parts. A late-September Phoenix Business Journal preview said Five Star's bankruptcy plan covers the unfinished Ritz-Carlton hotel, unsold villas and land set aside for a luxury shopping center, and that a vote was scheduled for November.
The schedule has since moved. An Oct. 14 order from the bankruptcy court sets the voting deadline for Dec. 7, 2026, at 1 p.m. Central Time. The combined confirmation hearing is set for Dec. 15 at 1 p.m. Central Time.
The amended plan describes the hotel property as a 215-room resort with guestrooms, casitas, a restaurant, retail, meeting and ballroom space. It proposes selling that property, along with its furniture, fixtures and equipment, through court-approved bidding. A qualified bidder has to name an experienced hotel developer committed to finishing the project.
The plan also gives the parent company's equity holders, or people they designate, an option to buy the hotel property, its fixtures and equipment, and the undeveloped land for at least $570 million plus certain adjustments. If they don't use that option, the marketing, auction and sale go ahead. Either way, the hotel stays unfinished until a buyer takes it on.
What That Leaves on the Calendar Now
With the big changes mostly scheduled for later, this season belongs to the resorts as they are. Their calendars are full. Here is what's still ahead as of this week, in date order.
- Oct. 30, Mountain Shadows. Last day for early-bird tickets to Jungle Rhythms, the resort's holiday wellness day. Early-bird tickets are $65, and regular tickets are $75.
- Oct. 31, Sanctuary. Aerial Yoga on the Sanctuary happenings calendar.
- Nov. 7, Sanctuary. Rhythm & Flow.
- Nov. 11, Sanctuary. A Cigar & Tequila Dinner.
- Nov. 14, Town Hall grounds. The Town's 21st annual Veterans' Appreciation Vintage Car Show at 6401 E. Lincoln Drive. It's free to watch from 8:30 to 11:15 a.m. If you own a car, truck or motorcycle built before 1986, you can register it for $50. Proceeds go to the Military Assistance Mission and Sentinels of Freedom.
- Nov. 15, The Hermosa Inn. LON's hosts a garden-harvest dinner with Executive Chef Brian Peterson. LON's and the Last Drop bar are open daily.
- Nov. 22, Mountain Shadows. Mellow Moon Yoga & Sound Healing.
- Nov. 24, Sanctuary. A Gemini Supermoon Celestial Circle.
- Dec. 9, Sanctuary. A Holiday Martini Making Class.
- Dec. 19, Mountain Shadows. Jungle Rhythms runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Dec. 25 and Dec. 31, Sanctuary. Christmas Day Dinner and New Year's Eve Dinner. Menus and seating windows are posted on the resort's Christmas Day Dinner page.
For Thanksgiving dinner at a resort, check directly with the property before you book, since holiday listings sometimes carry date errors.
The kitchens behind these dinners aren't changing hands this season either. At Mountain Shadows, Hearth '61 is led by Executive Chef Charles Wiley and Chef de Cuisine Yulissa Acosta, with a seasonal modern-American menu. LON's posted new menus in mid-September, along with a weekly special at Last Drop dated Oct. 5.
The Changes You'll Actually Drive Through
The Town's Oct. 16 weekly update lists several projects that will shape how you get around over the next five weeks.
- Invergordon Road and Mockingbird Lane are fully closed at their intersection from Monday, Oct. 26, through Monday, Nov. 23, while Achen-Gardner Construction installs storm drains. No traffic can pass through, and detour signs are posted. Dates may change with weather. The project hotline is (480) 903-4838.
- District 3 surface sealing is scheduled to finish Oct. 29. Weather has already pushed back parts of the schedule, so check the Town's Pavement Management Program page for revised maps. The Town asks drivers to stay off fresh seal and wet oil so it doesn't damage cars and driveways.
- District 6, on the northeast side of Mummy Mountain, covers the area south of Mockingbird Lane and west of 68th Street. Milling started Oct. 19 and paving Oct. 22, with closures on streets being paved. The Town says the milled surface is uneven and not suitable for bicycles, which matters if you ride those roads in the mornings.
- The Life Time Phoenix 10K and Half Marathon come through on Sunday, Nov. 8. Westbound Lincoln Drive between 24th Street and Tatum Boulevard is restricted from 5:30 to 11 a.m. Southbound Tatum between Lincoln and Caida Del Sol Drive is restricted from 5:30 to 10 a.m. Detours and neighborhood access details are on the race's community page.
The quieter change is already in effect. On Oct. 15, the Town switched back to winter construction hours, which run through April 30. Weekday work is allowed from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Heavy equipment is banned on Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays. Other construction work can run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on those days, and Sunday noise can't go above 75 decibels at the nearest property line. If you have a remodel scheduled this winter, these hours shape your contractor's week. The rules are set by Town Code, so treat this as general information rather than legal advice, and check the specifics with the Town or your contractor.
Two smaller Town dates fit around all of this. The Paradise Valley Police Department's Safely Shred event is Saturday, Nov. 21, from 8 a.m. to noon, and you can book an appointment to drop off documents. Artists who live in Paradise Valley have until Nov. 2 to apply to the PV Arts Board for the Spring 2027 Studio Tour or future Featured Artist residencies. The current featured artist, resident Martin Galbut, has work on display at Town Hall through September 2027, so you can see it the same morning as the car show.
The next real change on the resort side is likely the Dec. 15 hearing on the Ritz-Carlton, and after that, Miralina's early-2027 openings.
If the 2027 resort changes have you thinking about what's ahead for your own home, I'm glad to talk it through over coffee, with no agenda. Start Your Move with Kerri DeWaters and request a free consultation.
