Tucson offers a good variety of accommodations for any budget. Whether you’re an executive in need of state-of-the-art business facilities, a vacationer seeking to be pampered in a luxury spa, or a backpacker looking for an affordable room, you’ll find it here. Just keep in mind that room rates in Tucson may vary widely according to season, being generally higher during mild winter month, when snowbirds and conventioneers crowd into the city and hotel rooms are in high demand. Also be aware that hotels fill up weeks in advance for the Gem and Mineral Show, the biggest event in town, which takes place in the beginning of February every year. On the other hand, if you are comfortable in 100+ degree heat, you can find real deals here during the sizzling summer months, when resorts try to fill their vacancies.

Downtown

If you’re in Tucson to attend a convention, your most convenient location will be downtown. Apart from staying within walking distance from a variety of dining and entertainment venues, you’ll also be near the Tucson Convention Center.

Several hotels here cater to the needs of busy conventioneers and those leisure travelers who enjoy the hustle and bustle of the inner city. One of your top choices might be the Santa Rita Hotel, an historic place that has offered style and elegance to its clients since 1904, including entertainment and dining with a distinctly Mexican flavor. If you want to be really close to the business and convention crowd, though, try the Presidio Plaza hotel, just steps away from the Convention Center, and within minutes from the downtown arts district.

You don’t need a large budget to stay in downtown Tucson, either. The historic Hotel Congress offers interesting decor at affordable prices, plus retro ambience mixed in with some Southwestern chic. It is definitely hip here, as you will discover by observing the crowd of businessmen and bohemians mingling at the hotel cafe.

A definite advantage of staying downtown is easy accessibility to public transportation, which, in Tucson, is the exception rather than the rule. The Ronstadt Transit Center, the main bus terminal in the city, sits right smack in the middle of the business district, and from there, the SunTran buses will take you all over the city.

University and North Central

The area north of the University of Arizona campus (east of downtown) is another good choice if you’re a visiting scholar or business traveler. From there, you will have easy access to all the academic facilities, libraries and museums on campus, as well as the ethnic restaurants and shops centered around the hip Fourth Avenue business district. Located right at the busy UofA main gate, the modern Marriott University offers rooms especially designed for business folks, including a full business center and secretarial services. If you prefer a quieter setting, book a room at the historic Arizona Inn, just a few minutes from the university. Built in 1930, this beautiful adobe-style inn features antique furniture and courtyard dining. It is a popular place for weddings.

The Foothills

Most of Tucson’s famous resort hotels are located in the foothills of the Catalina Mountains to the north. The Westin la Paloma on Sunrise Drive is a favorite among business travelers, due to its state-of-the-art business facilities and abundance of meeting rooms. A few miles to the west, the hacienda-style Westward Look Resort offers spectacular views of the Santa Catalina Mountains, which you can explore on guided horseback tours offered by the stables located next to the resort complex.

The Omni Tucson National Golf Resort and Spa on the northwest side of town is world-renowned for its 27-hole PGA championship golf course. It’s a full-service spa featuring different types of accommodation ranging from single rooms to haciendas. Located off Oracle Road, the Sheraton El Conquistador Resort and Country Club affords breathtaking views of the rugged western flank of the Catalinas, while pampering guests to the max. Luxury also abounds at the Miraval Resort several miles further up north, where you can select from a list of custom-made spa packages according to your taste and budget.

On the northeast side, just minutes from scenic Sabino Canyon, Loews Ventana Canyon Resort has gained fame for its spectacular golf course at the mouth of a gaping canyon. Loews features a full service spa and caters to the entire family; children stay free and enjoy special services here.

The foothills hotels and resorts are situated in beautiful natural surroundings quite a ways from the city center, but presumably, you will never really have to leave your resort, since all your daily needs are taken care of right on site.

The East Side

Accommodation on the east side of town is generally more affordable than in the Catalina foothills, and still within reasonable range from the city’s major shopping and entertainment venues. Several hotels are clustered around the Park Mall and Williams Centre business areas, such as the Courtyard by Marriott-Williams Centre, which attracts many business clients. Other moderately priced accommodations in the area are available at the La Quinta Inn East and the Hilton Tucson East. Several hotels in this neighborhood are close to Tucson’s renowned restaurant row, where you can sample food from more than 60 restaurants, should you find the fare offered at your hotel to be either unsatisfactory or non-existent.

The West, and Far West

If you are attracted to the charm and comfort of bed-and-breakfast accommodations in natural settings, you should focus your search on the area west of Oracle Road, Tucson’s great north south divide, all the way up to the Tucson Mountains. Other than downtown, there are more bed and breakfasts here than in any other part of town. The Casa Tierra Adobe Bed and Breakfast Inn is situated in the middle of an amazing saguaro cactus forest in Saguaro National Park West, a paradise for birders, hikers, and stargazers, and so secluded that the only noises you are likely to hear are those of coyotes howling at the moon and javelinas rustling in the bushes.

Airport Accommodations

Most of the hotels clustered around Tucson International Airport on the south side of town cater to the business traveler, offering plenty of business and conference facilities, fitness centers, fullservice restaurants, swimming pools, and free airport shuttle services . Some of them, like the Clarion Hotel Tucson Airport and the tastefully landscaped Courtyard by Marriott Tucson Airport, also have computer facilities and Internet access. If reasonable rates are more important to you than the latest in hi-tech telecommunication, however, you might prefer to check into the Holiday Inn Express- Tucson Airport, just a mile north of the airport, and relax in the outdoor jacuzzi under those persistently clear Arizona desert skies.