Sunburst Resort On The Block

SCOTTSDALE, AZ— The 210-room Sunburst Resort here has been put up for sale by its Colorado real-estate investment firm owners. According to Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, which has been retained to market the property, the eventual purchase price is expected to be somewhere in the range of $26 million- $30 million. Hotel General Manager Darren Smith explained a substantial enhancement of the property some five years ago “brought the Sunburst up to a four-star level,” reported The Tribune. But he pointed out that to remain competitive with nearby boutique inns like the Royal Palms Hotel & Casitas in Phoenix and Sanctuary Resort in Paradise Valley, the Sunburst needs a spa and five-star furnishings, estimating such an undertaking could cost new owners as much as $4 million. Commenting further on the prospects of the hotel changing hands, Smith was reported as noting the staff would stay the same after a sale, but new ownership likely will mean new amenities. “This is a hot property because it has a great location,” Smith was quoted as saying. “If you add a spa component and bring the guestrooms up another level, it has really positive long-term prospects in Scottsdale.” In particular, it was pointed out the Sunburst Resort— at 4925 North Scottsdale Rd.— is ostensibly the closest full-service hotel to Scottsdales city center. As such, the property’s current management entity, Noble House— along with other hotel companies as well as real estate investment groups— is expected to enter the bidding to buy the Scottsdale hotel.