<p class="ingestion featured-caption">Business Insider's reporter stayed at the Phoenician in Scottsdale (L) and the Hermosa Inn in Paradise Valley, Arizona. Joey Hadden/Business Insider</p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Scottsdale and Paradise Valley, Arizona, offer luxury travel experiences. </li><li>The vast majority of hotel rooms in both Phoenix suburbs are upscale. </li></ul><p>Secret exits, private outdoor spaces, high-tech golf carts, dramatic chandeliers, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-restaurants-in-us-according-to-yelp-2023-2">award-winning restaurants</a>, and cowboy artifacts — I saw them all during my <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/surprising-things-new-yorker-found-visiting-scottsdale-paradise-valley-arizona-2024-5">trip to Scottsdale</a> without leaving my hotel.</p><p>Tourists travel to Arizona for luxury resorts, spas, and golf clubs, <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" href="https://www.cntraveler.com/story/arizona-resorts"><u>Condé Nast Traveler reported in 2023</u></a>.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/scottsdale-arizona-millionaires-moving-what-its-like-photos-2024-4">Scottsdale</a>, in particular, draws <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/where-worlds-wealthiest-people-vacationing-this-summer-2023-7">affluent travelers</a> with its health and wellness scene, upscale dining experiences, and top-tier golf courses. So, it's no wonder the area caters to high-end travel.</p><p>Scottsdale has more luxurious hotel rooms than standard ones — 80% of the city's 12,500 rooms are classified as luxury level or higher (upscale and upper upscale), according to a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/Assets/ScottsdaleAZ/Tourism+Reports/Resonance+Situational+Analysis.pdf">Scottsdale tourism report published in 2022</a> in partnership with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.scottsdale.org/airpark/columns/a-luxury-travel-destination-study-says-experience-scottsdale-s-ads-inspire-visitation/article_ec7f950a-48f2-11ee-9108-8fb29d493212.html">Experience Scottsdale</a>, a travel company that has helped establish the city's luxe tourism reputation.</p><p>The only place in the area with a higher concentration of luxury accommodations than Scottsdale — 90% of rooms — is Paradise Valley, the wealthier <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/culdesac-arizona-neighborhood-with-no-cars-tour-photos-2024-5">suburb</a> between Phoenix and Scottsdale.</p><p>But tourists see <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/paradise-valley-arizona-wealthy-californians-moving-privacy-luxury-lower-taxes-2024-2">Paradise Valley</a> as a part of Scottsdale, according to the report — probably because the towns are close together and offer comparable pampering experiences and jaw-dropping views.</p><p>I recently spent two nights in Arizona and booked one night in each suburb's top luxury hotel.</p><p>I spent my first night at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/arizona-best-hotels-phoenician-scottsdale-hermosa-inn-paradise-valley-photos-2024-4">the Phoenician in Scottsdale</a>, a <a target="_blank" rel href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/marriott-international-expects-to-introduce-more-than-35-luxury-hotels-around-the-world-in-2023-1031957992"><u>luxury Marriott Hotel</u></a> dubbed "Arizona's leading resort" in the <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" href="https://www.worldtravelawards.com/about"><u>2023 World Travel Awards</u></a>.</p><p>On day two, I headed to Paradise Valley to stay at the boutique <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hermosa-inn-paradise-valley-arizona-hotel-review-photos-2024-5">Hermosa Inn</a>, which <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" href="https://www.travelandleisure.com/best-arizona-resort-hotels-2023-7508977"><u>Travel + Leisure</u></a> called the <a target="_blank" rel href="https://www.businessinsider.com/arizona-best-hotels-phoenician-scottsdale-hermosa-inn-paradise-valley-photos-2024-4"><u>best hotel in Arizona</u></a> in 2023.</p><p>These similar superlatives made me think the Phoenician and the Hermosa Inn would provide comparable <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-whirlwind-luxury-travel-not-worth-it-2023-12">luxury experiences</a>. In reality, the two hotels were completely different.</p><p>Still, both showed me why these <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/scottsdale-paradise-valley-over-the-top-wealth-luxury-2024-6">Phoenix suburbs</a> are hot spots for wealthy travelers.</p>