Winter Wonderland Offers Ice-Skating in the Desert

Tucson’s Starr Pass to offer holiday festivities including outdoor skating rink

Tucson, AZ – JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa has become the ultimate holiday haven for travelers across the country. This year, the resort will once again transform its property, immersed deep in the Sonoran Desert of Tucson, into a true winter wonderland complete with snow, Santa and a custom ice-skating rink, the first-ever such offering in Southern Arizona. The ice-skating rink will be open through Valentine’s Day, giving travelers ample time to slide and glide in the desert.

For those looking for a holly jolly holiday with a twist, start the celebration Starr Pass style. The Winter Wonderland extravaganza officially kicks off Friday, December 18 with a delightful assortment of festive fun. Christmas would not be complete without the arrival of Santa Claus…and at Starr Pass, Santa’s arrival is one of a kind. Santa will literally fall from the sky for all the good little girls and boys! Santa and his elves will arrive by helicopter at 8:30 p.m. sharp. Starr Pass will offer family portraits with Santa after his arrival. Also on Friday, guests can stop at the resort’s Arizona Loco Cocoa Bar and make their own tasty cup of cocoa or coffee “gone loco.” Performances from two local choirs will also charm the crowd.

As the premier resort in Southern Arizona, Starr Pass will also offer two holiday events…only found here. Starr Pass will debut “Arctic Pass,” a 1500 sq. ft. custom ice-skating rink on property. This is the first time ever a resort has offered this in Southern Arizona. Guests will be able to swirl and twirl around the ice-skating rink through Valentine’s Day. Skate rentals and concessions are available on site. In December, skating is offered to resort guests or those who book “Skate & Dine,” a special offering in which lunch or dinner is paired with ice-skating. Starting in January, Arctic Pass will be open to the public on select weekends for their skating pleasure. Skating will be offered in 25-minute intervals

In addition, families can enjoy sledding down Starr Circle Hill, located at the resort’s main entrance, during the entire Winter Wonderland weekend. Sledding amongst the saguaros is a fun-filled event the whole family can enjoy.

Saturday, December 19 activities include two Nickelodeon character breakfasts with Sponge Bob and Dora, at 7:30 a.m. and at 9:15 a.m. (reservations required; please call 520-792-3500). Other events include an all-day holiday movie marathon, story time with Santa, family portraits, crafting in Santa’s Workshop, a miniature horse carousel, a holiday concert and a Santa Claus tuck-in, where Santa visits all the little guests to wish them sweet dreams.

The resort’s holiday decoration collection will include the 1,500 square foot ice-skating rink, Santa and other seasonal scenes in the hotel lobby as well as holiday decorations throughout all public resort spaces, including a 30-foot Christmas tree that, when lighted, can be seen for miles. The decorations, nearly a quarter of a million dollars in cost, will be completed and on display by December 1, just in time for the holidays.

Winter Wonderland Room Packages
Starr Pass is offering the Winter Wonderland Weekend Package on Friday, December 18; Saturday, December 19 and Sunday December 20.

The Winter Wonderland package includes all the fantastic Winter Wonderland weekend activities for $179 per night. Some activities such as Santa ‘s workshop, family portraits and character breakfasts feature a nominal fee.

Reservations can be made by calling Marriott Reservations at 888-527-8989. To learn more about JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa’s Winter Wonderland, please visit www.jwmarriottstarrpass.com. 

Published on behalf of JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa
Having been named to Travel + Leisure World’s Best Hotels Top 500 List two years (2008, 2009), Starr Pass draws on the beauty of its mountainous location. The resort incorporates the natural desert as its landscape design theme. With 575 spacious guestrooms, 88,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, five restaurants, a 20,000 sq. ft. spa, four separate pools, a lazy river and water slide, the Audubon Certified Arnold Palmer Signature golf facility consisting of 27 holes and practice facilities, and 888 underground and covered parking spaces, the resort boasts of being not only the largest resort in southern Arizona but also the only true eco-resort in Tucson. This eco theme extends to its Primo restaurant that serves only organic and jet fresh fish, its Hashani Spa, which uses natural desert plant oils and its direct access to the Tucson Mountain Park for fabulous hiking and mountain biking trails. To quote Bill Marriott, “you can build all types of amenities but it would be impossible to duplicate what Starr Pass has, the Tucson Mountain Park.” The JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa is located at 3800 W. Starr Pass and can be reached directly by calling (520) 792-3500. Please visit www.jwmarriottstarrpass.com.

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