Highlights
- Virtù Honest Craft on Marshall Way and Taliesin West in north Scottsdale both took wins in the 2026 Arizona Travel Awards.
- The program, now in its third year, covers 33 categories selected by an independent panel of five judges.
- The Global Ambassador in Phoenix won Best Hotel (big market) and its rooftop restaurant Théa won Best Restaurant (big market).
- Queen Creek Olive Mill swept three categories: Destination of the Year, Iconic Tourist Attraction, and Instagrammable Spot.
Two Scottsdale institutions claimed wins in Phoenix Magazine's 2026 Arizona Travel Awards, published Tuesday by writer Jason Keil. Virtù Honest Craft, chef Gio Osso's James Beard-nominated restaurant at 3701 N. Marshall Way, shared the big-market Restaurant award with Théa, the rooftop at The Global Ambassador. Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright's 494-acre winter home and studio at 12621 N. Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd., won Historic Site.
The program is presented by Cities West Media, a Scottsdale-based publisher, and judged by an independent panel of five, a food influencer, a photographer, a former television host, a writer and a musician. Awards span 33 categories, from brewery to museum, with some split into large- and small-market subcategories.
The biggest sweep belonged to Queen Creek Olive Mill, which owner Perry Rea operates at 25062 S. Meridan Rd. The mill took Destination of the Year, Iconic Tourist Attraction, and Instagrammable Spot (big market), as well as the Food Festival award for its annual Garlic Fest. Rea says the property welcomes over 750,000 visitors a year.
Elsewhere in the Valley, Huss Brewing Co. won the statewide Brewery category, and the Pepsi Amphitheater in Flagstaff took Live Music Venue. Miraval Resort and Spa near Tucson won big-market Resort and its Life in Balance Spa won big-market Spa. Merkin Vineyards and Caduceus Cellars, owned by Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan, won the statewide Winery category; the operation now covers more than 100 acres across multiple sites and produces 14,000 cases annually.
Who judged the awards?
The five-person panel includes Jennifer Baluch, a food influencer known on TikTok and Instagram as @tastesofaz; Brian Goddard, a Valley-based freelance photographer and videographer; Tara Hitchcock, longtime host of Good Morning Arizona on 3TV; Charles Lohrmann, a writer and editor based in Santa Fe; and Jenna Watters, a Sedona-born musician.
Winners will also be featured on arizonatravelawards.com and the program's Instagram account, @arizonatravelawards.
Where to find them
- Huss Brewing Co · hussbrewing.com
- Miraval Resort and Spa · kayak.com
- Balance Spa · balancespa.com · Instagram · Facebook
Sources
Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.
- Phoenix Magazine retrieved 01/07/2026 20:13
- bbb.org retrieved 01/07/2026 20:13
- Huss Brewing Co (official site) retrieved 01/07/2026 20:13
- Miraval Resort and Spa (official site) retrieved 01/07/2026 20:13
- Balance Spa (official site) retrieved 01/07/2026 20:13
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 01/07/2026 20:13. Every claim traces to a source.
