What's New in Paradise Valley Right Now? Dining and Resort Updates

"We want our guests to connect with the desert on a deeper level, not through a scripted experience, but through honest access to the land and the people who know it best."

As reported by Hotel Online, Colm O'Brien, general manager of the resort that reopened on Lincoln Drive in January, described the guest experience. The Ritz-Carlton Paradise Valley is another resort project in the area, with Mott 32 announced as its first named restaurant.

Mott 32 at the Ritz-Carlton has not opened, and no confirmed opening date is given. Kimpton Miralina is already open.

The Ritz-Carlton Paradise Valley Project

The Ritz-Carlton Paradise Valley, part of the 122-acre Palmeraie development at 7000 E Lincoln Drive, has been the town's most-discussed project for nearly two decades. It was originally proposed in 2007, broke ground in 2018, and has carried a running list of delayed opening dates ever since. Somewhere in that timeline, Mott 32, a Hong Kong-born Cantonese concept known for tableside Peking duck, signed on as the resort's first named restaurant, planned as only its second U.S. location.

Since that announcement, the project's status has changed. On November 4, 2025, developer Five Star Development filed for Chapter 11 protection in the Southern District of Texas, days ahead of a scheduled foreclosure sale brought by lender Madison Realty Capital. The company listed estimated assets and liabilities each in the $500 million to $1 billion range. A bankruptcy court judge ruled that December that villa sales at the property could proceed, with proceeds held in a court-supervised escrow, but the resort itself, the part with the restaurants, remained the unresolved piece. As of a July 2026 update, the developer had reached a deal with its lender to secure liquidity during the restructuring, which is a funding step, not a construction restart.

None of that means the project is dead. Villas are still selling and the developer has said publicly it intends to finish the resort. Mott 32 has no confirmed opening date, so anyone planning around it should check for an update before making plans.

Kimpton Miralina Is Open on Lincoln Drive

While the Palmeraie sat in legal limbo, a different Lincoln Drive property finished its own transformation and opened without nearly the same fanfare. The former Scottsdale Plaza Resort reopened in early January as Kimpton Miralina Resort & Villas Paradise Valley, following a $42 million renovation led by Trinity Investments and Partners Group. It was the first branded IHG luxury and lifestyle property to land in the Paradise Valley and Scottsdale market, and the resort opened for stays with 224 reimagined guestrooms and 36 casitas, phase one of an eventual 404 keys once the villas and residences arrive later this year.

The dining program is the part locals should actually track. Hecho Libre, the property's all-day restaurant, comes from chef Wes Avila, whose Baja-inspired cooking has drawn recognition from the Michelin Guide and the James Beard Foundation. Day-to-day kitchen operations run through executive chef Stephen Jones, a James Beard semifinalist and longtime Arizona chef, who also oversees the poolside bar Cima. Spa Miralina rounds out the property with five treatment rooms, poolside massage pavilions, and a signature scent built around petrichor, the smell of the desert after rain, which is a small detail but the kind of one that tells you the design team was thinking about this specific place rather than importing a template.

Set between Camelback and Mummy Mountains, Miralina sits close enough to the trailheads that hiking access was part of its own pitch to guests. For residents, it means Lincoln Drive now has a restaurant worth driving to on a Tuesday, not just a resort you pass on the way to somewhere else.

The Corridor That Already Works

The second real story this year isn't a single resort. It's the stretch of Cactus Road and Tatum Boulevard, on the former Paradise Valley Mall site, now branded simply as PV. This corner sits just inside Phoenix city limits, not the town of Paradise Valley proper, but it functions as the neighborhood's practical dining anchor and it has moved faster than either resort project.

Life Time Paradise Valley opened April 30 as a 92,000-square-foot athletic club with pickleball courts, group fitness studios, and a rooftop beach club spanning more than an acre and a half. Velvet Taco's second Arizona location opened in March, tucked next to a European Wax Center, serving more than 20 taco varieties out of a space under 2,000 square feet. Blanco Reserva Cocina + Cantina, Federal Pizza, Flower Child, and Wren House Brewing are all serving. Trevor's Liquor converted the former Sears Auto Center into a 14,000-square-foot venue with a full bar, a pizzeria, a golf simulator, a cigar lounge, and a dog-friendly patio. The relocated Whole Foods now spans more than 50,000 square feet and stocks over 330 Arizona-made items, including produce from Duncan Family Farms, milk from Danzeisen Dairy, and flour from Hayden Flour Mills.

Not everything at PV has caught up to its own announcements. Cala, the upscale Mediterranean concept from chef Beau MacMillan, and Harry & Izzy's, the Indianapolis steakhouse import, were both still behind construction fencing as of midsummer, along with The Vig's planned eighth Valley location. Those are worth checking before you plan around them specifically, the same caution that applies to Mott 32, just on a smaller scale and with a shorter wait likely ahead.

Reading Both Projects Side by Side

Planning Your Own Fall Evening Here

None of this is a knock on the Palmeraie's ambitions. Restructuring under Chapter 11 is a legal process, not a verdict on whether the resort eventually opens well. Local coverage of the filing has been clear that Five Star Development intends to finish the project, and the December court ruling that let villa sales continue suggests there's still a path forward. The court ruling and the lender deal are steps in the restructuring, but they do not establish an opening date for Mott 32. For a meal now, consider Hecho Libre on Lincoln Drive or the rotation building at Cactus and Tatum.

Coverage of the PV corridor's buildout has tracked this in real time, and the short version is that the neighborhood's evening options widened faster this year than most residents noticed, just not at the address that got the headlines.

Paradise Valley has always moved this way. Long stretches where nothing changes, then a cluster of openings that reshuffle where you actually go on a Friday night. This fall is one of those clusters. Kimpton Miralina is among the places already welcoming diners.

If you're a longtime Paradise Valley resident wondering how any of this evening-map shift connects to the value of the address you already own, that's the kind of question Lisa Zaklan spends her time on across both the Scottsdale corridor and the Chicago suburbs she also serves. A neighborhood's amenities move ahead of its housing turnover more often than people think, and knowing the difference between what's marketed and what's actually running is useful whether you're staying put or just curious. If you'd like a read on where that leaves your property, her instant home valuation is a good place to start.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.