What time of year are you traveling? My immediate thought was why not Sedona instead.

Sedona is the only place I have stayed at in Arizona so I didn't want to repeat. Will be going the end of February

Try The Royal Palms - it is small [119 rooms] and just wonderful. Won't be cheap but so worth it.

http://www.royalpalmshotel.com/

The Arizona Inn in Tucson

www.arizonainn.com

Or Hacienda del Sol, Tucson

February is high season so book soon.

In Phoenix, The Clarendon Hotel is a smallish, boutique-like, chic but casual hotel that has a nice bar and bar scene, and good restaurant. The deck on the roof is cool too. I think the neighborhood it is in is called Midtown--has some independent coffee shops, stores, restaurants etcetera. There is also a great coffee shop near by called Copper Star Coffee--great coffee and even better baked goods that are baked on premises. About 120 degrees away (not quite 180) I also like JW Marriott Camelback Inn. It is more luxurious, but in an understated way. The grounds, rooms, setting give a sense of place--classy western haciendas. Great service, no attitude. Big comfortable casita rooms. Both places have been light on the amount of children the times I went, especially the Clarendon.

I have not stayed "classy" in Tucson, however, I can recommend a good bar. The historic Hotel Congress has a GREAT bar and live music scene at night and the Cups Cafe in the hotel has a really good breakfast menu and clients to match. The Hotel Congress is truly historic, (no rain head showers, no Cisco IP phones) and can be a a bit loud.

To give you a point of reference, I live in San Francisco and I travel to Phoenix and Tucson about two to three times a year for business and leisure.

I liked the descriptions of the Clarendon but the pictures of the rooms looked just a little "bare" (not the right word). The Royal Palms looked resorty. OK I'm terrible (worked in the hotel business San Francisco). And Marriotts are out for political reasons. Any feedback on Hotel Palamar in Phoenix? Will check out Hacienda del Sol. The bar at the Hotel Congress sounds wonderful. What about the hotel itself? Thank you all for these suggestions!

Not sure what you mean by resorty re: Royal Palms. It is a very classy, small, intimate setting with lush grounds and wonderful staff and service. They have an excellent spa and their restaurant T. Cooks is 5 stars. No tennis or golf, just very cozy.

https://picasaweb.google.com/DebitNM/RoyalPalms

I will look again at the Royal Palms. It did have some excellent reviews. Not certain what this Rendezvous car service is doing here. Looks rather like an ad that snuck in.