The Purchase
The San Manuel Investment Authority announced on 1 October 2026 that it had bought the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. The authority is an unincorporated governmental entity of Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation, a tribe based near San Bernardino, California. The announcement named no seller and disclosed no total transaction value.
The Real Deal reported $241.4 million on the hotel portion of the deal, citing public records and the Phoenix Business Journal. That figure covers 750 keys with equipment, fixtures and furniture, and it equals about $322,000 a key. Most of the 65-acre resort sits on land owned by the City of Scottsdale.
The Asset
The Princess has held AAA Five Diamond status since 1991 and received the AAA Timeless Diamond designation in 2025. Conde Nast Traveler's Top Resorts in the Southwest Readers' Choice list carries the hotel for 2023, 2024 and 2025, and its 2025 list ranks the Princess first in the Southwest. The hotel's own page states that it has served as host hotel for the PGA Tour's WM Phoenix Open for more than 30 years.
The property's own site lists two spas, Well & Being Spa and Sisley-Paris Spa, and states that parking is included.
What a Guest Can Book Today
The resort keeps trading under Fairmont management. Bookings run through Fairmont's own site and its core booking engine, with check-in from 4:00 p.m. and check-out at 11:00 a.m.
The property's offers page carried two packages on 14 October 2026. The Scottsdale Golf Getaway gives a $300 one-time credit toward golf at TPC Scottsdale or Grayhawk Courses on stays of three nights or more, with booking dates available through 26 May 2027. Perfectly Privado gives a $250 nightly resort credit toward the spa, food and beverage or retail, with booking dates available through 31 December 2026.
The Non-Gaming Portfolio
Scottsdale is the tribe's first acquisition in Arizona. Its holdings sit in California, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
The authority bought the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Resort and Club in Dana Point in 2025, after a partial interest held since 2023, and held full ownership by October 2025. Hilton manages hotel operations there and Troon runs the golf operation.
In May 2026 the authority bought The Mission Inn Hotel and Spa in downtown Riverside, California. Yuhaaviatam, once known as the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, operates the Yaamava' Resort and Casino on its tribal lands and the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.
The tribe has 200 members and belongs to the Serrano people. Its name means People of the Pines.
The Operator and the Two Quotes
Fairmont continues to operate the resort. Jack Miller, regional vice president and general manager of the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, described the property as a Scottsdale landmark for four decades.
"The Princess has been a Scottsdale landmark for four decades, and we're excited to begin this next chapter with Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation," Miller said.
He said the tribe's long-term commitment to thoughtful stewardship and hospitality matches the hotel's own, and that the team expects to build on the resort's legacy for its guests and its local community.
Lynn Valbuena, chairwoman of the San Manuel Investment Board and chairwoman of Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation, said the property's setting, hospitality and amenities fit the tribe's strategy.
"We are delighted to welcome the staff and guests of Fairmont Scottsdale Princess into the portfolio of luxury non-gaming properties owned by our Tribe," Valbuena said.
What the Announcement Leaves Open
The announcement names no seller, publishes no total transaction value and sets out no terms for the Fairmont management agreement. It gives no renovation plan, no reopening date and no rate position for the property.