Outbound Sedona to Debut With Pickleball Courts and Wellness Retreat Appeal

Outbound Sedona is making a clear bid for pickleball travelers, not just overnight guests. The 138-room reimagining of the former Poco Diablo Resort opens May 7 with four hard courts built for tennis and pickleball, plus clinics, lessons, open play and a pro shop at The Courts at Outbound Sedona.

The location adds to the appeal. Set just minutes from Uptown Sedona and adjacent to Oak Creek, the property was acquired by Waterton in December 2024 as a 137-key hotel on 18 acres before being folded into the Outbound Hotels portfolio. Outbound calls the new resort a complete transformation of the old Poco Diablo grounds, and CoralTree Hospitality says the goal is to serve travelers looking for relaxation, adventure and a stronger connection to Sedona’s culture.

That pitch goes well beyond court time. The resort is adding the Spa at Outbound Sedona on May 15, with four treatment rooms, a retail space and an outdoor adults-only pool. It also plans Lucida Desert Kitchen + Bar with Folkart Management, along with a Gear Garage for trail essentials and Moonwater, a two-tiered pool area tied to the brand’s wider wellness positioning. For guests who want to move between matches and mountain views, Outbound Sedona will also be a stop on the Verde Shuttle, the complimentary hop-on, hop-off service that links trailheads and scenic stops including Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock and Airport Mesa.

The programming is another clue that this is being built as a retreat, not just a hotel with striped tape on a court. Outbound has set a Rhythm & Rally Weekend for June 5-7, and the courts are being marketed with an on-site pro, which makes the property more useful for mixed-skill groups, active adult trips and players who want organized play without leaving the resort. That matters in Sedona, where the typical visitor already spends 3.7 days in town, a stay length that fits a court, spa and trail itinerary better than a one-night stopover.

Outbound Sedona also lands in a sport that keeps expanding inside mainstream hospitality. USA Pickleball’s 2025 Annual Growth Report says more than 2,300 new locations were added in 2025, bringing the nationwide total to 18,258 locations and 82,613 known courts. Against that backdrop, Sedona’s newest resort looks less like a novelty and more like the kind of destination property that now defines the retreat market: four courts, real programming, wellness recovery and a red-rock setting that can carry a long weekend on its own.