What it means
A cabana, in Scottsdale, is shade you rent by the day: a small, curtained room beside a pool, with a sofa or loungers, a fan if you are lucky, a server assigned to you and a bill at the end. You will hear the word in two very different registers. At a family resort, “we got a cabana” means grandparents in the shade, kids in the lazy river, lunch delivered. On a Saturday in the entertainment district, “we got a cabana” means a bachelorette group, a DJ, bottle service and a minimum spend that looked frightening until it was divided by eight.
The second register is what locals mean by the cabana economy. Old Town’s pool parties make their money not on general admission but on reserved cabanas, daybeds and tables. The W Scottsdale’s WET Deck invented the local format, and the Hotel Valley Ho, Hotel Solaya and Old Town’s Maya day club run their own versions.
Which pool suits which trip, and what a pass gets you, is in the resort pools and day passes guide. This page explains the word and the money.
Where you’ll meet it
On resort booking pages, on day-pass apps, in group chats planning a bachelorette weekend, in the Old Town nightlife guide, and on every resort pool deck in the hot months.
Where the word came from
Cabana is the Spanish cabana, a rough hut or shack, from a late Latin word that also gave English cabin. Merriam-Webster dates its first known English use to 1898 and gives two meanings: a lightweight structure with living facilities, and a tentlike shelter open on one side, facing a beach or a swimming pool. The second meaning won, carried by beach clubs and resort pools in the 20th century.
The modern Scottsdale cabana economy is young. When the W opened on Camelback Road in 2008, its elevated WET Deck imported Las Vegas day-club culture: DJs, bottle service and reserved seating in tiers, with cabanas at the top. It became the template for Scottsdale’s pool parties, and half the resort corridor now runs seasonal pool programming in its image.
Today the WET Deck is a 21-and-over pool where, in the W’s own wording, all cabanas and daybeds can be reserved for a minimum beverage fee. Non-guests book weekdays through a pool reservation app and weekends through the W’s nightlife partner. A few blocks south, Maya Day and Night on Indian Plaza runs its dayclub Friday through Sunday from noon to 6 p.m., with VIP cabanas and bottle service, before turning into a nightclub.
What it is not
A cabana is not a casita, which is a room you sleep in, or a ramada, the open shade shelter in every city park that costs nothing or a small booking fee. It is also not a day pass, which buys pool access and a lounge chair if you find one; the cabana is the reserved upgrade on top.
The fine print
The price spread. Prices swing more by day than by venue. W Scottsdale’s ResortPass listing, on days it is offered, shows a standard cabana for up to five from $125, a mega cabana for up to ten from $250, a basic day pass from $25 and a WET Deck Party Pass from $50. At the top, a premium WET Deck table for ten starts at $2,345 with beverage credit built in. Weekend and event-weekend pricing is set separately and runs far higher.
What the minimum means. A minimum is a promise to spend, usually on food and drink, not a rental fee you can ignore. Tax, service charges and gratuity are commonly added after. Ask whether the minimum is per cabana or per person, whether a deposit is required, and what happens if it rains or a group member does not show.
The rules. Party pools enforce age limits, guest counts and dress codes; the WET Deck is 21 and over and asks for appropriate swimwear.
The math that sells it. In pool season, shade is the scarce resource. A cabana guarantees it.