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15 reviews for Scottsdale Resort & Conference Center
The hotel is only 3 or so miles from the freeway, the Scottsdale Mall, old Scottsdale & Scottsdale Blvd. Yet the atmosphere is quiet & relaxed.
The decor is Spanish Mission. Our standard room was spacious with remodeled bathroom & view of the golf course next door. On site restaurant was very good.
The pool is long enough to do laps. Only complaint, the work out room needed ellipticals, an area for stretching, & more variety of free fruit.
Considering the bang for your buck that you get at this place, I think it deserves 4 stars. For example, twice now I have been able to book this place on http://priceline.com for $70 dollars a night. Be wary though, they do tack on a $16 a night resort fee, so in reality the price is $86 a night.
All in all though, this place is really peaceful. There is greenery everywhere and I couldn't ask for a cleaner place. Moreover, the staff here is always very nice and cordial.
Lastly, and I don't know if it's just because I'm used to being in LA, but they don't charge you for parking. What a relief. The only drawback is leaving your car out in the hot Arizona sun, but I can deal.
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Like is becoming my norm with Priceline, I don't feel like this place was 4 stars, but it wasn't bad. The worst part was the maid in the morning - the front door was literally knocking the pictures around on our walls every time she walked in or out.
I was headed to complain, only to encounter some really nice staff that made up for it. Overall it was pretty dang nice, and for the price, I'd say there again ($60 off priceline + $16 charge).
Like everyone else who booked this through Priceline, I wasn't aware of the resort fee until "after" I booked it, but I have to say for paying a total of $68/night this place was way more than I expected! It was a beautiful resort and I loved our comfy bedroom and 42 inch flat screen tv. We never took advantage of the fitness center, tennis or bicycles but we enjoyed the pool! Sangria's bar was pretty cool and average prices for food/drinks. The breakfast buffet was a rip off but we took advantage of the 2 for 1 coupon. My husband enjoyed all the golf courses nearby and I had fun checking out the outlet malls! The resort was very clean and staff were friendly!
Well, you get what you pay for I suppose. $60 through Priceline. Plus a "surprise" resort fee of $16. I think our total came to around $85 with all of the taxes, etc.
I was not impressed AT ALL. Really, I could have stayed at a Motel 6 and had an equally pleasant experience. The building itself is old (which could be charming... if they maintained it...). The layout of the hotel is ridiculous... if I wanted to walk half a mile to get to the ice machine, I'd go to Vegas. We were lucky (*cough*) to get a room next to the air conditioning unit... so it was nice and noisy. And we had a glorious view of.... the parking lot and some dumpsters. Cool.
The resort fee is what pissed me off the most. There was no mention of it ANYWHERE when I booked the room. Thanks, Priceline!
It apparently covers "free" internet access (how is it free if you pay for it?), bike rentals (first come, first serve), gym access (I'm on VACATION), parking, pool access, "complimentary" coffee in the lobby (again, how is it free if you pay for it?), and a few other random things like incoming faxes and "letter rate" postage.
I don't know. I just wasn't impressed. :(
But.... I suppose it's my fault for being cheap.
Disclaimer: I have not stayed at the resort, but instead, attended a wedding ceremony and reception there this past weekend. This review is only for the resort based on my experience at the wedding.
On Valentine's Day, my husband and I ventured up to the Scottsdale Resort and Conference Center to attend the wedding ceremony and reception of one of my co-workers. We parked on the garage rooftop and skipped using valet. The ceremony was outside and right near the garage, so we didn't have to walk far. Due to the 5:30 ceremony time and the cool weather conditions, the resort did have plenty of heat lamps set up and a gift table was in the space where the ceremony was which was nice so that guests did not have to hold onto cards and gifts. Unfortunately due to being outside and near the parking garage, there were plenty of lurkers who watched the ceremony from the top of the garage or their rooms that faced the ceremony space...it was really creepy to me and a bit distracting as a guest.
After the ceremony, the resort had plenty of staff on hand to direct guests from the ceremony site to one of the ballrooms on the other side of the resort (or so it felt!) for cocktail hour. There were two bars on opposite sides of the room set up which was nice to help handle the 140ish guests wanting drinks. In addition, there were waitresses who came around to get drink orders. The appetizers were very good and were hits with everyone we knew at the receptions...the cheese ravoli and cheese quiche were probably the two favorites among our group, but the chicken satay was also good.
In the ballroom where the dinner/dancing was held, again there were two bars to help with crowd control, as well as servers who came around to get drink orders. Let's just say I took advantage of the efficiency the resort had when it came to serving drinks! The dinner food was again a big hit with our table, especially the mashed potatoes and macadamia nut crusted chicken. I didn't try the filet that came on my plate with the chicken, but from the others at my table it was cooked well. The salad with herb dressing that started the meal was already on the table when we arrived after cocktail hour and it was very fresh...I appreciated that the dressing was not overpowering.
While the food was very good, my husband and I were not blown away by the resort property. It was kinda bland and generic. It didn't have that take your breath away beauty that some of the other resorts in the Valley have. Based on my experience at the wedding, I would give the Scottsdale Resort and Conference Center 3.5 stars, but am going to round down to 3 stars based on the look of the property and the fact that if you want an outdoor ceremony, you will have lurkers.
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Room: 217
Dates: 10/4 - 10/8/2008
I am staying here this week with my wife and new baby. After being gone for a week just a few weeks ago my wife could not bare to be without our little one (4 months old) for another week so soon, so I took a week of vacation and myself and the baby came with. So here is what I think...
Internet access is good with WiFi only in the lobby area and Ethernet in the rooms. The speeds seems fine and I've had no issue with our Cisco VPN access. The only problem is that is cost $9.95 a day to use it! Yep, that sucks.
The room is nice, we have a decent sized room with a King bed. I like the bed and pillows and I'm sleeping even better then I do at home. There is a pool and outdoor bar just outside our room, but not to close, no noise to speak of. The maid (for lack of a better and more PC term) , while she does not speak English well is very nice and the same lady has come to the room each day. It may seem odd to comment on that, but with a baby I'm spending a lot of time in the room :)
The food, well, I've been lucky enough to eat many meals with my wife. She is very busy with her conference here and since we have a new baby her company was nice enough to allow me and the baby to come. So, we see her for a few meals and a couple hours a day.
The resort itself is a bit dated, it's nice, but I can't say I'd every make it a destination for personal use. It is a nice place to have a conference though. It seems to be geared to that.
The people are nice with the shuttle driver and valet guys being the friendliest. They have rental cars on site from Hertz, $59.99 a day.
There's not much around here if you want to get out without driving. Even though the the Fashion mall is only 3.5 miles away, in this heat it's not a walk you would want to do. Also, it's all busy streets most of the way. I did find a coffee shop that I could walk to using trails most of the way, along the golf course. It's Village Coffee Roastery at 8120 N Hayden Rd. If you go early or later when it's not hot it's a decent walk along the golf course lake. It's about a 1.5 miles each way.
I thought I'd be able to get out more on this trip, but this being our first trip with the baby, I neglected to think about the car seat issue. If I were to take a taxi I'd end up with a car seat and a stroller and that's just to much to haul around. My only option has been to rent a car. I'm not going many places at $60 a trip.
Bottom line, would I come here again? For a business trip/conference, absolutely. For a personal trip, no. It is a nice place though, but it could seriously use a remodel...hint hint
Funny thing, or not, but the toilet paper holder bar in the bathroom falls off, the towel rack bar falls out (very loud), and the phone doesn't work. Three things broken in that little room. As I said earlier, remodel!!!
Would give 3.5 stars if i could...
I come to PHX on business a few times a year and have been trying to find a regular hotel to stay at.
The good: nice big room, pretty location, very clean, polite staff, feels like a 4-star hotel & service except for:
The OK: Bed is good, not great; pillows felt kind of odd, location is rather remote
Needs improvement: Free TV channels should be way easier to locate and navigate, shower head was covered in hard water deposits
Really pissed me off: The ludicrous $16 per night "facilities fee" which they add on top of your nightly fee. I don't know if this treat is saved for priceline people or not, but as a matter of principle it's ridiculous and I'm complaining to their manager about it.
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Keith travels for work a lot & one perk for me is getting to tag along and get pampered like a miss pretty princess! LOL.
We stayed here for the weekend & while he off at client meetings Fri and Sat I was getting a deluxe facial, complete shiatzu massage & then a mani-pedi. When hubby got home I became the masseur!!! Part of my special turn down service. LOL
P.S. I want that yumyummy mattress for own bedroom!!! As soon as we know if we're moving or not that is the 1st thing on my list of household neccies.
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I just spent the weekend here and had a very relaxing stay. The Web site does not do the place justice. It looks pretty good on the site, but it's much better in person. The staff was really great, the rooms were clean and quiet, the beds comfortable, the water pressure in the shower was great (which I find to be a rarity), and the price was right. I strongly recommend bidding for a room rate on a site like http://priceline.com as you can get a room for a steal over the advertised rates.
I know this is not a restaurant, but I must point out that the room service was incredible. Seriously. I ran a marathon during my stay and could not make it out of the hotel to eat. I ordered up everything I needed and wanted, it was delivered in less time than expected, and the quantity and quality was outstanding!!! Oh, and they have milkshakes! That rocked.
Room for improvement for this resort: Work on adding better TV channels - I had to rest up in bed and be entertained. Also, the daily $15 "resort fee" that is added to the room price (even after negotiating a rate) is ludicrous. Even if I actually used the spa, pool, or other "resort" amenities, I would pay extra (e.g. massage), or would assume the costs are included (e.g. parking, newspaper, etc.).
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nothing special about this place. the food is mediocre. the rooms are standard. the guitar guy's acoustic guitar entertainment, outside the dining room is probably the one thing i look forward to each time i have to come here.
see pics!
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A friend of mine stayed here while visiting Scottsdale, and I was very impressed! The resort is very hidden and quaint, but it was so nice! I liked how it has a small charm feel and yet it was also was very luxurious! We hung out at the hotel a lot one day and just hung out in the beautiful room and grounds. My friend also had breakfast in the dining room every morning and he said it was excellent.
If you have friends or family coming to visit I would recommend The Scottsdale resort. It's beautiful and doesn't have the vast cold feeling of most hotels. It's also located in a great part of central Scottsdale!
I believe he found some deals on hotwire or priceline as well.
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Guess I'm the odd woman out in this string of reviews! My husband and I stayed here on Memorial Day evening to get away for our anniversary, and we both detested almost every aspect of our experience. Thanks a lot, Priceline! We had bid $75 for a "Resort" in the Phoenix area, and at that bid, we probably deserved what we got, but we're still a little bitter :). When we pulled up the driveway to check in, it seemed promising. There were lots of trees and flowers, and everything looked really clean.
The bad part started when we went in to check in. The clerk informed us that they were only "40% full" and therefore had our pick of room locations - any floor, any view, etc. We told him we wanted a first-floor pool view. Easy enough. Then he asked if we "preferred" two queens or a king. Well, since we weren't planning on having any additional overnight guests, we let him know we preferred a king. Well, despite the 40% occupation rate that he had advertised just seconds earlier, he told us that this "upgrade" would carry a $20 fee. We declined and were really annoyed - rather than make a hospitable gesture and offer us a king, which clearly wasn't in high demand - they insisted on charging us. Just a lost opportunity to please the customer! As someone else already mentioned, the resort fee of $16 also seemed useless - it included overnight parking (on a roof-top, unshaded lot), free internet (IF you happened to bring our laptop, which most pleasure travelers wouldn't), 2 bike rentals (we just wanted to go to the pool!), and a "coffee bar" (some carafes of coffee on a table in a dark corridor). Blech.
We went to our room, at least hoping it would be nice. Well, it wasn't. To start with, it was incredible dark, but rather than offering curtains, the first-floor room had dark wood plantation shutters - opening them barely let any light in. One of the floor lamps was also broken. The dark wood trim, accessories, and enormous amoire gave off more of a Spanish monastery vibe than a posh Scottsdale resort. The bathroom was also nothing to write home about - the shower was really small and the curtain looked dingy. To top it all off, we turned on the TV and every channel had a fuzzy picture.
So, you ask, were there any positives? Ok, ok, sitting out by the pool was great (although I attribute that more to the gorgeous Phoenix weather) than the pool (the surface was peeling in a bunch of places, and the walls around the pool were literally covered in moss, which looked to be due to neglect and not a stylistic choice) but the $3.50 well margaritas we had at the pool bar (happy hour 3:30-6:30) were surprisingly good, as were the crab taquitos we ordered as a snack. If you love outdated and overgrown, you'll love this resort. Otherwise, avoid it.
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A nice place for a great deal. It was summer, which obviously is slow time in Phoenix, so my friend and I got this deal for 70 bucks a night. Driving up, it has a nice little portico with awaiting valets, but since my friend and I are cheapasses, we decided to use the free self parking. The rooms are spacious and equipped with two comfy queen beds. The pool area is OK. It's pretty small but in the Phoenix heat, it doesn't matter. There is also a bar next to the pool, so you don't have to go very far to get your drink on. Although I didn't use it, the fitness center is equipped with every machine you would ever need and has a pretty nice sauna area for relaxing. Next time I am in Phoenix, I will definitely try to stay here again and take advantage of more of the amenities.
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My boyfriend and I stayed here right around New Year's. We got a crazy good rate on hotwire, so my standards were significantly lowered. But even if the price to standards ratio didn't come into play, this place totally exceeded my expectations. We pulled up to a really nice property. Valet was free and everyone that worked there was incredibly nice. The lobby is really pretty...I'm partial to spanish architecture and design. The room was really nice and the bell hop arrived with our bags shortly. (Fast enough to catch the last 15 mins of happy hour) Margaritas were cheap and good! Free pool tables. It just gets better. The pool area was really nice and we were able to partake in more happy hour margaritas (this was the next day). The bartender at the pool was supppper nice. Overall it was just a really nice relaxing time. Not pretentious at all but still upscale and really comfortable. The only real drawback was my boyfriend went to breakfast one morning and said it wasn't so great and cost close to $30 for just him. Also there is a resort fee that is charged each day, but this was expected so didn't really bother me.
