JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort & Spa — Attraction in Paradise Valley

My best friend and I just stayed at JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback for a 3-night girls' trip and had a wonderful time. Our priority was relaxation, and this resort was everything we were looking for. It's a family-friendly resort but we saw very few families with children. It was mostly couples/girls' trips ages 30+.

Overall: Service was great. The grounds are beautiful and immaculate. The resort is huge, so they have bell boys to give you golf cart rides to where you need to go. Those were handy but once we learned the walkable "short cuts" to the main parts of the resort, we walked.

Room: I read reviews about the rooms being outdated but we thought ours was really nice. We had a sundeck casita which gave us a big sundeck in addition to a regular balcony. The balcony had a beautiful view of camelback mountain. The sundeck was a bit overkill in terms of space (it had loungers, a table/chairs with an umbrella, and a third seating area and still had tons of unused space) but I can appreciate they were maximizing the space available, and it was nice to have shaded outdoor space in the mornings. Our room also had a small kitchenette with a sink, mini fridge, and microwave. The bathroom was spacious.

Pool: We spent a lot of time at the pool. We found there to be ample seating. I loved the playlist at the pool and it wasn't too loud or soft. Our server, Daryl, was attentive, helpful, and fun. The pool menu had a great variety of drinks- I sampled a few and liked them all. The food menu was somewhat limited but had the basics and from what we tried, it was good. They ensure you stay hydrated by delivering pitchers of water (free). We rented a cabana one day and feel it was worth it to have more shade and comfier loungers. Included with the cabana was a fruit platter (exceeded expectations) and soft drinks. Nick was our server on the cabana day and was VERY attentive.

Spa: We knew going into it that the spa is under construction. They have converted an entirely different space of the resort into a temporary spa. So, when visiting the spa you are not seeing construction going on. The temporary spa is nice but small. It's not currently a spa you'd spend a whole day at, in my opinion. We each had a 60-minute massage and were very pleased with the service. They are currently providing the massages in converted guest rooms. It's obvious you're in a converted guest room and the aesthetic of the room was not what you would expect at a spa/resort like this, but it didn't really bother us since you have your eyes closed during a massage. I believe they said the new spa is a 27 million renovation.

Food: We ate at Rita's a few times- a breakfast, a lunch, and a dinner. I'd give it a 7/10 for taste/quality/portion/price. We did room service for dinner once- also 7/10. We did not try the steakhouse. We loved having Starbucks on site.

Overall, we loved our stay and plan to return, possibly annually. We are really looking forward to seeing the completed...

This is a hotel my wife and I have visited multiple times between 2008 and 2014, and it holds a special place in our hearts, since it was the destination we were heading to when we got engaged on the flight over from London, back in 2008.

This was our first time staying at the property since 2014 (due to having kids!), and it was great to be back (with children accompanying). The best surprise of all was finding the amazing Jamaican breakfast chef was still here and making the best breakfasts we've ever had. Seriously, this guy is SO welcoming, chatty, and a great chef too. We were hoping he'd be here, and his breakfasts didn't disappoint - he's such a great ambassador for the hotel. A true asset.

I guess what stopped this being a five-star review (for what was previously one of my favourite hotels in the world) was the fact that the hotel tries to squeeze even more money out of you than normal.

Seating was more restricted around the pool, as large chunks are now taken up with 'premium' seating which you have to reserve and pay for. And trying to get seats in the shade if you aren't arriving at the pool until mid/late afternoon was much harder than we remember it, whereas multiple seating options with great shade sat vacant unless you wanted to get your credit card out and pay $$$ for them (which I refuse to, as a paying guest of the hotel).

And for the first time ever, the hotel wanted to charge for us to extend our check-out time by a few hours, given we had an evening flight. They've always accommodated this before, every single time we've stayed, allowing us to keep the room until 3/4pm, so we could relax by the pool before showering and heading to the airport for the overnight flight back to London. On this occasion, to keep the room until 4pm was going to be 50% of the nightly room rate ($175). Turned that down, and negotiated $100 to keep it until 3pm, but it left a bad taste.

I mean, if the room isn't needed as the hotel isn't busy (and it wasn't) the following night, why not comp the guest a few extra hours access (whilst they drink / eat on site, to your further profit), rather than making this a chargeable item. If you are fully booked that night, or likely to need the room, then of course decline. I dunno, just seemed a bit mean after a stay of several nights at premium hotel rates.

We looked at the on-site Lincoln Steakhouse restaurant for dinner, but decided it was too pricey for us, and the menu wasn't a patch on the old BLT Steak offering, which we'd previously eat at every single night of the stay. What's more, you also had to pay $20 extra to guarantee a window table. I mean, c'mon!!!

What I would say is credit to the housekeeping team for keeping the rooms so clean and tidy. Of all our stays around the US this last three weeks, their standards were the highest.

And to the grounds team, for keeping the grounds in such pristine...

My husband and I were there to celebrate my 55th birthday. I indicated this on our reservation and it was also mentioned upon check-in. When we checked in, we were told that I could expect a little birthday surprise delivered to our room that evening. I was disappointed to see that nothing arrived so the next day I went by the desk, and a little awkwardly inquired. The person at the desk said he really didn’t know anything about it but he would make sure that something was sent later that day. Nothing ever came.

Next, we made reservations for birthday dinner at Rita’s Cantina. We explained that we were celebrating a special occasion and we were told that they would provide us with a special table to highlight the evening. When we arrived for our reservations last night, we were taken to one of the small two seat tables that are very close to other diners. I mentioned again that we were celebrating a special occasion and we had indicated such on our reservation, but the attendant said this was all that was available. For the record, there were plenty of better tables available last night.

There are different versions of the menu available for Rita’s Cantina, both in the rooms and at the restaurant. We noticed that the pricing was different on the bill, we questioned the waiter, and he brought over a different version of the menu that matched the bill. Honestly, he made us feel very uncomfortable about the situation as we know what we saw. Later, we saw the different pricing again on the menu in our room. There were Issues with the meal as well.

Next, when my husband and I went to the spa, on March 27, the men’s steam room was not working, and the Jacuzzi was cold. My husband really wanted to start the day off with these services and it wasn’t available.

We requested room service to be delivered at eight. A staff member called at 8:05 to tell us that it would be another 20 minutes. She was very friendly but that doesn’t seem to be what you would expect in a place like this. When the food arrived the toast was burnt and there was no salt, only two pepper grinders. I also need to mention again that your pricing does not match what is provided on the menu. The avocado toast says 19 on the menu and 20 on the bill. The toast says five on the menu and it’s 7 on the bill. I know that seems like a small amount but you can’t provide a price on the menu and then something different on the bill. Also, there two separate charges for in...