Aloft Tempe — Attraction in Tempe

As I've been remodeling my house, I sometimes take a few days at a hotel during certain projects just to escape the construction. I did so last weekend at the Aloft in Tempe. I've stayed here several times before, and was generally pleased, but this time, not so much.

First off, when I checked in on Saturday, Sept 21st at around 11pm, the girl working the front desk was already helping another customer. They were discussing different rooms, as I guess there had been a problem with the original room they were assigned. It was taking a while. The surprising thing was, at no time did she acknowledge that I was waiting. Usually I would expect an "I'm sorry for the wait. I'll be with you as soon as I wrap this up" or something. Then when she finished helping the people in front of me, the phone rang. Instead of asking the person to hold until she finished helping the guest trying to check in in front of her, I go to listen to the whole conversation including the part where she said "Yeah, that's really gross. I'll find another room for you." Not sure what it was that was gross and not sure I want to know.

Then when I was checking in, I asked if I could pay in cash. She said no and told me that there was no way to check me into the hotel without paying by credit card. She said when I checked out, I could pay in cash, and they would refund my card, but she refused to let me check in with cash.

Next problem was, I had my dog with me. I really like their pet policy at Aloft, which was the reason why I brought her. When I asked for the "Arff Kit" which usually consists of a dog bed, a mat, some dog treats and a bowl, she told me she didn't know where they were because "they've been moving stuff all over and I don't know where they are".

She also never acknowledged my SPG status, never asked me which platinum amenity that I would like, failed to give me the "Sips" card which is for the free 'upgraded' coffee each day, and had me in a low floor room. I asked to get a different room, preferably a corner room because I had the dog with me and figured it was better to be in a less trafficked location. I asked if she had my SPG number in there. Then she noticed and said "Oh, yes... you're platinum. Let me get you your card"

I want to be clear, she wasn't being rude. She was very friendly... but it seems like she could use a little more training in how to great the guests. I gave her a lot of leeway though because I noticed she was studying for a test of some kind.

That night, the sound coming from the In & Out Burger across the street was pretty loud. I think all my previous stays I had been placed on the other side of the hotel and never heard the noise.

As usual, the bed was really comfortable, the room was clean, and no real problems to speak of. In the mooring I went down and spoke to a guy at the front desk who said he would look for the dog bed and have it sent up to my room. It never arrived. I asked two more times, and it was finally a different girl working that evening that said "I don't know why they didn't give it to you. it's right in the back here" and handed me the dog bed, mat, and a bunch of treats.

After that, everything was fine. The noise on Sunday night from In & Out was barely audible. So, other than just some less than stellar staff responsiveness, it was a good stay.

My only other notes would be that the air conditioning systems were a bit difficult to get to the right temperature, and the carpets in the hallway were pretty stretched out as other people have commented, but neither issue was anything to make a...

This was a horrible stay. I don't recommend this hotel.

The customer service is horrible. The staff don't smile and seem like they don't know what is going on. I asked for their names and they won't even give me their names. No name tags either. There is no type of accountability.

I asked for their General Manager(GM) and he is not available. They don't have an Assistant General Manager(AGM). No Front Desk Manager, no acting person in charge. All front-line staff at 9 am on a Saturday. I attached a picture of the GM's card.

Let me say, I am an Ambassador Elite. I have spent my $23k annually at Marriot, and have 100-plus nights a year. I have been around the block when it comes to Marriot's service and standards. The front desk staff didn't even know what Ambassador was. How is this possible? I had to remind them of the benefits of being an Ambassador.

Marriot NEEDS to pull this flag from this hotel or do some intense training and get new staff.

Also, they don't do free breakfast, they force you to get points unless you ask for it three times and have to explain Marriott standards.

The room was clean-ish. Calcium build-up on the faucets and shower fixtures. Hair was in the toilets upon arrival and the room wasn't vacuumed.

The beds are comfortable, but in my opinion, all Marriot beds are. At all hotel levels. The sheets were nice and clean.

Breakfast is a joke. The entire system is horrendous. The staff warms up a freezer-burned sandwich/burrito in the microwave. QT or any gas station is better. I didn't even get breakfast, because I ordered it. Waited for it, but the front desk messed up, the kitchen made an order that wasn't mine, and I told them to forget it. I waited more than 30 minutes as I watched 5 other people come and go, they all had issues as well. I ended up going to Starbucks across the way

I'll stay anywhere else other than this specific hotel. I have been in Aloft brand hotels before, I like the industrial style concept, but they NEED to work on the culture and branding at this location.

When I went up to the front desk to ask for anything, no one was around. I heard staff in the back area talking, then coming out saying "sorry", never making eye contact, and on...

This is my first stay at an ALoft hotel. I am here in Tempe to visit family in the area.

I live in Frisco, Texas (suburb of Dallas) and I am used to a much higher standard and caliber of hotels near my home in the Frisco/Plano area.

First off, I pre-paid for my hotel stay for four nights, through the Starwood website. However, the front desk keeps trying to pre-authorize my Platinum American Express card for an extra night. Not sure why or what is going on. I plan to contact American Express in the morning.

Secondly, being familiar with the hotels in the North Dallas area, I’m used to a much higher standard of hotel room. The carpet in my room is stained in multiple places, and definitely not up to the standard I would expect from the Starwood brand.

The hotel staff I must say, has been OUTSTANDING! They have been very friendly and accommodating. However, the hotel itself, to say the least, is definitely subpar.

The bartenders have been AMAZING, but have been repeatedly forced to apologize for not having standard items that are listed on the menu. Most of the items on the menu are not available (i.e. They have chips, but no salsa or guacamole. This is just one of many examples.) Why list items on a menu that you are consistently unable throughout the week to deliver? Doesn’t make sense, and I feel sorry for the hotel bartenders/staff.

I am hopeful that when I check out on Saturday morning, that the extra/multiple/inaccurate charges drop off, and that I can check out successfully with the rate that pre-paid for when booking the reservation.

I wish I could attach the pics of the hotel room carpet that I took, to this review. If I were an employee of this Starwood hotel, I would be embarrassed to have a Gold status member staying in a hotel room that looks like this.

I definitely don’t plan to stay in another Aloft hotel for future reservations.

Sincerely,

Disappointed First...