Bell Rock Inn Sedona — Hotel in Four Corners States

I had a bad experience.

I stayed here 10 years ago (before it became Diamond Resorts), & was very happy with my stay.

1st issue I had this time was a bait-&-switch off of booking.com. A very good deal was advertised, but when I clicked on it, I was unknowingly redirected to Diamond Resorts directly. A $14 resort fee was added (I admittedly didn’t read the small print at the bottom of the page), which brought my total charge up to what other hotels in the area were charging for that night. So not a great deal, But still a good deal, so I overlooked the switch.

When I got there, I asked if I could extend my stay an extra night. I was told I would need to upgrade or change rooms on the 2nd night, as my room wasn’t available for 2 nights. I’m here for an appointment, not a vacation, so I decided to skip the 2nd night. When I said I would stick with my original reservation, suddenly my room was available for 2 nights. I figured she was using an up-sale tactic (I didn’t like that, but no harm no foul), & brushed it off, & purchased 2 nights. Then I was charged a $100 security deposit. I accepted that. It will be refunded, but I was surprised by the requirement. I travel a lot, I’ve never encountered that before. Still, I was determined to have a good stay. I let go of my growing annoyance & finished the transaction.

When I tried to leave the lobby, I was accosted by the time-share (concierge) girls. Accosted is the right word! When I told them I was in town for an appointment & didn’t need their services, they persisted in trying to pitch to me. They are right by the exit door, so they force you to be rude to get away! When I forcefully refused their services, one said “so your husband is at home then.” That struck me as odd & inappropriate.

When I got to my room it seemed clean. No unpleasant odors. But it had a cheap feel to it. It had the exact same decor as 10 years ago! Same picture on the wall, drapes & lamps. And they were using a plain white sheet as a bedspread??? The gym had been downsized. The fountains, which had always been an enchanting part of this place, weren’t on & weren’t lit. Things weren’t being taken care of, or upgraded, in my opinion.

Later, when I pulled off the white sheet (bedspread), there was small blood stain on the quilt. I called the front desk & they were very sympathetic. They said someone would be around to replace it. A nice man did show up with 2 blankets. He couldn’t find the quilts. That was fine.

I wasn’t feeling good so I decided to turn in early. I like to sleep with a window open, but the screen door had a broken latch, so I closed up the room instead.

The next morning I found a used wash cloth in the corner of my shower. I didn’t report it.

I left to meet a friend & then went to the hospital for my appointment. When I got back I was tired & thought I would watch a show on my laptop. The guest internet connection didn’t work. The gentleman at the front desk had me go through a disconnect & reconnect. It still didn’t work. He seemed rather unconcerned & said to call tech support. I didn’t. I watched my show on my phone.

In short, the hotel isn’t awful, but it isn’t great either. ITS NOT THE STAFF’s FAULT THAT I HAD SO MANY ISSUES. They tried to sort things out. In my opinion, it was the corners & services cut by upper management that contributed to all of the issues. The Bell Rock Inn has declined in recent years. It certainly isn’t offering “resort” quality. Their sales people that night were way too aggressive, unavoidable & rude when rejected. Kind of detracts from the hospitality focus, doesn’t it?

I’m not one to write a bad review. I wasn’t going to write a review at all. But the internet issue was my last straw. I wish I had stayed somewhere else. I chose this place because of the “great deal” that ultimately wasn’t.

Final note: Diamond Resorts removed this review from their website, which is supposed to be importing Google reviews automatically. Mine is probably not the only “bad”...

Hotel is located in Oak Creek, just outside Sedona with nice view of Bell Rock. Initially told we were getting a 1 bedroom; ended up with 1 bedroom townhouse which means very small kitchen (no oven, half size fridge and freezer) and stairs. 1 year old managed on stairs, but would have been nice to know. Tub was too small for my 97 lb wife and shower was too short for me...shower nozzle hangs about 5'6" and my hands hit the ceiling while trying to shower. Curtains became tripping hazard as well since the shower is so short. Rust and mold present in both showers. Did also find some sort of waste on a ledge by the stairs under a window(see pics). Window provides clear view into fitness room while people in the fitness room can see into the room perfectly; due to blinds, options were either blocking out view or letting everyone see in ( no curtains). Normal wear throughout room, but some things look half done: mismatched ceiling paint, dirty walls, loose carpet, toilet plumbing, shower bar). All staff were fantastic and housecleaning did a fantastic job as well. Only 1 pool was open and the hot tub is tiny, but both were clean and maintained very well. Free coffee, tea, and hot cocoa are available 24/7 in the lobby along with a TV, couch, and computer station in the same room. I will update after checkout.* For hotel all things considered.

Timeshare presentation was worst one my wife and I have ever been to and the, "gift" was $100 worth of dining coupons, so no actual value. I asked where I could use it around town and the response was,"you'll probably want to find a town bigger than Sedona." To use the fake-card you'll need to enter a bunch of personal information on an unsecure website. After that process, we found 3 restaurants we've heard of in the Phoenix metro area... Maybe LA or NYC would have more options? Additionally, directions to timeshare location were lacking-- they take you to the lobby, not there sales office where the presentations are held. There were about 15 other couples and it was very difficult to hear our saleswoman. Though it was very cold outside, the room was hot. Also, your appointment will not be honored-- you have to wait in line to sign in and are assigned a rep in the order you arrive followed by your appearance (dress nice and you'll get a pushier sales person). Their pricing is also deceptive-- the interest rates are not accounted for and are up to 30 times higher than most people's mortgages; some were even higher than most credit cards. Their mid-range offer added up to about 30k in interest alone before the points are paid for (so roughly 78k not counting maintenance, though they advertised about 48K, not counting the down payment... Another ~6k). As others mentioned, your treatment as a human turns 180°after you say no. Also, beware the 4 follow up sales people (called manager, hospitality associate, etc). No stars for timeshare as we were originally promised $150 visa card which changed to $100 on reservation and then dining coupon along with lots of misinformation and poor...

Newly added to my review 9/16/21 and downgraded from 2 star to 1 star ( Here's what Bell Rock Inn decided to do regarding my complaints. The hotel manager in order to try and save her rear end decided to come up with some fabricated incidents in order to make our stay look bad and ultimately from what I can tell banning me and other guests from staying at the Bell Rock Inn. Because of my complaints and decision to make it publicly aware to future guests thinking of staying at the Bell Rock Inn the sanitation issues of the property. Management decided that it would be best to make sure that I be portrayed as a horrable guest instead of actually addressing my concerns and correcting the issues, and ultimately doing what is right by administering adequate compensation. So a VERY BIG WARNING to anyone who wants to make a complaint about the Bell Rock Inn! If you decide to make a complaint, they will not be addressed and intern you will be portrayed as a "BAD GUEST" to upper management. Any incidentals that were accused during our stay were that of previous guests and were forwarded and blamed on us during our stay. I overheard during a previous and very recent stay about the very room we had on this occasion as "that room is broken" from housekeeping personnel. I find that the decision of upper managment to not follow through with communication regarding this situation extremely unprofessional. ) In conclusion stay at the Ridge or Los Abrigatos both are also Diamond Resorts properties and have superior quality management and staff.

(Original Post Below) This place is okay, the main reason for my 2 star rating is the lack of proper quality and cleanliness in the rooms. Most if not all of the rooms come with a dishwasher. After making some dinner in our very small kitchenette we of course did the dishes and placed them in the dishwasher. The next day after using some of the dishes in the dishwasher myself along with the rest of my family ended up having stomach problems to say it lightly. My girlfriend and daughter noticed that some of the dishes smelled funny and upon further review of the dishwasher and because I have a background in appliance installation and repair proceeded to check the filter and the sprayer in the dishwasher. The filter and the sprayer and sprayer lines were completely clogged with mold and mildew. It's disgusting and down right dangerous might I add. Especially when it's coming that you would trust blindly to clean the very items you eat off of.(please see the photos I've included with this review) Not only that but the bathroom has 2 different non matching faucets in the double sink and the tub has not been properly cleaned in a while. Nor has the air filter been changed in sometime for the heating and cooling unit. I find that this is completely unacceptable. Nobody from Diamond Resorts has contacted me regarding this issue and I've informed many of the upper...