Camelback Inn — Hotel in Paradise Valley

Honestly, mixed, but still on the positive side. We normally go to Andaz (a Hyatt property) down the road, and this is definitely more “old school” than that property. As a couple in our 40s without kids, we felt a wee bit out of place here. Lots of older folks, lots of kids.

The bar ar Rita’s is open late, but it’s barely a bar - 4 chairs, not very social - mainly oriented towards groups and events and sitting outside as part of a larger group. Lots, and I mean lots, of kids running around the bar at 11pm. I know I may be unpopular for this, but I don’t think everything should be for kids - and that includes a bar at 11pm. Kids running around and yelling pretty much ruined it for us. I know people think everyone wants to deal with their kids all day every day, but of all things you’d think a bar would be a place where adults could get away late at night. Not here. The bartenders were generally dismissive and not engaged, and that didn’t help. Drinks are massively, ridiculously overpriced. I know that’s a trend post-Covid, but it’s getting off hand. $17 for a middle shelf mixed drink? A little silly. I know this place is supposedly upscale, but that’s not an excuse to fleece. The churros were amazing though.

Breakfast at Rita’s was a chaotic mess. We put our name in and 3 or 4 couples were seated who put their name in after us, and we had to speak up and they acknowledged they made a mistake on the list. Wouldn’t have been an issue if the hostesses were paying attention, but they were scattered and running around. The waitress at our table was pretty darn rude and really felt like she didn’t want to be there. I’ve had much better service at Denny’s.

The Starbucks was out of… coffee. Okay. Kinda a crucial thing.

They took 4 of my suite upgrades just for a “view” upgrade even though I specifically didn’t select that as a choice, but the whole Marriott Suite upgrade situation is a bit of a scam anyway - not sure if that’s the fault of the property.

Parking can get a little rough if you come back late and there’s an event, but it’s all over the place.

The upsides:

Lincoln Steakhouse was fantastic - but that’ll be a separate review. Give it a try. Highlight of the property, honestly.

The pool was nice - too bad it was a bit cold. Emily, working at the bar by the pool and bringing us drinks - was amazing, and this place needs to hire more people like her. Seriously, kudos to Emily. They DO have an adults only pool, which is great - but it’s tiny and was super crowded. Hoppin’ Jacks seems cool and is directly poolside, but I wonder how crowded it would get in the summer. Pool itself is open late, which is a plus.

The facility is really beautiful and at least our room was in a great location, right next to the pool and close to the restaurant. It’s clean and quiet - despite a ton of events and families and music playing in the courtyard, our room was quiet.

The location is good - close to things and restaurants nearby but not in the busy thick of it like the Andaz is. It’s all walkable on property for the most part, and the landscaping is superb - lots of rabbit running around and hummingbirds.

Overall, nice - but the staff needs some training (I get it, it’s post-COVID - but that excuse only goes so far) and the clientele mix may not be up everyone’s alley. Probably a great place for families, but not my first choice for a...

Absolutely worst customer service from front desk manager Christina! I will never visit this establishment again. I came with a large group for my husband’s Buissness we tried for two weeks to get an upgrade on our reg room to a suit because we’re traveling with our very young daughter and having the separate living room while we put her to bed in the bedroom was very important to us only to be told that we would half to speak with front desk when we arrive to make such a request, I found that odd! However when we arrived Saturday morning at9:00 am we requested and we’re told they would have a suit for us Monday we agreed and reconfirmed twice on Saturday and again on Sunday morning to make sure we were all set to switch rooms Monday morning only to be told Sunday afternoon they gave our room away to someone who was paying more than we were due to our group rate. I was so upset I agreed to pay whatever they needed to get the room only to be spoken down to in a very rude Manyor in front of other customers I was so embarrassed I just start to cry in frustration! But she could of cared less; she being Christina the front desk manager) Do NOT stay at this resort there is NO customer service at all I’m beyond disappointed with my experience here not to mention I requested several times to speak with hotel management and she would not allow it! How do you give a customers room away and tell them sorry we were able to get more money from an online reservation than we were going to get from you! Seriously like I said we would of payed twice the amount of the room than worth. NO Customer should ever be treat or spoke to like this SHAME on you JW MARRIOTT CAMBLBACK RESOT were is the customer service? Customers our the reason your doors our open and if you mistreat them they won’t come back!!!!!

I can tell you we will never...

I have stayed at the JW Marriott Camelback Inn several times and have always been impressed with the exceptional service, beautiful grounds, and delicious food. Unfortunately, my most recent visit did not quite meet the high expectations set by my past experiences.

During this stay, while drying off after a shower in my room, I noticed a fairly large cockroach on the glass shower door—right where my towel was hanging. It was certainly an uncomfortable situation.

I completely understand that pests can be a reality anywhere, even in the best of places, but encountering one in the shower of a luxury room was unsettling. I brought the matter to the attention of the front desk. While the staff was polite and responsive, the solutions offered—an extra room cleaning (which is already part of daily service), a visit from an engineer, which felt somewhat underwhelming given the circumstances.

While this experience doesn’t diminish all the wonderful stays I’ve had here before, it was disappointing and not quite what I have come to expect from the JW Marriott brand. I truly hope this feedback helps the team continue to uphold the high standards that so many...