Staybridge Suites Scottsdale - Talking Stick, an IHG Hotel — Hotel in Paradise Valley

My girlfriends and I have used Staybridge Suites in Glendale a few times and loved the service, the hotel, and everything about our stay. So when we chose to use the Scottsdale location in Scottsdale for an upcoming gathering, we were excited to see how the newer Scottsdale location compared. The room was bright and clean. The showers, tubs, toilets, and sinks were clean. The bedding was fresh and passed a blacklight test that we did because someone happened to have a mini blacklight flashlight. The service was friendly, though there was a little bit of waiting to be acknowledged, and when I checked out the printer wasn't working. (I'm still waiting for the emailed receipt a week later. ) We had to catch housekeeping as we were missing a hand soap in one of the bathrooms and the paper towels were nearly gone. The ice maker was a champ and helped bridge the gap when our bag of ice was depleted.

The tubs are a concern. They are extremely slippery and dip considerably toward the drain so that you are standing on a downward slope, trying to maneuver without slipping and falling. And as with every hotel I've ever been in, there aren't enough areas to hang your wet towels, wet swimsuits, etc., to dry. There is a counter and two bar stools, but no table or even a coffee table in the common area. If a family is staying or a large group, have fun feeding everyone or playing games.

There seemed to be only one luggage rack for the whole hotel. There were no bellhops/porters to assist you and no offer of help upon check-in. The front keycard door off the west side of the hotel would randomly not work, and there was zero shade so the door and handle became dangerously hot. There is ZERO security in this hotel nor patrolling the parking lot. With a movie theater and Target directly behind the hotel, this is not an intelligent thing. (Not to mention the "guest" one of my friends witnessed absconding out a side door with the hotel comforter and duvet.) We had a yapping dog directly above us that never shut up (pet friendly doesn't have to mean inconsiderate and obnoxious), as well as what sounded like a marching band at times. The pool we had to ourselves in the afternoon and that was nice. But it is small and if the hotel is full (especially with kids), the pool cannot accommodate many. There is also no shade around the pool; however, there are shaded seating areas back away from the pool near a fireplace. I imagine it would be nice to sit there during cooler months.

Breakfast was lackluster. The layout was awkward, the tables were crumby and sticky as no one was clearing/cleaning the tables throughout the morning. The eggs were cold, and bacon was nearly impossible to get as people would wait for it to come out and then PILE it onto their plates and it was super salty. There was no sausage, one toaster for the offered English muffins and bagels, and there was no grape jam, only jelly, and the butter was located away from this area. They only offered one type of milk, so I ate my oatmeal without it.

Reading through, I know this review seems very negative. But this was our experience (and I am speaking for 7 people - I didn't eat the eggs or the bacon, for example.) It is a very nice hotel, very clean, and I think a pretty good value. That being said, it's not without its faults and needs some work to improve the stay for all guests and make it fully...

I wanted to enjoy my time here at the Staybridge Talking Stick, however my mood changed almost immediately due to one of the two front desk associates. I arrived at 4pm only to be told that my room was not yet ready due to housekeeping. While the front desk associate acknowledged that check in time was 3pm, she stated that I would have to wait until housekeeping could "inspect" the room. I inquired if there was any other rooms available now as I didn't mind switching from the type of room I booked. The associate informed me that there were not and even if there was, those rooms are assigned to other guests who have not checked in yet. Um, ok.....

I was told that I needed to wait 10-15 minutes and that she would reach out to housekeeping. After 30 minutes I went back to the front desk to inquire about the status of my room. The same front desk associate asked if I was "checking in"?? I replied by saying that I have been trying to check in for the past half an hour and only then was she clued into the fact that she never checked with housekeeping regarding the availability of my room. This associate was simply horrible.

This associate went to the back to check with housekeeping. Only then did the other associate that was working the front desk mention that "No customer should be treated this way, especially a Spire Elite member." At this point she checked me into an available room and was apologetic for her coworker.

I hope that management seriously takes a look at the individuals that work the front desk, especially Paula. Paula is incredibly rude, snarky, and a detriment to deal with. She alone is reason enough to never stay at this property again. Shameful really...... I understand that we all have bad days, however you chose to have this job and you should have the decency to act accordingly every minute you're at work.

I wish I would have got the other associates name, the one that had a sense of pride within her work and was wonderful with the guests, however she was not wearing a name tag.

Paula, you should really learn from...

My wife and I stopped here for a rest and relaxation day while on a trip across the country. After multiple long driving days, we wanted a day of rest before we finished our trip and booked two nights here.

While the hotel was clean and comfortable there were some issues during our stay. The room was large and well appointed and the bed was comfortable.

Breakfast on the first day was late by almost an hour (or at least the "hot" portion was). And the hot portion, when delivered, was of poor quality. I was especially unimpressed when guests were permitted to take their dogs into the food service area. While that may have been a guest decision - the staff should have stopped it.

Our relaxation day was further ruined by the fact that the guest above us had multiple dogs and decided to leave the room for more than 4 hours, which resulted in the dogs barking incessantly for the entire time they were gone. I reported the issue to the desk but nothing was done. While I understand that if the people are not there, not a lot can be done, but we could have at least be offered a different room. No one should have to listed to barking, yapping dogs, for hours.

It was a little frustrating to see signs all over the property saying that if staff sees you SMOKING anywhere on property, you may be asked to vacate the premises - yet dogs are allowed in the breakfast area (even sniffing the counters where the food is sitting) - and allowed to defecate anywhere on property without being picked up after. I am not an animal hater - I have had dogs for most of my life, but there are limits.

I was at least recognized as an IHG One Platinum level member (many properties do not even recognize this), but part of the new IHG One rewards items for Platinum members is a free upgrade (when available) - but it was not offered - but has not been offered by any property on this current trip. Maybe many properties have not been updated on the new IHG Rewards program or are just ignoring corporate policies. Only time and...