Hilton Phoenix Tapatio Cliffs Resort — Hotel in Phoenix

A great resort that is held back by its rooms.

Before I discuss the positives, I must first highlight the issues with the resort rooms. It fell way below expectations. For $150 a night, it felt like a $40 a night experience. The rooms, I don't want to be perfect, but at the same time, I do want them to be clean and well-maintained.

The room that we got wasn't that, not even close. To start out, there was a weird stain on the carpet. It almost looked like a dog or cat's pee mark. I think animals are not allowed on the property, but it was bizarre seeing that stain on the carpet.

In the corner of the bedroom, there was someone's hair on the carpet. We don't know how that got there, but it was pretty gross.

Then, when we sit on the furniture or use the chairs, we can't help but notice that they're beat up. These chairs are at least eight or nine years old. They look like it, and the holes in the furniture are giant! The furniture also has numerous skid marks with stains from past guests.

The walls were probably the biggest problem in the room. The room walls had numerous chips, dents, and scratches; the wall plaster almost seemed to be falling off in some places. The worst wall section of the room was next to the shower. There was a bulge. Upon further investigation, we concluded it was a leak. Once touched, it was as soft as Jell-O. We don't know how the water accumulated in the wall, but there is water within the wall or some type of liquid.

The shower itself had many problems. Other than its age, it seemed like the faucet itself was about to fall out of the wall. It was very loose, and when you latched the diverter valve to take a shower, it was always stuck between bath and shower mode, not the most economical use of water.

As for the wooden cabinets in the bedroom, it was broken. No matter what we tried, the top cabinet always seemed not to close. The top cabinet was just stuck open the whole time.

When it came to the porch, the door's lock, which protected us from the outside, was broken. The only thing that was keeping the room closed was the top metal lock, which certainly wasn't the security that we hoped for.

Lastly, the mirror. I don't know if this is for aesthetic or if it just happened to be, but the mirror was extremely crooked. It was obnoxious to look at. If this was for aesthetics, it doesn't match the room well at all; it just looks bad. If it wasn't meant to be for aesthetics, I could definitely guarantee the mirror felt like it was gonna fall from the wall. It felt cheap.

There are many positives about the resort, and it's actually a fun time, but the rooms took so much of that joy out of the experience, as when we return from doing something fun, like going to the gym or going out to their fancy restaurants. We had to return to this motel six-style room. It seems like an oxymoron. When you go to a dress code restaurant, something that is high-level, but you have to come back to a room that is not that same feeling, something lower level.

The staff's service was outstanding, and the room service was excellent. The food itself is all around is great, especially from the point of view of the restaurant.

The pools are definitely something to do with the family. This is a very family-friendly resort if you're looking for that.

The gym is good.

The gift shop itself was entertaining to go through, and the items, while a little high priced, will help you remember the trip to Arizona well if you're from out of state or international.

It's such a bummer. Suppose the rooms were even slightly better. It would've gotten four or five stars, but the rooms were so atrocious and horribly maintained. I can't help but give it more than two stars, unfortunately.

This is the worst problem to have, as this isn't an easy fix. This will take months, if not years, to fix. It won't happen overnight, but little steps out of time can make it better. It could be a costly venture, too, to go into. When fixed, though, this place will be elevated to an...

Honest Review of Hilton Phoenix Tapatio Cliffs Resort…

My husband and I just stayed at this resort for a relaxing getaway during the week and while we had a few pleasant moments our overall experience was disappointing and unsettling which ultimately caused us to end our stay a night early.

We checked in on a Tuesday afternoon and were greeted by Robert at the front desk who was exceptionally kind and helpful. The check-in process was smooth and our room was clean though the carpets were outdated and slightly lifted around the trim. We did spot a couple of small bugs during our stay but nothing that warranted a complaint as these things can happen.

During the week the resort was peaceful. The pools were not crowded and we initially enjoyed the quiet atmosphere. However, shortly after settling in, I went to the adult pool while my husband stayed back to finish some work. Within 15 minutes, I witnessed a woman screaming blood-curdling screams and a man in a white security shirt running toward the scene. It was deeply alarming. I asked the front desk about it later but never received any explanation or reassurance.

The family pool area was unfortunately where we experienced some of the worst service we have ever received at a resort. Two separate staff members were unnecessarily rude. The bartender whose name we did not catch had a dismissive attitude both times we ordered from her. The first time she took over 20 minutes to make a margarita and a beer then placed them in front of another couple even though she had clearly seen where we were standing. The second time she approached us with a sarcastic “haaaay” and walked away after only a few seconds. She eventually returned with a very negative attitude and my husband even asked if he had done something wrong because she never acknowledged why she walked away.

Another staff member who was walking around taking drink orders gave my husband an incredibly cold and unpleasant response when he politely said “excuse me ma’am” to get her attention. She looked visibly annoyed, even threw her hand up at him and walked away. She did come back later and apologize but the energy and tone had already made us feel very uncomfortable.

What truly crossed the line was the experience we had over the weekend. By Friday night the resort no longer felt peaceful… It felt more like a loud party scene than a relaxing getaway. At the adult pool, we witnessed what appeared to be a physical altercation between a man and a woman. The man shouted the B word at her repeatedly and loudly smacked his fist into his hand in a taunting way. It was scary and the tension was felt by everyone around us. We did report this to the front desk and again received absolutely no explanation or reassurance. We were told these things “just happen” umm.. I can assure you they do not. I’ve stayed many places and that was a first.

Later that night around midnight my husband and I were quietly watching TV in our room when someone violently rammed into our door. It was not a knock. it was an aggressive slam that sounded like someone threw their body into it. We were sitting just a few feet away and it shook us up badly.

That was the final straw. We packed our bags and left early catching the earliest flight home the next morning. When we contacted Expedia who we booked through we were told we might be charged a cancellation fee. This feels extremely unfair because we did not cancel due to personal preference. We left early out of fear for our safety.

This review is not written out of anger but out of honesty. While we appreciated kind staff like Robert and some peaceful moments earlier in the week, the lack of safety, poor customer service, and escalating chaos by the weekend made it clear we will not be returning. If you are looking for a peaceful and secure resort experience I would recommend...

Upon arrival, we were greeted with a line at check-in. Went pretty smoothly, the woman at the desk was professional, and we were in our room within a half hour. Once inside, we immediately noticed two large stains on the living area carpet. We assumed that the room had not been cleaned well after the previous guests left and it would be taken care of the next day. Did some sightseeing and came back to retire. Noticed the bathroom floor tiles were cracked and the door frame and tiles behind the door were visibly repaired (sloppily). No microwave and the light above the coffee area did not work. Other lights had no bulbs. Notice a running water sound not sure where it is coming from. Not representative of a "resort." ||We expected to run into housekeeping the next morning to have our concerns addressed. We saw no one that day or the next. It's Wednesday now and our room has not been cleaned or replenished since Saturday/Sunday before we arrived. A visit to the lobby desk reveals that the employee tells us cleaning should be done daily. She sends up hot cups, coffee, towels, and a microwave. Unbeknownst to us you have to ask for that amenity (at a resort???) She also offers to move us and gives us two breakfast cards. We opt not to move because we are settled and she assures us we will have housekeeping every day. She says she will address the constant 24/7 running water sound. With water on the mind, we went to the adult pool. Immediately left when we saw how green the spa water was. Literal algae on the side of the walls.||Thursday we run out of conditioner. I take the bottle off the wall and place it on the side of the tub so housekeeping can't miss it. But, alas, housekeeping does not come. Another trip to the lobby and a different employee tells us cleaning is done once every three days unless you ask. I show her the carpet photos and she visibily recoils and says it looks like blood. Puts us down as daily cleaning and gives us more cups. No movement on the running water sound.||Saturday housekeeping comes in. We now have towels and cups. Still a disgusting rug and no conditioner. Someone actually moved the empty bottle to the other side of the tub! Now we have given up. Receive a text from the hotel asking how our stay is. Lay out how disappointed we are and get a "sorry you were disappointed" response. We have accepted our fate at this point and are very disappointed with the Hilton brands. This is not representative of Hilton and while two employees (Eric and the first girl at the counter) were professional and helpful, the rest of our interactions were met with non-interest and (almost) disdain, like we were bothering them by pointing out the "resort's" inadequacies. When asked what we were being charged resort fees for we were told the 100 foot slide (which I did not see), a percent off the gift store and a percent off the golf shop. Never in my life have I paid for a discount. The value simply wasn't there and while I can appreciate it's a large hotel, the cleanliness, service, and amenities were not indicative of a Hilton. As a final kicker, when we were leaving at the end of our stay, we went to the elevator with our luggage and, shocker, it was out of service. Super disappointed in the whole experience. Hilton should be ashamed to affiliate themselves with...