The Phoenician, a Luxury Collection Resort, Scottsdale — Hotel in Phoenix

This review has nothing to do with the room quality or amenities or facilities, those are all quite nice and frankly should be for the nightly rate you are paying. This review ties directly to the staff and their lack of care for their guests.

We were there for a weekend with family and friends attending a wedding. On the day of the wedding my wife went to the pool for one hour by herself. She got her towels and set her things down on a chair. She then received a phone call that she took and spoke for 15 minutes next to the pool with her back turned to the chair. At this time someone grabbed all of her things including her purse and sandals. This pool probably had 20 guests at the pool at this time, not a lot of activity. All the staff had the same lethargic response, “I am sorry mam, there is nothing we can do.”

Now let me be crystal clear, we are not ascribing blame directly to the hotel. They certainly cannot be responsible for all guests' belongings at all times and my wife made a costly error in judgment, although an unconscious one, she never should have turned her back to her items.

We immediately shut down credit cards but saw that the culprit already tried to charge $1,500 at Neiman Marcus just down the street so now we had validation that this was no accident or misplaced items. One gentleman who worked at the front desk (I wish I had his name) even had the nerve to tell us, “Things get stolen from the pool all the time” - If that statement is true, maybe an examination of security protocols might be a priority.

Rather than attend our wedding we spent the reception filling out a police report. We knew the chances of recovery were slim and the financial loss was significant ($500) but not catastrophic. The point is there is an absolute dearth of security at this resort. I can’t list all the shortcomings but here are a few: There are no cameras anywhere on the three pool decks (at least that is what we were told), All gates to the pools remain wide open at all times. I have stayed at resorts who charge half as much as the phonecian and they still require a room key to access the pools. The parking lot entry attendant showed no enforcement as far as which cars were allowed on property.

Here is the kicker. 7 hours after the purse was first stolen another charge was attempted on our canceled credit card BACK ON THE PHOENICIAN property. We thought this was our chance, how many establishments are even open at 10 PM to accept payment on the property? We alerted hotel management immediately and again the blank stares, the nonchalance, complete and utter deflection, “I am sorry, we can’t track that.” How easy would it have been upon our initial claim to tell their staff “If you run a credit card that is denied then alert security immediately.” With today’s tech and ubiquitous communication that is such an easy catch. You would think at $700/night there might be a modicum of effort or assistance for their guests.

Moral of the Story: Don’t take anything valuable to the pool and Don’t rely on the staff. Their customer service extends as far as reading a script, over and over again. They are sorry, but there is nothing they can do, ahem, willing to do.

(11/15 Follow up to Mr. Fredricks response) With all due respect Ben, I find it a bit disingenuous to be told I am getting a “response from the business owner” when in reality it is a room operations manager who has been in the workforce for just over six years. I don’t mean to slight you directly Ben, you could be highly proficient at your role and I know this lack of attention to our case is not orchestrated by you. The frustration is with your bosses who are merely applying damage control. It is a strategy as old as time, deflect and neglect. Placate the upset client with feckless apologies in hopes they just go away. You allude to hints of action, “steps are being taken“ . . .

Please feel free to contact us with what exactly these are. We accept your “sincere apologies” but six weeks later, we are awaiting to see what...

Date: 06/14/25

Title: “The Best of the Best”

Pros:

Guarded checkpoint at the main entrance

a luxurious resort entrance with Camelback Mountain in the backdrop.

Several accommodation options on site including under ground parking. With a fully functional parking garage.

I was very surprised how they were able to bring the classic luxury experience into 2025.

Valet is always available to assist you at the main entrance with all of your transportation needs day or night.

The main lobby entrance is very grand and opulent with people catering to your every need and fountains I mean the whole nine yards.

This location offers a true resort experience almost as if you’re away in another country.

It’s located in one of the best locations in Scottsdale across from Old Town Scottsdale and adjacent to Paradise Valley.

They have several eating options on site. Such as The Markerplace adjacent to the main lobby which is like a cafe bistro. Across from that is an actual convenience store like shop within the hotel. They have Mowry & Cotton which has a great everyday food menu with class. They also have The Tavern which is like a pub with excellent food options but more casual. They have a restaurant at the pool named Kalio. You can get food also at Thirsty Camel which is the lobby bar that has excellent food options. The crown jewel is J&G steakhouse with excellent service and views of Camelback Mountain. And lastly they have 24/7 room service.

onsite there are several activities and venues such as the Athletic Center, Tennis Courts, Game Room, Golf Center, Several Pools with a slide, The Phoenician Spa and even a kids center called Funicians Club.

There are 645 total accommodations: 577 guest rooms and 68 suites. Guest rooms span 600 square feet; suites are twice that size with one or two bedrooms. I stayed in a Grand Deluxe King w/ pool view this trip which was lovely like a mini suite. In the past I have stayed in the large suites which is just as lovely with more space. The rooms have a very classic feel but are still very modern and updated.

They have the Canyon Suites on-site which is a separate hotel within a hotel. I will review that one at a later date. Although it’s supposed to have a more personalized luxury experience.

$100 incidental per night and a $50 resort fee per night

Romantic/Nature Inspired Cactus Garden across from the main lobby entrance.

Cons:

no house car anymore for everyone except VIP and people staying at the canyon suites. To be honest I’m mentioning this because it was an experience when they did have it. But of course Ubers are readily available.

there was no trash bin in my bathroom. Just overall there should have been more small trash bins in the room I had.

The property is very large. There are so many things available to do and see. Although they do provide you with a guide at check in. It would be nice to have property tours if they don’t already have this.

There were so many shops/food options available on-site that I had no idea about until I literally toured the whole property.

Summary:

This is the place that you stay when you have finally made it in life. Anything you want or need is here on site or close by including the stunning views of Camelback Mountain. If you’re looking for a true resort experience this place provides that and more. I believe my title for this place says it all.

Thumbs Up Or Down: Thumbs Up

Key People:

Devin - Front Desk (a true GEM for the property with his knowledge and skillset with the charisma to match)

Javier - Front Desk (another star I encountered on site. He checked me in and was able to determine exactly the experience I was looking for and he nailed it)

Chad - Bell desk (exceptional service, remembered my name, and made me feel special and valued each time I encountered him)

Dino - Bartender (he may be the best mixologist in Phoenix)

Sydney - Hostess (The Tavern) - very knowledgeable and helpful when explaining the menu and...

This review is not complete because of the word limit First and foremost I want to start off by saying my partner and I were celebrating our anniversary and chose this “luxury resort” as a form of stay-cation to relax and enjoy our years of being together. For the money we spent for a single day and night at this resort I am EXTREMELY disappointed, and it truly all began from the moment we drove up to check-in. The valet was a mess, no one would even bother to help us with our bags or car so we ended up parking a distance away from the front desk and walking, with all of our things, to check in. So obviously irritated already, it was no shocker that we were told our room wasn’t ready and we could give our bags to some bell hops if we wanted to while we waited. I informed the man who was checking us in, Corey I believe (?), that we had a treatment at the spa that day and wanted to wait and relax there until we were able to go to our room. He assured us that wouldn’t be a problem and we could give our bags and car to the valet and they would shuttle us to the spa. HA! When we told this to the valet they informed us that it “actually will be quite a while before anyone can shuttle us” so we’re better off driving ourselves to the parking garage by the spa. Of course, who’s surprised at this point. Also I told the man checking us in that it was our anniversary and if it was possible we would love a cooler and champagne glasses available in our room when it was ready. All we had asked for was two glasses and some ice and you would’ve sworn we were asking for the entire complex on a silver platter by the way he looked at us. He flat out denied us and told us we can call room service once we were admitted to our room if we still wanted that - no congratulations, nothing. Thanks, five star service indeed I guess. So my partner and I drive ourselves down to the spa, which was the single enjoyable part of the day. I truly do not have anything negative to say about the spa or the staff. They were incredibly accommodating and we immensely enjoyed not only our couples massage, but the cabana we rented on the rooftop that day…. And then our nightmare began again. When we left the front desk from checking in we were told we would receive a call that our room was ready, at the latest 4 pm…. It was 5:30 when we left the spa and we hadn’t received a call or anything. also I should say that the spa staff repeatedly asked us for our room number and it was pretty embarrassing to have to say we had no idea because, you guessed it, no one had told us a thing about our room or when it would be ready! So we leave at 5:30, drive ourselves back to the front desk, where once again not a single person asks to help us with our car so, once again, we park a distance away and walk to the front (same old song and dance huh). We’re finally handed our keys and told where the room is. And guess where it is, right. Next. To the spa. Where we just came from…. So how many unnecessary trips did we take just to drive ourselves right back to where we had came from. Oh and can I add that no bell hop dropped our bags at our room for us, they just handed them to us from where they were being stored and we were of course on our own again. So naturally we decide to dine away from this egregious, disappointing resort. Best part of the evening truly. We return around 9 and start winding down from the day. Around 11 pm, our neighbors decide it’s a FANTASTIC idea to invite all six of their friends they’re visiting the resort with out onto their balcony which is directly next to ours with no walls between. We could hear (and smell) EVERYTHING. They were screaming until 1 am. We called the front desk TWICE to complain and they assured us they were sending security to handle it. HA, for a second time! Trust me, we would’ve known if security had bothered to knock on their door because we could hear every. Single. Word. They were saying and I think I would know if...