Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale — Hotel in Scottsdale

This is our 4th time at this resort. Third time bringing our family for spring break. We really wanted to enjoy it as much as well usually do. Unfortunately that just wasn’t the case. It started when my daughter pulled out an old Tupperware container full of mysterious brown liquid from the mini fridge. When I brought it to the front desk the two women working seemed stunned, nervous to say anything and above all defensive. And trust me it was disgusting. The service at the pool was crazy long. To the point of confusion. The kicker here is that the resort wasn’t even that busy so we had no idea why service seemed to take so long. But it did. Every day. This bothered me: the hotel manager brought a picture to a doorman of the “ceo staying at the hotel” so he remembers what he looks like. The way she spoke to him was very rude and not appropriate in front of other guests. (Especially since the doormen are so very nice) ….Small things were missing at the resort that don’t seem like a big deal but added up. For example they removed all snacks from the gift shop. I’m sure to make guests spend more money and order room service. But when your kids want a simple snack between lunch and dinner having to mess around with room service each time should not be the only option. My daughter needed a couple bandaids- this took like a half an hour to get- I don’t know why. I ordered a package to be delivered to the hotel and asked the concierge to please contact me when it arrived. That didn’t happen of course I had to inquire about it myself hours after it arrived. At the spa- not sure if they are trying to save money on towels as well, but the attendant was nowhere to be seen and there weren’t any extra towels anywhere. So I had to use the same towel for the steam room, sauna and shower. The overall level of customer service has gone downhill as well, in terms of how they interact with customers. For example, I got my spa appointment mixed up (my bad). They still charged me anyways. Fine I understand the policy. However when I called the spa to ask if I could please reschedule and take the room charge off, the person was basically all “well we have to charge your room and I don’t know I need to ask my manager.” Instead of “totally understand mistakes happen let me talk with my manager and call you back.” —When you are at the Four Seasons you expect the customer service communication to go above and beyond with their delivery. Not so this time. The manager did call me back and take the room charge off, letting me reschedule but again, it was how the personnel handled the situation. I don’t know if they aren’t training their people the same as they used to or what is going on. The bathrooms in the rooms are in desperate need for an upgrade. The shower pressure was basically nothing and I probably would have gotten a better shower under a hose. The positives: we love the restaurant Proof and cannot say enough good things about it. The food and atmosphere is spectacular. Separately the restaurant Talvera is beautiful as usual. The view must be one of the most beautiful in Arizona. The menu is small but very good. The property itself is still stunning and does not disappoint aesthetically. We are just sad that overall this resort is not what it used to be in our eyes and it’s too bad as our kids really loved it. But we can’t justify paying almost double the prices for half of what we are used to receiving. We did receive a $400 credit - which was basically tax for two dinners there. In no way did it put a dent in our astronomical bill that was not “earned.” This review is in our opinion, based off of our most...

Driving up to the Four Seasons Scottsdale, a friendly valet welcomed us with a bottle of water and glass of hibiscus tea, before entering the lobby. Inside is a very pleasing signature “desert rose” Four Seasons scent that lingers, as the well trained and attentive staff check guests in.

Entering one of the deluxe adobe-style casitas, we admired the saltillo tile flooring, high ceiling, spacious living area, custom king bed and cozy corner gas-burning fireplace. A large sofa folded out into a bed for our teenage daughter. Walking out onto a large private terrace, we looked out onto the bi-level lagoon-style pools and panoramic view of the serrated Pinnacle mountain peaks and boulders. Furnishings and decor are inspired by Sonoran desert sunsets.

For families or those seeking the ultimate accommodations, the Prescott two-bedroom suite offers three private patios, a heated plunge pool and telescope for late nigh stargazing. The Pinnacle three-bedroom suite sleeps up to nine guests. There are two king beds and two double beds, plus rollaway beds if needed in this private 3,000 sq. ft. casita.

Donning our swimsuits, we swam in the saltwater heated to 84 degrees pool. Nearby is a quieter lower level adult pool with plenty of lounge chairs for relaxing in the sun or under a shady umbrella. There is also a large lagoon design whirlpool tub that can accommodate up to 25 guests.

Set in the majestic Sonoran Desert, Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North offers a variety of outdoor adventures. Complimentary shuttles in one of the six Mercedes Benz cars can take golfers to two nearby world-class golf courses.

Another popular activity is hiking from the resort’s trailhead to Pinnacle Peak Park. My daughter and I took a scenic trail on a smooth path and read informational signs to educate us about the flora and fauna. At every turn there were panoramic valley views.

After a hike to the top of the peak, we visited the spa and learned the alchemistas in the aroma design bar create custom essential oils and body butters to apply during a healing treatment.

While leaving the spa, we noticed the staff was setting up for a wedding on the Fountain Terrace with Pinnacle Peak as a backdrop. The resort’s wedding team provides everything a bride and groom need for an intimate Sonoran wedding to a lavish Grand Ballroom style epic event.

Stopping at the contemporary Gin Bar, guests were enjoying libations from the Spanish inspired menu. With over 20 different gins, the mixologists prepare Spanish versions of a gin and tonic. The bar also serves seasonal sangrias, wine, beer, sherry and cider, as well as tapas before dinner at Talavera restaurant.

Dinner at the modern Spanish steakhouse on the covered terrace at Talavera, we sat near a long fire pit, while taking in the dramatic desert views, and enjoying the chef’s vibrant Latin dishes using local ingredients to enhance proteins from the sea and land.

Walking back to our casita, we ordered room service for dessert before bed. A staff member brought us freshly baked warm chocolate chip cookies and a bottle of milk.

In the morning, my daughter and I enjoyed a lavish breakfast buffet at Proof Canteen. The eggs Benedict, chicken and waffles, sweet potato hash and yogurt, granola and fresh fruit parfaits were some of...

We stayed for 3 days at the end of December. The resort property is wonderful, the location a bit remote but a nice setting. However the service was really mixed and hit some unexpectedly poor spots for the Four Seasons brand and premium price.

We booked via Amex Platinum which gives some food credits and other benefits. We had to ask for the benefits - usually they are provided at checkin pro-actively. Miss #1.

We were told we could use the $90 credit for breakfast. But they failed to explain only at a certain restaurant. Miss #2 and this needs a bit of explaining since the problems went down a few unfortunate paths. First, we ate at the Proof restaurant on our first morning and waited 20 minutes to be seated in a 1/4 full restaurant. We then sat and received some water from a bus boy after 10 minutes and then waited and waited and prompted and prompted for our server to take a drink order and breakfast order. It was not until we walked to the front desk to ask the manager to provide service before we received any attention. That took about 40 more minutes. Then we ordered food and coffee and it took a fair amount of additional time. Again, the restaurant was very slow and there were a ton of servers, water boys, bus boys etc available. The operations were definitely askew. In any event we received our decent* food and agreed to not go back to this location for breakfast since it turned into nearly a 2 hour ordeal for a a basic breakfast. So the next two days we go to the buffet and get the same food (!) next door and the overall process takes minutes - as to be expected. (*I believe the original ordered food on day 1 was actually served from the buffet because it was lukewarm.) We found our fix (we thought) to eat at the buffet for the same food, and in control of the timing. We go to check out and they tell use the buffet (which was cheaper than the Proof meals) is not included in the $90 food credit. We explained the situation which was the front desk person did not say we couldn't have the buffet for our food credit so we are surprised. The man checking us out said he didn't have the authority to correct the situation (a credit was expected) and he would have a manager call us to discuss. We didn't hear back after a week+. So that was miss #2.

And on to the pool service... on every occasion my food or drink order was forgotten and required a few prompts to get either. Sometimes taking an hour for something quite simple. Miss #3

The room minibar had an opened (seal broken, half eaten) cashews when we arrived. We told the front desk about this and the cleaning folks twice. It was taken by one of the housekeeps on our 3rd mention of it, but never replaced. And yes, we were charged $52.77 for the cashews which we never ate! Miss #4.

That said, there were times of good service and delightful servers and friendly staff - but at Four Seasons one would expect consistency in...