The Star Motel — Hotel in Sedona

|Although this review is for the Star Motel....Thank goodness for the Orchards Inn Motel across the street! We had mistakenly booked the wrong date at Star Motel but we did not realize this as there is no front desk to check in. They text you a code to open up a lock box and get the key to the room. We did this after our 3 pm check in, got our belongings up the stairs, changed clothes and headed out to enjoy Uptown Sedona. BTW as we left, there were several people calling an out of state number because they did not understand how to check into this motel and there is no one on premises to help. Around 6:00 pm while at dinner, we got multiple calls from out of state numbers and of course we did not answer, but because they persisted we finally picked up. We were told we were to have checked out by 11am earlier that day and to get our stuff out of the room ASAP!! I felt it was a mistake and I would call them back. I looked up my information as these calls seemed very sketchy, and realized I had made a mistake! I contacted them back and they demanded I get there in 5 minutes to remove our things so they could clean for the next guests. I asked if they had another room for us and were told there were several and it would be $265. I agreed to this and told them I was going to finish my meal up the street and then get back within the next 1/2 hour. He said I needed to get there in 5 minutes. I finished my meal quickly and when I arrived there were several "local" people who magically appeared coming out of the "lobby" who were not in uniforms but seemed to be " in charge." I did not feel comfortable giving them my credit card literally on the street in front of the motel to secure the room to move our belongings to. So, they gave me an out of state number to call. Shock, sock she did not pick up. The locals lacking in hospitality skills simply said,.. the rooms are now NOT AVAILABLE. Soooo, our wonderful anniversary meal at Elote was cut short (and if you know you know its hard to get a table there,) our belongings are stacked on the street and we are not sure where to go. I couldn't decide if I should laugh or cry!!| And Hubby is looking very bewildered at my skills as the family travel agent. I did remind him I have gotten him to the Great Wall of China, the beaches of Reykjavik, and all over Europe with few mistakes..... and I knew we could make lemonade out of lemons !!!!! We realized we were within walking distance to The Orchards Inn Motel across the Street that has an employee at the front desk, professionally decorated southwestern themed rooms with a microwave, refrig, coffee in the lobby, or Keurig coffee maker in your room, comfortable bedding, easy access to your car but out of view and The BEST reason why you want to stay here is the 180° views of why you come to Sedona! I believe almost all the rooms face the beautiful red rocks of Sedona -The 180°views ….morning noon and night are spectacular! And it’s an easy (for us )downhill walk to the creek and their sister property L’Auberge- with an outside patio restaurant by the creek ! And because you are in Uptown Sedona you are within walking distance to many restaurants, art galleries , shopping etc -This is not our first time staying at the Orchards and we’ve decided after our horrible experience at The Star Motel The Orchards Motor Inn is only place we will stay in Uptown Sedona when we return!|Star Motel| Pros: in Uptown Sedona, car is parked in front of most rooms, bedding looked nice, non contact check in, I think its clean...|Cons: your car is parked in front of most rooms, no one on site to check you in, rooms that need paint , TINY original tiled bathroom, no coffee maker in room...

I literally have NO idea why this motel is getting such high reviews. Starting off with the price, yes it's conveniently located close to downtown and you can just walk there. But what about the other hotels near downtown that are much nicer?

The parking is VERY limited, it is difficult to get in and out of the parking lot during the busy times. If you are lucky and get #11, you get to park in the back. Everyone else has to park in the front. It's very modest, very quaint, and very small. Seriously though, for this price you're better off going to a different hotel/motel in the same area, FOR THE SAME PRICE.

However, everywhere you go, you will find things that are wrong. Nowhere is perfect right? None of these things are deal breakers if you want to stay close to downtown Sedona and are willing to get ripped off for the night. But there were other problems.

To begin with, we were told check-in was at 2pm. We showed up at 3pm and were told our room would not be available for another 30 minutes because house keeping was not finished with it.... Yes, that did happen. That has literally never happened to me before, and if there has EVER been ANY issues with any room at a different hotel, they always give you something complimentary to make up for the inconvenience. That was not the case this time.

However, we waited for our keys. When we got into the room, finally, we realized that you can hear EVERYTHING from both sides of the rooms. We can hear our neighbors, and they can hear us. Our next door neighbor also made it a point to complaint to the front desk about us making too much noise. We got the phone call, and we took care of it and remained in silence for the rest of the night. We could still hear the neighbors though.

To top everything off, I could hear everything that was happening in the front office. Yes everything. I heard when some man walked by, dropped some stuff off, and then stuck around to talk to the receptionist. I also had the honor of sitting there listening to the receptionists insult loudly on the phone. I'm assuming she was talking to whoever was supposed to come in an relieve her the next morning.

If you are going to sit there and insult people, please make sure that they CAN'T hear you through the paper thin walls. Also, if you're going to talk badly of other people, get the entire side of the story. We could hear the people in the room next to us just as well as they could hear us, we just didn't call and put in a complaint. I mean after all, it's not their fault that the walls...

We thoroughly enjoyed our night here!

The outstanding: I’ve stayed all over the world and this could possibly be the most comfortable bed I’ve ever slept in. Is the kind of comfort that you expect at a Ritz Carlton. Love the full body pillows as well. Super clean room. No stains or hairs on the sheets, no musty smell in the room. No crusty ceilings or walls, No suspicious stains in the shower. Just a very well-maintained and clean Room and property in general. The price is reasonable. Sedona is an expensive place so kudos to the ownership For not price gouging, and keeping it affordable. You won’t find a better location right in the middle of uptown Sedona. You could walk to Everything and see the whole area. The views of the rocks and the mountains are majestic. The area is obviously very safe.

Other good things The AC worked perfectly. The water pressure in the shower is adequate There’s a large screen smart TV mounted on the wall in the room. A good size, beverage cooler and microwave oven That we’re both very clean. There are a couple of chairs and a small table in front of the room to give opportunities to gaze at the mountains with your morning, coffee and do some people watching.

The neutral

The AC is mounted kind of high, so if you’re a short family, you might have a hard time reaching the buttons…. Like if you’re 5 feet tall or less.

There is no front desk service.

Check out time is a little bit early at 10 AM. Was not a problem for us, but if you’re one of those that like to sleep in, it’s something to keep in mind.

There is no “free” Breakfast. And I put “free” in quotes Because hotels that offer it figure it into their costs. I’d rather walk a block or two and support a local independent then eat Microwaved Eggs and mass produced mediocre pastries at a mid-level chain.

We were in room seven and the bathroom door doesn’t shut. Again, no big deal, but the ownership might want to know.

The next time we’re in Sedona, we’re staying here.. ...