Arizona Inn — Hotel in Tucson

This is my first visit to Tucson and also the Inn. What a gem. Our suite was classy and everything I’d hoped it would be. Classic elegance from a slice of time worth recalling. We will definitely return to this beautiful desert retreat. The main dining was spectacular and the evening cocktails were the finest I have ever had…I don’t say that lightly…the Vieux Carre with side car was something from my dreams. Our entrees were gourmet delights, especially the Brussels sprouts with goat cheese pannacotta…just wonderful. I looked at other resorts around the area but my affluent local friend insisted I stay here and I’m so happy we did. Lastly, the staff were true professionals and so friendly. Thank you Update: 10/11/23: As I said, in my review above, I booked their finest patio suite and I loved my first day…greeting and escorted by Lorin, a wonderful gentleman and the front desk staff were classy professionals …our room was a beautiful suite, and the grounds spectacularly landscaped; I was most looking forward to the classic pool and elegant dining. The pool and the main dining room lived up to its fine reputation. It was simply awesome. I wrote in my previous review that the dining room cocktails were superb, and their wine list was amazing and it was a treat to be pampered; wonderful dining sitting in classic dining room with fantastic staff, Lilly was our server and a true professional. Excited by my previous evening’s culinary experience, I returned the next day but the lunch menu had only three items (a turkey sandwich, tacos, and a burger) and the two women working tables also “acted” as bartenders but didn’t make proper cocktails; I ordered the exact cocktail that I had the evening before called a Vieux Carre, and it was awful, was served half full on the rocks in the wrong glass and no sidecar like the previous evening….I should’ve sent it back, but I was thirsty….so fast forward to Oct 10th, I went down to Mexico for a three day family event but couldn’t wait to come back to the Inn to have another fine dining experience after eating disgusting tourist food in Puerto Penasco. Sadly, the Inn main dining room is only open Thurs-Sunday but good news, they are serving dinner on the patio BUT it just happens to be the exact same disappointing lunch menu with only three choices and the same two women that can’t pour a correct cocktail. I was so depressed that I walked a mile to the nearest restaurant that was rated on TripAdvisor called the Kingfisher, an old school restaurant but better menu than tacos, burgers or a sandwich. I had planned to come back to Arizona Inn multiple times in the future but if the dining room isn’t going to be open, it’s not worth coming for me. So, even with my critical words, I’m still giving it five stars because it is such a classic...

Someone I trust told me I should stay here if I was ever in Tucson. I was. I did.

Here's the deal...if you're a great brand, you've clearly figured out how to provide an exceptional brand experience for your customer. More importantly, if things do not go as expected with a customer, you determine a quick and reasonable response and/or action to address any issue experienced by a customer. My issue? I arrived at the Arizona Inn very late - around midnight. I was exhausted and just wanted to go to bed. My room smelled so heavily of cleaning products that after a short time of being there I got a terrible headache and had to open the windows to get some fresh air in the room. My sleep was extremely poor because of the odor despite the windows being open.

At 7:00 a.m. the next morning, I was awoken by my neighbor on his patio below smoking cigarettes and arguing with his significant other over the phone. I closed the windows, but could still clearly hear the very loud gentlemen cursing away in anger. So, I got up, showered and left.

Now, when I informed the front desk about my experience, I received a very warm apology. I even got a voice message from someone at the hotel the next day with another apology. However, that doesn’t alter the reality that I paid $226 for a lousy night’s sleep with a wakeup call in the form of cigarette smoke and an extremely loud and angry gentleman cursing away at his significant other; and the response from the Arizona Inn was, “sorry.”

What’s ultimately curious to me is, I did my part and took my complaint “offstage,” as we might say, and brought my issue to an actual human being instead of immediately to social media or a review platform. However, the Arizona Inn, in response, did nothing except give me the proverbial “oops, our bad.” So, instead of having me as a brand advocate, sharing how great Arizona Inn managed a challenging experience and turned my negative impression into a positive one by refunding my money or offering to put me up at a later time in a suite or something, they would rather keep their $226 and lose my business forever along with any endorsement I would have provided for their brand. An odd response in an age when solutions to problems like this are so...

I’ve stayed at the Arizona Inn 3 times. The first was in the early 90s for a family event. My next two visits are more current. The latest, January 2025. The Inn located in the middle of Tucson, in a beautiful neighborhood and not adjacent to a main road. The Inn predates the neighborhood. The Arizona Inn is quiet, cozy, and very personal. If you like big corporate hotels, elevators, long hallways, rooms that open to a closet on one side, the bathroom on the other side, and a breakfast buffet, then skip the Arizona Inn. It has none of that. It has a quiet, cozy feel, gardens, patio room access, and great food. It is quintessential Tucson Arizona.

Heading to the Audubon Bar & Patio one morning, it was my intent to get a bagel and fruit. Seeing the Chef’s Burrito on the menu changed my mind. The tortilla was thin as a real tortilla should be and filled with perfect mixture of eggs, meat, beans, and served with the just the right amount of enchilada style sauce. The burrito did not get soggy from excess liquid, a sign of quality in my view. I could only eat about 80% of it, and that kept me from even thinking about food until past 2:00 PM, unusual for me. One lunch, I enjoyed their excellent Rueben sandwich. It was picture perfect. I should have taken a photo. Another day, the Beef Short Rib Tacos make also made a great lunch, in the photo, one taco is already gone. One evening I had the quesadilla with chicken, it was made with thin tortillas and somehow the tortilla was flaking like Greek phyllo as I cut it into bite sized pieces. Beautiful, tasty, and filling.

One note, reserving your room directly with the Inn may be lower in cost than using a booking service. Compare rates.

I grew up and was schooled in Tucson, I still consider it my home town though I’ve lived away for over 30 years. Staying at the Arizona Inn when visiting makes my return just a little more special. I stay and eat...