JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort Spa, Phoenix

I am totally impressed with this resort. It is family oriented as well as a perfect getaway for couples who need intimate time. The hotel is huge, the pool area also has a large waterpark with a few typical waterpark "rides" like slides, lazy river, etc. It's great for families to spend time together or apart as they have many restaurants, bars, and things to do around the property. The rooms are emmaculate and large, the hotel has plenty of parking but kind of far from the rooms, and the food selection was large. The best part is this hotel is nestled in a large shopping area and as well as part of an upscale residential area. JW is across from Desert Ridge, a huge outdoor mall with tons of shopping, arcade/davenbusters, a night club and tons of good eats around there. It is a simple 20 minute walk away. The price was really high but you really do get what you pay for.

We chose this resort for our last night in Phoenix, (and because it was a Marriott) to end our vacation on a fabulous note (so we thought). We checked into our room, which was beautiful and had a great bathroom and comfortable beds. The TV would not decrease past 19 on the volume level, and I called the front desk to ask for help. The question I was asked was "did you try the remote?". Wow. About 30 minutes later, a maintenance man appeared and was mystified because he couldn't decrease the volume either, so he called in assistance. It could not be repaired, so we were moved to another room--this was about 1 1/2 hours after we had checked in (for only one night). The next room was exactly the same, and the TV worked. I went into the restroom to splash water on my face and almost overflowed the sink because the stopper was broken and plugged the sink. I had to reach in to dig the stopper out, and didn't bother asking for it to be fixed because our time had already been wasted some. There are no vending machines on the property, which was an issue for us because my husband is diabetic and sometimes needs a quick soda if his sugar levels drop suddenly. **The last problem we did not discover until we were already home--when checking in we were asked for a card for any incidental expenses, which we are accustomed to, and my husband gave his debit card--now, normally we would use a credit card, but staying only 1 night we knew we would have no additional expenses. Checking our bank statement, a $210 charge was debited at the exact same time we checked into this establishment. Our room rate was only $161 plus taxes (government rate)! I called the hotel Saturday, and they said they could offer no help, it would have to wait until Monday and a separate billing department would be able to assist me. I did call them Monday, and was told by a representative that it was a "hold" placed on the funds (which renders them completely frozen until Marriott calls the bank to have them released). That's all fine and good, but we were not told that any amount would be frozen by the check-in girl, and we travel frequently and are used to giving a card for incidentals, which we normally never accrue. Our 1st 2 nights in Scotsdale we stayed at a lower star Marriott and this one could use some tips to earn its higher star rating. As stated by others, the housekeeping staff did not acknowledge us at all when we walked by, and we always make a point to speak to housekeeping in the hotels we use. We would never consider staying here again, much to our disappointment. It didn't ruin our entire vacation, but what a hassle!

love the area so clean away from downtown areas like some so called resorts. the phoenix scottsdale area has great upscale shopping at keirland commons, scottsdale fashion sq, a nd even a shopping center desert ridge right across the street. beautiful desert views and clean very nice neighboorhood in scottsdale border line great forst class resturants at the hotel and scottsdale. I live in denver this area is so much cleaner newer and much more up scale then anywhere in denver after my visist to this hotel and area im thinkinng of moving here and this hotel was one of the reason due to its beauty . great property, great service, will be back.

Pros This is a beautiful hotel, inside and out. The landscaping is gorgeous and the staff was spectacular. The hotel has fresh flowers everywhere and I love the fact that complimentary water and ice tea locations were located in the lobby, gym, and throughout the hotel. Our room was very nice, I especially loved the beds, very comfortable, and the bathroom was big and beautiful. The hotel is located in good proximity to a shopping area, restaurants, and a mega movie theatre. The hotel provides complimentary shuttle service to and from the shopping center, which is literally across the street. Possibly walkable in the fall/winter months but not while I was there, when the temp seems to linger around 110. I also like that they guarantee your sleeping requests, i.e. if you ask for a king size bed you get one. The pool area is impressive. They have a lazy river, great for the kids, and the free gym is quite sufficient. In the evenings, you can relax by the pool and chill out by the waterside bar which features nightly live entertainment. Cons: This hotel is located approximately 25 miles from the airport. You will need to rent a vehicle. They do not offer shuttle service to/from the airport. The average price for the transportation is $23 pp per trip or rent a town car which is $60 per trip up to 4 people. I think the hotel needs to partner with a transportation company to offer reduce pricing for transportation. Do not get the printed directions from the hotel's website. It is quite vague. We got lost, using their directions and eventually used the map provided by the rental car company. This is a huge hotel, it seemed like everything was so far away. If your room is on the other side of the pool and the main lobby, wear comfortable shoes. Although parking is complimentary, it is hard to find because of so many rental cars. If we went out for dinner at night, we would have to park so far away because of availability. Other than the Hotel and Desert Ridge shopping area there is not much to see. We ventured a little past the hotel but it was just barren. We requested a microwave for our room before we checked in. They said one would be available however upon check in we were told that we were #5 on the wait list. We never got the microwave. The lazy river closes quite early at 7pm. It also smelled like it needed to be cleaned. Last but not least, at night by the pool would be these giant flying cockroaches. They only came out at night as the conditions by the pool were condusive, hot and moist; they were not in our room. The last day of our stay, although check out is at 12pm, maid service showed up at 9am to clean the room and we had about 3 more attempts until I finally let them know that we would not be leaving the room until 12pm. I would recommend this hotel, it is a 5 star hotel but I gave it a 4 because of the location.

We had a hard time getting to the hotel, we even called the front desk and couldn't get good directions. We finally stopped at another hotel to get good directions! The hotel itself is gorgeous and the grounds well cared for. The room was clean and well serviced. One of the lamps was a compact flourescent that buzzed and blinked continously if turned on. None of the lamps on the nightstands could be turned off without getting out of bed. And, of course, they messed up on check-out and charged the room to the wrong credit card. Not a experience for a luxury hotel.

Great hotel....Thought I died and went to heaven! Very romantic, scenic views, great service, a true world-class resort. This hotel will always have a speacial place in my heart, I proposed to my wife on the hotel grounds 6/25/05.

Wow is all I can say! I felt like a celebrity. My family and I recieved amazing service. The resort is family friendly. We really enjoyed the food we recieved here. Each room was decorated very up to date and luxurious. I enjoyed a day at the spa where I pampered myself with extreamly professional treatments. The staff here was incredible. This resort is by far the best I have ever been too!

What a wonderful hotel! The service is amazing. Just being in this space relaxed me during my entire trip. Early morning walks on the grounds are highly recommended. Look forward to going back in the future.

We visited with our four children on a family trip recently and cannot tell you how much fun we had. The staff at the JW went out of their way to make sure we were comfortable and happy. The kids loved the pools, the lazy river and oh yes, the slide. The breakfast buffet is a must do, and the service at the Blue Sage restaurant was terrific! Only a short drive to Sedona (90 min). The hotel is located right around the corner from the Desert Ridge Marketplace where there is shopping and dining galore. Two golf courses on site...we played the Arnold Palmer course - nice track!

The location was perfect and the staff went out of their way to assist us with information on ski packages, tours and shopping. The service was great! The complimentary breakfast was a real treat and a money saver. We met other guests from all over the United States and enjoyed visiting with them.