This is a beautiful hotel with first class restaurants and recreation. There is a large shopping area right across the street (including an "In and Out Burger" when you have had enough of first class dining at the hotel!!!

The swimming pool area is very nice, even features a lazy river. No free high speed Internet is my only criticism about Marriott properties.

There's a Starbucks in the hotel, what more could you want.

I hope to stay here again.

This is a beautiful resort and we enjoyed time there. However, with kids 6 and 4 we never felt comfortable. The furniture in the room had sharp corners and plenty of places to pinch little fingers. There were a number of people drinking a bit too much by the lazy river late in the afternoon as well. We ended up moving to the Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak where we had been the previous year and that's where we'll go from now on.

This was my first resort experience, so I’m a bit of a novice here; but I have stayed at quite a few hotels, so….

It’s a good 30 to 40 minutes to get to the hotel and it’s not exactly near the downtown area, so keep that in mind if you’re deciding between a cab or rental car. Checking in was a breeze. Concierge gave us excellent directions to downtown Scottsdale because that’s where we wanted to have dinner. If you’re in the area, Dos Gringos is a lively and excellent place with djs and attractive patrons.

We had paid for a travel package that included the Cloud Club, but this was not alerted to the check-in desk and we were not given access until the 2nd night of our stay. This was a bit of a disappointment because we would’ve taken advantage of the included extras (breakfast omelets, dessert and cocktail hours…). Thankfully I was able to slip in a visit the morning we left.

The room itself was not all that special. The bathrooms were spacious and inviting, the robes were comfortable and we had a limited view of the mountains. For as much as we paid, I should’ve confirmed our reservations a few days before and requested a room overlooking the pools.

Speaking of the pools, the grounds are absolutely gorgeous, juxtaposing desert flowers/shrubs with cascading waterfalls, pools, and lazy rivers. The grounds are very well-kept and seeing lush green grass in a desert environment was inviting. In the early to late afternoon, the families start to come out and the kids get louder and more rambunctious, but the mornings are serene, and you have the place to yourself. No place is more peaceful. However, the waitstaff leave something to be desired for poolside service. We needed to basically flag them down and shout at them to get any kind of attention.

Food: we ate a wonderful and healthy breakfast at the Blue Sage (would return again), and Roy’s was an excellent dinner. The service at Roy’s was second to none, though at the Blue Sage it took them a good five to ten minutes to clean out table top and bring us drink orders.

Summed up: would I return here again? Probably not, but a major reason for that is there are so many other resorts to choose from, and I want to get my feet wet. The hotel is a bit too big and impersonal for my taste. And it is true that this hotel caters more to business professionals at a conference than they do for families or couples. It’s not a true get-away-from-it-all experience, but it is still a memorable and beautiful hotel.

Ok. I am going to try to give some traveler some tips that will be helpful.

We were flying in from out of state and needed an early check in. The hotel had agreed to this prior. We arrived at the hotel at 10 am (yes..i know...early). So, the room was not ready and we were fine with this. We checked our bag in and went to the pool. The pool was not anything great. The service was below average and we finally went to the bar to get our own drinks and food. AFter that, we never saw a waitperson again (or one that would actually do something). AFter flying and laying at the pool, i checked back in with the front desk at 1 (no room), 2 (no room), etc...finally my BF was mad and talked to the manager. Apparentely my boyfriend had booked a suite and the last peope had checked out late. We downgraded to a normal room just to check in. That kind of sucked for us looking for a much needed vacation.
I found there to be tons of Marriott employees who walk around and smile and act helpful...but they are NOT helpful. It is like a bunch of robots walking around with fake shells.
We ordered room service that night b/c we were exhausated and needed rest. The food came in a reasonable amount of time and the staff was fine. 20% gratutity was already added to our bill so we did not feel the need to tip her twice (i know we all have different opinions on this). The staff person left our room and CALLED us, asking why we had not tipped her?? Can you imagine?? We also did not receive housecleaning during our stay which i think is a nice hotel faux pas.

Here is my big tip. Go to the adjacent spa. It is the best that i have ever been to. The staff are wonderful and the deep tissue massages are to die for (ask for susana). AFter the massage, you have access to the relaxing sauna, jacuzzi, etc and it is so relaxing. The spa has it's own pool away from the hotel that is A+. Very small, cushioned chairs, excellent food/beverage service,etc. Go the spa, get a treatment and stay there! Forever. Go to Spa pool and do not look back at the crummy Marriott pool.

This hotel is designed for familes and for business travelers. There are conferences going on everywhere and there is no room for just the vacationer. It is a stressful feeling and everyone is walking around with conference badges. I was not impressed by anything but the spa. However, Roy's restaurant in the hotel is good and i would eat there again.

I later learned that my BF was going to propose that trip but due to all of the problems has decided to wait for a better time. I hope that tells you all something.