We stayed at the FS for three nights over July 4 weekend, after finding a great deal on the chain’s website. We loved the hotel, the room and the pool, but what stood out most was the friendly and impeccable service.
The hotel’s layout provides a sense of seclusion despite its vicinity to the Scottsdale sprawl, and clearly a lot of thought was put into blending the buildings with nature. Our room was located outside of the main complex, which we found added to our seclusion experience, which was fantastic. Waking up to the magnificent desert view in our room and on our terrace was certainly worth the 3-4 minute walk to the main complex, where the lobby, restaurants, pool and gym are located. Nonetheless, for those who prefer not to make the journey by foot, the hotel offers golf-cart rides to and from the more secluded rooms.
We took advantage of the early morning hike up Pinnacle peak (offered daily), though would recommend the two hour drive to Sedona for more scenic and intense hiking experiences. We were disappointed not to be able to take part in the stargazing offered by the hotel. We were very surprised to learn that Arizona has a monsoon season in July-August, which brought about short but very intense showers in the early-to-mid evening throughout our stay and resulted in overcast skies every evening.
The pool was wonderful, and we really appreciated the separate, adult-only section, which allowed us to relax without the shouts and splashes of kids. At the same time, this allowed kids to be kids in other pool areas. We also loved the pool casitas with cool mist constantly sprayed to keep us cool. The only thing is – you had better get up very early if you want to get a hold of one of the casitas, as they are limited and extremely coveted. We were impressed by the fact that no fee was charged for the casitas, as opposed to other hotels we have stayed at. An added perk at the pool was the constant pampering by the staff, which offered complementary water, sun-screen and snacks.
The rooms are large, with a nice fireplace, nice terrace with a magnificent view, a huge bathroom and walk-in closet. The king-size bed was very comfortable and the large LCD screen added a nice touch. The only minor snag we had during our stay was the long red hair I found on the shower wall, courtesy of the prior guest, I assume. Otherwise, though, the room and hotel were clean.
I cannot conclude without a elaborating on the fantastic service, which went above and beyond our expectations. One evening, water from the heavy rain crept into our room, and within minutes two staffers came by to dry up our foyer and put sandbags outside our door. Moreover, due to religious obligations, we had dietary restrictions as well as special requests for Saturday. While I do not doubt that some of these requests sounded strange at best to the staff, they accommodated every single one of our requests (including sending someone to our out-of-the-way room to open the door for us several times on Saturday) with a smile. The concierge was very knowledgeable and well-prepared, with handy maps, directions and recommendations for hiking and activities in Sedona and Scottsdale, and tailored their recommendations to accommodate our style. I would add that the hotel was full to capacity and it appears that many of the guests were there on the same deal we found, namely at less than $160 a night. Still, every guest was treated as if they were the only guest on the property and had paid $500 per night.
