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Hyatt Residence Club Sedona Piñon Pointe AZ REVIEW - MASTER THREAD

Hyatt Residence Club Sedona Piñon Pointe AZ REVIEW - MASTER THREAD

Old Jun 10, 2010, 10:39 am
  #1  
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Hyatt Residence Club Sedona Piñon Pointe AZ REVIEW - MASTER THREAD

We booked a 2-night stay during the Spring 2010 BWB earn period. Both nights were charged to our credit card in advance as a “deposit.” This property has a 14-day cancellation period, so it is not a place to make tentative reservations. 2 nights' stay was a good choice, as it gave us time to explore the surrounding area. The property itself has a very nice location on the top of a knoll – the red cliffs seem very nearby and change throughout the day as the sun hits them differently.

Rooms available when we booked were a studio, a 1-bedroom, or a 2-bedroom. We felt the studio at $169/ night was the only one we could reasonably afford. On arrival, FD staff was friendly and knowledgeable, and informed us that we would get a BWB stay credit and points for the base room rate ($169 for a studio), but no other bonus or amenity points except for Starbucks spends.

We went to our room to check in, and liked the view from the balcony and the nice bathroom. The studios are quite small, though – smaller than most Hyatt hotel rooms would be, and the kitchenette has only a small bar sink, microwave and coffeemaker, but it's fully stocked with dishes, glassware, etc. The accommodations buildings are two-story, with upstairs units or downstairs units, and the unit we had was part of a 2-bedroom “lockoff,” which meant that there was a connecting door between our unit and the one-bedroom next door. If you owned it, presumably, you could use it all or turn part back to Hyatt to rent. Outside of our building was a nice BBQ area with grill and tables, etc. We did not use it, but appreciated knowing it was available and very nice. Great views, too, from this outdoor area. The whole property was very clean and tidy.

We had been encouraged to come back up to the lobby to get some information about the area, so we did. Just next to the front desk is a concierge-type lady, but with a twist: yes, she will help you plan excursions, etc., but she is also there to try to see if you're willing to attend a timeshare presentation (oops – they're called Vacation Clubs these days.) We expected that, as we knew it was a timeshare property, and had discussed in advance what we were willing to do, so it did not take us by surprise. We were offered, in exchange for attending a 1.5-hour presentation, a choice of: an upgrade to a 1-bedroom unit, a $150 credit on excursions like helicopter rides or Pink Jeep Tours, or $150 off our hotel bill. We chose the credit on the bill, and made a reservation to attend the presentation on the morning of checkout. The credits are actual paper certs the timeshare people give you, so attendance at the presentation is mandatory to receive the credit. I would presume that the offerings would change from time to time, so this is just an example.

There are a lot of rooms here, and it's a bit of a ramble to find one's way around, but it's a nice property. It does, though, feel like a condo development rather than a hotel. The central pool area is very nice, with an outdoor pool and whirlpools around a “clubhouse”-type building with fitness equipment, pool table, large TV, etc. It was very uncrowded when we were there, and peaceful under the warm May sky – not sure what effect families with small children would have. The staff here have a big binder with great descriptions of about 50 area hikes, and will print out any you request. It's a very nice service – the descriptions have maps, elevation gain, difficulty, distance, parking info, etc.

One feature we enjoyed a lot is the group of shops across the driveway from the property – some galleries and the like, but also some very good restaurants, including a sushi place, the Starbucks previously mentioned, and the Wildflower Cafe. Wildflower Cafe is a casual place where we chose to take a lot of meals – fresh food, great prices, innovative preparation and a cheerful staff – plus beautiful red rock views.

Lots of excursions are available from here, including horseback riding and the ones mentioned, but we chose to do our own driving, and visited some great sites, including Montezuma Wells, Montezuma Castle, and Walnut Canyon. It was a very nice respite and a lovely property. For a stay of any more than our two nights, though, or with any more than two people (who share a bed), the studio apartment would be too small.

The timeshare presentation was actually interesting, as we had not previously understood how timeshare could be combined with a hotel operation, but we did not purchase one. All in all, a nice two-day stay.
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Old Jun 10, 2010, 10:42 am
  #2  
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Yay - our first Vacation Club Review - Thank you very much!!!!
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Old Jul 24, 2012, 5:12 pm
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Just purchased a week timeshare with Hyatt Carmel being base. Super excited now trying to decide where we are going to go during the first year. Has anyone stayed at the one-bedroom in this property? Wanted some feedback. Studio was tiny for 4 of us during our last stay.
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Old Jul 24, 2012, 6:18 pm
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Originally Posted by coterie
Just purchased a week timeshare with Hyatt Carmel being base. Super excited now trying to decide where we are going to go during the first year. Has anyone stayed at the one-bedroom in this property? Wanted some feedback. Studio was tiny for 4 of us during our last stay.
My wife and I stayed at this property over the 4th.

If it was the studio, which I believe it was...it was most likely the smallest room we have ever stayed in with Hyatt. It was very cramped for the two of us. There was barely enough room to walk beside the bed.

That said, it had a very nice patio and the best view I have had at a Hyatt. We also did not stay on property much...hiking, driving the back road out of Jarome, etc.

I will go back regardless of the room size, the location is great - right in the middle of town. We ended up sitting on the patio drinking wine and watching the sunset/rise coloring the Red Rocks.
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Old Sep 14, 2012, 3:05 pm
  #5  
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Some more information on this property.

This property has four room types, studios, stand alone one bedrooms, one bedrooms and two bedrooms (comprising a 1br and a studio).

Rooms either have a view or they do not. In order to get a room with a view, it has to be requested in advance. The likelihood of getting a view unit is directly proportional to how far in advance the booking was made. All view units have stairs. So, if an ADA unit is requested, then there will not be a view.

All of the studios are very small. They are basically a room and a bed. If you don't plan on spending any time in the room then it probably doesn't matter. Also, as they were designed to be an addition to the one-bedroom, generally if they have a view then it is not as good as the attached one bedroom.

As a vacation club property, the amenities are pretty sparse. There is a pool, fire pit, and activity center. Wireless internet is free and in all of the units. There is no restaurant attached to the property. However, there a sit-down sort of upscale place, knock-off Panera Bread, Starbucks, and a Coldstone creamery in the strip-center attached to the parking lot.

Upgrades are generally hard to come by at this property. CC holders may get them, but that is about it. High season is April and October, so there is limited availability during those months.
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Old Nov 10, 2012, 7:11 pm
  #6  
 
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Just got back from a stay at this property. Redeemed 12,000 points for a night in a studio. I am a Platinum Gold Passport member. My $20 resort fee was waived...though it wasn't clear why it was waived.

As others mentioned, the location is great right in the center of Sedona. Plenty of restaurants and shops within walking distance. The studio is small, though I thought it was the size of an average hotel room. One thing to be aware of with the studio is that it does not have an in-unit washer/dryer like the 1- and 2-bedroom units do.

We found a large (2" long) giant agave bug (see http://thingsbiological.wordpress.co...phala-thomasi/ ) in our room. My fiancee doesn't like bugs, and had me insist on getting a different room. The front desk staff was very accomodating, even getting us a room with a better view. I asked if we could receive 1-bedroom unit since they had availability and we were only staying for one night. I was told they can't upgrade my room unless I paid a $50 fee to upgrade. I did think it was odd they were unable to grant a free upgrade to make up for a bad customer experience, but it wasn't a big deal anyway and I passed on paying $50 to upgrade.

Like the OP, I was offered $150 to attend a 90-minute timesharing presentation. I passed on that, as I had limited time in Sedona and wanted to make the most of it.

Something else that is worth mentioning is that Sedona has a no-light ordinance around town. There are no streetlights allowed anywhere, which allows for great views of the stars at night. Each room in this property has a flashlight that you will need to bring with you to get around town. If you can, try to get an upper floor unit with a balcony view of the stars. Also, if you have a problem climbing stairs, make sure to request a unit with minimal stairs (our first "upper-floor" unit had about 10 stairs going down from the parking lot to the unit, and our second "upper-floor" unit had 2 stairs going up).
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Old Nov 14, 2012, 12:43 pm
  #7  
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Originally Posted by vortix
Just got back from a stay at this property. Redeemed 12,000 points for a night in a studio. I am a Platinum Gold Passport member. My $20 resort fee was waived...though it wasn't clear why it was waived.

As others mentioned, the location is great right in the center of Sedona. Plenty of restaurants and shops within walking distance. The studio is small, though I thought it was the size of an average hotel room. One thing to be aware of with the studio is that it does not have an in-unit washer/dryer like the 1- and 2-bedroom units do.

We found a large (2" long) giant agave bug (see http://thingsbiological.wordpress.co...phala-thomasi/ ) in our room. My fiancee doesn't like bugs, and had me insist on getting a different room. The front desk staff was very accomodating, even getting us a room with a better view. I asked if we could receive 1-bedroom unit since they had availability and we were only staying for one night. I was told they can't upgrade my room unless I paid a $50 fee to upgrade. I did think it was odd they were unable to grant a free upgrade to make up for a bad customer experience, but it wasn't a big deal anyway and I passed on paying $50 to upgrade.

Like the OP, I was offered $150 to attend a 90-minute timesharing presentation. I passed on that, as I had limited time in Sedona and wanted to make the most of it.

Something else that is worth mentioning is that Sedona has a no-light ordinance around town. There are no streetlights allowed anywhere, which allows for great views of the stars at night. Each room in this property has a flashlight that you will need to bring with you to get around town. If you can, try to get an upper floor unit with a balcony view of the stars. Also, if you have a problem climbing stairs, make sure to request a unit with minimal stairs (our first "upper-floor" unit had about 10 stairs going down from the parking lot to the unit, and our second "upper-floor" unit had 2 stairs going up).
The resort fee is currently waved as the property is changing internet providers.

There are no-stairs units, those are the ADA units and they generally do not come with a view of the red rocks.
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Old Sep 17, 2013, 6:16 am
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Is the time share presentation offered to all guest members?
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Old Mar 23, 2014, 1:51 pm
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Has anyone stayed here recently? Was thinking about spending a couple days here for a quick getaway.
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Old Jul 9, 2014, 7:06 pm
  #10  
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I just had a two-night stay here earlier this week. Reserved a 2 BR Condo. As reported earlier, that's a 1 BR Condo with an adjoining Studio. The Studio is really small, but if it's only serving as a bedroom as in our case, it's just fine.

The 1 BR Condo is a very big improvement over the Studio, so if you're trying to choose between the two, know there is a huge difference in space and amenities.

We were on an upper floor with a beautiful view of the red rocks out our window and from the large lanai. I was told at check-in that we were in the newest section of the property, which was up the hill from the office and over to the left.

The room includes a small living room (with a comfortable full-size sofa pull out bed), kitchen with full-sized appliances, and a large dining space all in one area. There's a large bathroom with walk-in shower off that space and a separate master bedroom, which connected to the bathroom through a side pocket-door. (This is a great set-up if you have a person sleeping on the living room pull-out bed. They can access the bathroom directly, without going through the Master bedroom.) The master also had a good-sized jacuzzi tub within its space.

The furniture was all high quality and the rooms nicely designed to maximize use of the space. My only beef was the furniture all seemed very firm and fairly uncomfortable to sit in. It looked great, but lying around on it to read a book or watch TV was not inviting.

All-in-all, I had a very good stay with my family. Everyone was impressed. I would return. The location for Sedona is really hard to beat -- close walking distance to many of the areas galleries, restaurants, bars, etc on Sedona's Main Street (Hwy 89A).

I can see, however, that if you were in a lower-level unit, or a Studio Condo facing a parking lot (which is how most of the Condo units seemed to be positioned), the experience would be very different. As a hotel guest, rather than a Residence Club owner, I don't have a sense of how we rank in terms of views. I suspect pretty low. There was a sticky note on my folio when the agent pulled it out of the drawer which said, "VIP." That must have just been due to my Hyatt Diamond status.

Another factor is that there were recent forest fires very close to this area and the main Highway 89A had been closed for an extended period of time, so I suspect occupancy is low now due to the unpredictability factor. For all I know I got a great room only because it was an unusually low time of occupancy.

One last point: After checking in, I was directed to the Concierge to receive my "welcome packet" -- and she was standing right behind me when I turned around. This was, of course, the Vacation Club sales department.

The lady was very nice, she gave me some postcards and maps of the area and also identified several nearby establishments who extend discounts to Hyatt guests. She then wanted to schedule a time to give me a preview of the property. The offer for doing so was a $100 certificate that I could use at the hotel (even to apply to the room rate for the current stay) or a long list of restaurants, bars, etc. I told her I was not interested in purchasing a unit, but thanked her for her help. That was that. No pushing. No calls to me in the room. No more mention of it. That was refreshing.
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Old Apr 14, 2015, 12:38 pm
  #11  
 
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Just booked a 2-night stay for early October. Hyatt website wouldn't let me book using points but a call to HGP allowed us to book a studio for 12,000 points per night. The 1 and 2 bedroom units weren't available for points.

A good redemption value (2.35 cents per point).
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Old May 9, 2016, 12:52 pm
  #12  
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Just got an email offer for a three-night one-bedroom suite stay at a very good rate (with the big caveat that the rate will depend on availability for a given date ), if my wife and I will agree to a 90-120 minute sales pitch.

If there's availability, the dates we would go would likely be a late October weekend

FWIW, we love hiking and the fact that there are restaurants right near the hotel.

A few questions:

1. Anyone have any advice on whether the place is worth the visit that time of year?

2. Also, any sense of whether the Diamond status would do us any good in terms of room assignment or other perks? (I saw one post indicating this might have helped, would would appreciate info on any other experiences.) It looks like there's no restaurant on-site, so I guess the complimentary breakfast is not happening.

3. Are there shops within walking distance?

Thanks for any advice!
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Old May 9, 2016, 2:41 pm
  #13  
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Originally Posted by Thunderroad
A few questions:

1. Anyone have any advice on whether the place is worth the visit that time of year?
Definitely. Will be beautiful fall colors and crisp temps.

2. Also, any sense of whether the Diamond status would do us any good in terms of room assignment or other perks? (I saw one post indicating this might have helped, would would appreciate info on any other experiences.) It looks like there's no restaurant on-site, so I guess the complimentary breakfast is not happening.
In my one experience at the property, yes -- it got me the nicest view available when I checked in, according to the check-in agent. It was a good location.

3. Are there shops within walking distance?
Yes. Many, many. The main road through Sedona is right next to you -- just down the hill. 5 minutes from about anywhere on the property.
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Old May 10, 2016, 8:02 pm
  #14  
 
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Just finished a nice three night stay at this property. We were pleasantly surprised to be upgraded from a studio to a top floor one bedroom unit for being a Diamond member. The unit was located in the most recently built section with nice red rock views from the balcony. As other posters have mentioned, the location is great because it is very close to the downtown area with many shops and restaurants.

We signed up for the Hyatt timeshare sales presentation, received $150 in Visa gift cards for attending, and the session lasted about 90 minutes with not much pressure to buy from the salesperson.

The $20 resort fee per day was not waived, and we asked for and received a later checkout which was appreciated.
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Old Jun 11, 2016, 2:44 pm
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Can the Chase free night be used here??
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