PrezVander

I had a reservation at the Holiday Inn Tempe/ASU for Super Bowl Weekend. I read they were going under a renovation and new management (to be called Tempe in at Apache), so I gave the hotel a call today. To my surprise, the answering machine thanked me for calling the Four Points Tempe! Looks like this is a new addition to the starwood family. FYI the address is 915 E Apache Rd.

I do still need to make sure they have my super bowl reservation, so hopefully they call me back!

MarshKing

Good catch. It looks like it is now on their website, too -- and listed as a category 4! Yikes.

gregorygrady

Hmmm, it says that they are accepting reservations for after 3/31/08. I think they are doing a huge remodel job on that hotel. They may have even closed the whole hotel to do the remodel. It was in bad need of a remodel though. Towards the end of it's life as a Holiday Inn it was one of the biggest dumps in the H.I. chain......... You better hope that your reservation during SuperBowl will be honored. That said, it's good to hear that there will be another option in the Tempe area................^

But the Cat. 4 nonsense is laughable. The much nicer (also newly rennovated) Sheraton Tempe (PHX Apt) is just 2.5 miles away and is only Cat. 3. Who in their right mind would pay 10k pts for a room at this 4 Pts when you could spend the same amount of points for a room at Sheraton Wild Horse Pass or Wigwam (Luxury Collection). Or just 2k more points for a room at the FAR nicer Phoenician or Westin Kierland most of the year. That's just crazy that they think they can command 10k pts. Plus the area right around the new 4 Pts isn't the best area in the world. The neighborhood just south (SE) of this property is fairly ghetto. Although the property is located in a great place if you want to be near Arizona St. Univ............................^ And maybe with the hugh renovation it will up the neighboring area as well.

ajthegreat

I've passed by it many times when milling around campus. This is a surprise since there are no signs at all saying what is going on. The hotel looks to be gutted except practically the frame.

lehms

anyone hear anything about this new four points, i am considering for a stay march 7, they open march 6, should i fear opening may be pushed out and left hanging?

acnev

Can't help with opening date. But am curious what makes this a Cat 4. Will stay here after it opens if the rates are good.

gregorygrady

It's a conversion from a Holiday Inn, but it's been ripped apart and almost completely rebuilt. Please see this thread for more info:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...ighlight=tempe

Last I checked, I thought they were opening on March 31, 2008. I guess they moved forward their opening date. And I have no idea why this would be a Cat. 4 property when the recently rennovated Sheraton PHX/Tempe a couple miles away is a Cat. 3.

KarensuePDX

Just was booking a hotel room in Phoenix and noticed the opening date for
the 4 Points Tempe is now 4/1/08.

KarensuePDX

Oops, meant to include this in my first post.. I read the description of the Tempe 4 points and am wondering what makes this a cat 4 hotel, compared to the PHX Metrocenter 4 Points.. I have stayed at the latter many times and have always been upgraded to a pool side casita, and think the staff there is one of the best. What does the new 4 points have or offer that jumps it up to a 4?

Starwood Lurker

They plan to get more $$ for their rooms on an average daily basis. After all, that is what determines your category level for reimbursement/redemption purposes.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

KarensuePDX

I am trying to understand the logic of your reply. Sounds like the cat level is
determined by the room rate? Can this be true? I always thought it had a lot to do with the quality of the hotel/resort as much as anything. So, it will take twice as many points (at least) to stay at this 4 Points then at the Metro Center 4 Points because there averagre room rate is higher. I was hoping to read why this establishment rated a 4 because of the superior services ect, not because of a slightly higher room rate. It will be interesting see how this property does.

Starwood Lurker

It has nothing to do with quality, except for maybe in a collateral sense. After all, if a hotel has higher quality that usually means that it can charge higher nightly rates.

So, yes. It is all about how much a property can charge, as a daily average, throughout the year.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

rcs85551

Just stayed here last night - the hotel just opened this week. They still have quite a bunch of kinks to work out (apparently a substantial number of rooms is not useable yet), but it was fairly nice.

Even during the night, they had a manager present to train the new employees on the respective SPG benefits and stuff...

The hotel is definetely more upscale than the "old" Four Points properties, nice big plasma TV in the room, modern decorations and stuff... so definetely a nice place to stay.

As to value, it does seem a bit overpriced as compared to the other Starwood properties in the area, but I guess we'll simply have to see how their occupancy levels evolve and thus their rates.

number_6

It sounds like they are trying to compete with the new Hyatt Place product (which is quite good, but charges double the rate compared to the Amerisuite product that it replaced). Tempe 4Pts is showing at double the Metrocenter 4Pts rate for the dates that I have checked -- and the Metrocenter is one of the best 4Pts in the US, so rather astonishing that they think they can charge such a hefty premium. Charging more than the Sheraton Tempe on most nights, fwiw. Interesting brand positioning.

ExpoTrac

Friends stayed here recently and were disappointed, as the hotel is apparently still working out kinks...and they didn't feel it was as nice as a cat 4 property should be. I know William said it is based on price...but you do have certain expectations based on the category.

They did complain to Starwood, who is crediting them back some of the Starpoints they used for the stay and has "promised" to rectify some of the issues they encountered. Supposedly the hotel also told them they were going to ask Starwood to drop them down to a category 3?