idahost

We checkout tomorrow.

- Service is excellent...genuinely pleasant staff
- No Platinum Upgrade, had to ask for amenity
- Spa is wonderful...I hope the 20.00 per day is waived at checkout
- Like the location
- Mattress is poor, not Sweet Sleeper
- Did I mention the staff has been wonderful...

candaceg

I made a rare foray into the Starwood forum to post my review of this hotel - and it's ironic that the thread just got pulled up after a long hiatus.

I was at the Wild Horse Pass for a three-night corporate meeting with about 25 people. I thought the hotel was pretty good, until I woke up this morning and had the bill under my door - I didn't think it was close to being worth the $299 corporate rate our group was paying. And they seemingly screwed up the billing for our whole group. The company was supposed to get the bill for the room charges and we were just responsible for incidentals. I got the whole bill, and everyone else who I ran into checking out this morning did as well. There's quite a difference between $16 and $1000!

The rooms were nice, and I appreciated the large bathtub. I did not appreciate the extremely thin walls, and 1" gap under the adjoining door. There was a woman yakking on the phone next door every night, and on the other side a had a troop of guys from Goodyear. I could hear every word.

I only had one restaurant meal - a breakfast, which was very good. The food service for the event (two lunches and one dinner) were fine for hotel food but not great.

I very much liked the "interpretive trail" which is a path that snakes through the grounds and the golf course. It took me about 40 minutes to walk to the end. I was expecting it to loop and it didn't, so it was a longer walk than I planned.

I gave them my SPG card upon checkin, and when I checked out it was not on the bill, so I had to do it again.

Last gripe - as part of the corporate rate, they charged $12 for bell services, and $4/a day for housekeeping. Seems a bit extreme to me and I wasn't footing the bill.

cactuspete

Welcome. FYI, if you're interested there are a lot of other WHP threads here as well.

Just a comment on the room rate - - $299 is a bargain for an upper-end resort in PHX/Scottsdale this time of year.

AX9465

Although this is my favourite hotel to stay in Chandler area I still have some issues with it I simply dont understand:

- Fitness center closes at 6pm - I understand that it is billed as a "resort" therefore technically all people who wanted to use facility already used it during the day but given the fact it has several corporate contracts someone might have just returne by 6pm... Fitness center use costs $20 day which is waived for platinum guests - waiver is not announced anywhere and nowhere it said you should bring your plat card to the SPA in order not to get billed for FC usage.
- $2 per 800 phone calls seems excessive
- room cleaning service starts at 8am which is odd for a resort... it might be ok fur a standard business hotel but I will be very disappointed being waking up every day at 8am. DND sign helps but not much as before they enter every room they knock 3 times and shout "room service" which will awake anybody in adjacent rooms too.
- restaurant seems pricey with entrees for $35 and wines starting from $10... Understand that compared to "best available rate" being at times $400 this may be nothing but due to the fact there is no other food around in 5 mile radius and you might be on per diem it is hard to swallow
- room service is inconsistent - they forget about bath gel 50% of time, and as far as coffee making is concerned they forget to replenish that to the point I had to leave note saying "where is the sugar?" - after that they usually provide some
- for the price they advertise they might come with some better toiletries - standard Pantene shampoo and conditioner looks cheap.

Good points:
- fantastic scenery
- very nice drive to the hotel - especially at the nighttime with trees highlighted by differently colored lights.
- nice golf
- Ok spa
- Casino nearby (for those who need it)

Overall - very strange mix beween desert resort and standard corporate hotel.

AX

eightmillionmiler

On my award stay, I was upgraded to a really splendid suite without having to ask. The pool service was just fine as was the main restaurant.

The only negative I remember was that this is a bit out of the way, but if you don't mind a 15 minute drive to get out to outside stores and restaurants, it will be a good experience.

My daughter is horse-obsessed, which made the herds cavorting in the distance an added bonus as we enjoyed the pool area.

It may not be on a par with the Phoenician, but it is quite decent.

number_6

One of the quirks of this resort is that it only has a 'fine dining' restaurant ... thus the high cost. One kitchen, but 2 dining rooms on different floors (same food for the most part, but different decor and service). I think the Indian tribe that owns the resort went a bit overboard with wanting a high-class, non-Indian image, so they didn't allow a coffee-shop or hamburger restaurant in the hotel. I think the bar has some more casual food (or by the pool), but otherwise you are looking at USD 60 minimum for dinner at this hotel. The food is actually quite good and worth the cost, but it is odd to have no cheaper choices (or rather, to have room service as the cheaper option).

CPRich

That's true, but within 3 exits on the highway there are at least a dozens places to eat up and down the quality scale.

cactuspete

Kai has received AAA's Five Diamond Award, the first for any Sheraton restaurant:

http://www.wildhorsepassresort.com/m...pop.php?ref=16

sc flier

Nice! When I used to stay there, I'd sometimes order takeout from Kai to take back to my room (without the extra room service fees and with the ability to easily order from the full menu). But I most often ordered a great steak at the restaurant downstairs. These were definitely not the usual hotel restaurants.

number_6

The restaurant downstairs has the same kitchen and much the same food as Kai, just less lavish decor/service and somewhat lower prices (still pricey though, dinner for 2 with wine is in the >USD 200 range). It really is the best hotel food in PHX/Scottsdale (an area filled with 5 star hotels), and they are deserving to beat Four Seasons, Phoenician, etc. in food quality.

The spa is also pretty good at this hotel. Needed in view of the food.

AZ Travels the World

And it really is all that. It's one of the best restaurants in the greater PHX area, in or out of a hotel.

19103_aa

There is a capacity problem at Kai's though. I was there for a work trip and called a few days ahead for a reservation, only to be told they were "fully committed" for the weekend. Curious, I asked the front desk and the hotel was not full to capacity. I am led to conclude many locals go to Kai as well. I was really disappointed and would think a hotel restaurant would keep a few tables for their hotel guests, particularly when the resort is a bit remote.

AX9465

I would dispute that. it is good place, no doubt. but to call it one of the best is probably a stretch. yes, wine list is great, but a little bit overpriced. they handle beef better than seafood... in fact, seafood is a 50/50 chance.
AX

cactuspete

I guess AAA would disagree. There are only 58 Five Diamond restauarants for 2007.

sapguy

Just had 2 separate stays at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass, and one the first stay got a standard room on the 4th floor which was quite nice, and on the second stay, got upgraded to a sumptous suite on the first floor which looked like a small apartment ^ Even got comped the valet parking since I arrived at the hotel at around 11:30PM.

During the first stay, ate dinner at Kai on their outside terrace, and it was one of the best meals that I have had anywhere for a long time. Kai is definitely one of the best restaurants in Phoenix, but it does help to be on expenses account to eat there