Just returned from an award stay at this Phoenix resort, highly regarded by many FT’ers, and thought I’d share a few experiences and observations. We are fairly frequent visitors to the Phoenix area, usually staying at one of the Marriott properties in Scottsdale. This time with Hilton points to use we decided on the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort in North Phoenix, assisted in the decision by some of my good friends here on FlyerTalk. One of the deciding factors in Tapatio’s favor was the fact that they had a lounge, unlike their nearby sister resort Squaw Peak. Unfortunately, we arrived to discover that their lounge(s) – the concierge lounge on the hillside and the “executive” lounge in the main building – have both been closed. The main lounge is now a conference center and the concierge lounge has only the signage to identify the abandoned room next to the Sunset Pool. A few other points:

Front Desk: There is a dedicated HHonors check-in area, but after waiting a few minutes with no attention I went to one of the unoccupied regular check-in clerks. I was told that a large number of people were redeeming awards at this time, so no upgrades were being given - period. A “view” room was available for our entire stay at a supplement of $30 per day however, and I was able to persuade them to waive this. I was not so lucky with the “optional” $9 per day Resort Fee, which has been waived for HHonors Elites in the past according to several FT’ers. A manager confirmed that the Resort Fee cannot be waived for Golds or Diamonds, and must either be taken for one’s entire stay (6 nights = $54) or declined. There was little of interest in the Resort Fee package so I declined – something I would slightly regret later on. With no lounge access forthcoming I inquired about breakfast. My clerk said she would see what she could do, returning momentarily with an addressed envelope containing a welcoming letter and coupons preprinted with our name and checkout date. When I asked why she had not simply given me this in the first place, she advised that they were under instructions to only give them if requested by the guest. I left, hoping this vacation wasn’t getting off to a shaky start. Throughout the week the attitude of the front desk staff varied from indifferent to downright surly. Oh, and no one answers the Guest Services Hotline – ever.

Our Room was high on the cliff, with a spectacular view from the balcony. The resort is huge and getting from one place to another can be quite an experience. Our room was about as far from the main building as you can get. The room itself was a little smaller than expected – a “suite” by virtue of the sliding pocket door which separated the bedroom from the living area, but no larger in total than a standard hotel room. The room was supposed to include a king bed and a pullout sofa for my son, however the sofa was just a standard sofa. When I returned to the front desk (no one answered the Guest Service Hotline) I was offered two options – linen to allow him to sleep on the existing sofa (he’s small) or a rollaway bed at additional cost. Apparently no two-bed rooms were available and the front desk professed to not know which rooms actually had sofa beds. (According to Hilton.com they all do.) Other facilities included a mini-bar and basic bathroom with integrated tub/shower and single sink. The room could really have used a wet bar, as is found in all the Marriott resort properties in Phoenix. If your morning routine includes a shower as ours does, then you had to do so by 8:00 a.m. or all the hot water in our section of the hotel would be gone until late morning.

Dining: We ate several meals in four of the resort’s restaurants and from room service. Food and service were consistently good. In fact, considering the scope and layout of this place I would have to say the room service was outstanding. The culinary highlight was dinner at the hotel’s pricey flagship restaurant Different Pointe Of View. So much for the theory that restaurants with great views have to have lousy food. The meal was memorable.

Housekeeping left a lot to be desired. This is one of Hilton’s “Eco” hotels, where your sheets are only changed every three days. We got to Day 4, evidenced by a telltale rip in one of the sheets. It would be nice if they had at least straightened the unchanged sheets, rather than just the bedspread. We found ourselves flattening the mattress pad every night to make it more comfortable. Supplies such as soap, shampoo and toilet paper were sparsely replenished. In fact, this is the first Hilton hotel I have ever stayed in that has returned partially-used shampoo and hand lotion to the “display” position on the bathroom counter. On the third day the room was not even made up by 4:00 p.m. when we had been out since early morning, sparking a lengthy discussion between my wife and a front desk manager (no one answered the Guest Service Hotline). They were unapologetic to say the least, suggesting that we should have advised that we wanted our room made up “early”. I don’t think the room was vacuumed at all, with a laundry tag from a previous guest residing under the bedroom table for our entire stay and my son’s cereal or potato chip crumbs staying on the living room floor until we picked them up the next night. (He's a kid after all.)

Other Notes: Gold and Diamond members are allowed two (2) bottles of water from their mini-bar in lieu of lounge access. They were quick to point out that this is two bottles per stay, not per day. There is medium-speed Internet access in the rooms at $9.95 per day using the standard network cable provided. You must connect to find this out however, as there is no printed information regarding the rates anywhere in the room. The front desk only knows about the TV keyboard access also at $9.95 per day. The resort has 7 pools – some small and private, some larger with features including waterfalls and a tube-style slide. All are excellent and well maintained. You have reciprocal privileges at the Squaw Peak location – about a five-minute drive away. They have extensive recreation facilities including a spectacular lazy river attraction and a miniature golf course. (This is where we regretted not paying our resort fee. Although admitted to the area, we were not permitted to use some facilities due to non-payment of the fee. This is clearly explained in Squaw Peak’s Resort Fee card, but not in Tapatio Cliff’s.) Squaw Peak was a much “friendlier” resort and we enjoyed lunch there in addition to the water park, but it was also much more crowded and noisier.

Concluding Opinion (especially for those considering an award stay): Despite the minor problems above, we enjoyed our stay at Tapatio Cliffs. Is it worth a 100K award? Yes. Is it worth 175K under the new schedule? Maybe. Is it worth $290 night (the rate I initialed at check-in)? Probably not.


[This message has been edited by yyzflyer (edited 03-16-2003).]