Stay Report - 8/17 - 8/19

Location: This is the former Phoenix Ritz Carlton which converted over to an Autograph Collection two years ago. It's located across from the fancy Biltmore Fashion Park Mall on the corner of 24th Street and Camelback in Phoenix. Location wise, the place is great. It's about a mile from the AZ-51 freeway which means an easy 15-20 minutes to PHX or Tempe and even less to Downtown Phoenix. Scottsdale meanwhile is an easy 15-20 minutes east on Camelback Road. Nearby is the mall, a number of restaurants and a really good AMC movie theater. As someone who enjoys visiting a few different towns when I'm in the valley, I found it to be a great base of operations



Hotel: The hotel looks a lot different than it did when it was a stodgy RC. There's an amazing lobby bar and restaurant and a smaller lounge as well. The common areas feature impressive desert artwork and no expense has been spared on the furnishings. The rooftop also has a pool and fitness center. Valet Parking was $35 a night and they were great about having my car ready when I needed it and keeping it close when I wouldn't be gone long. Oddly, the floor we were staying on had an awful smell to it. Thankfully it wasn't noticeable in the rooms but outside in the hallway it was overpoweringly disgusting. We complained but it remained there our entire stay.









Check In: Handled by a very friendly and helpful agent who told me I'd been upgraded to a mountain view.

Room: This was my first Autograph so I wasn't sure what to expect. I was very impressed by the beds and the bathroom which are my two most important things. There also was a desk which I was happy to see. However, the TV was an older model that wasn't a Smart TV and didn't play non digital channels which was a disappointment.









Breakfast: As a then Marriott Gold (now Platinum) my companion and I each received $15 towards the menu at the restaurant. We got an order of french toast, a lox bagel, coffee and an OJ and we were out $11 which wasn't bad. Quality of the food was delicious and service incredible.





This hotel can be had for $109 in the summer and minus the few hiccups I'd gladly be back. It's one of the best I've stayed at in the Valley.