Beckles

We just spent three nights here, we made our reservation Wednesday afternoon for check-in on the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend. I didn't reserve the cheapest room, instead opting for the third lowest category for an extra $20/night hoping to secure a nicer upgrade as a Diamond. At the end of the reservation process we got a Nor1 offer for Ocatilla for an extra $25/night, so I went ahead and opted for that too (I would have likely just reserved Ocatilla in the first place, but they only had the option for two queen beds available). By Wednesday night the reservation showed we were confirmed in Ocatilla for our check-in the next day with the rate adjusted $25/night higher. On Thursday I called and asked the Ocatilla concierge to make sure we had two cribs in the room, especially since we would not be arriving until 11 PM or so, this was taken care of.

We took this piece of advice and booked the all inclusive rate, they give you a $46 voucher for breakfast (the buffet in Frank & Albert's is just under $20/person, which is what we had all three mornings, typical buffet offerings plus a very good cooked-to-order egg station), $50 voucher for lunch, which as gbearbuck did, we drank two of the three days (they worked pool side even), and a $96 voucher for dinner, which the Ocatilla concierge arranged for us to use two of for a single dinner at Wright's since we were not able to use the one on our check-in night. We never saw a bill for any of the meals, a couple of servers mentioned we had the 'good' certificates for meals and everything was taken care of. We also received two vouchers good for 30% off of spa and salon services with the package, my wife did partake but was disappointed with the services.

It was a busy holiday weekend ... usual challenges with chair saving at the pools that's endemic at any busy resort , I'd love for resorts to figure out a good way to stop this practice (though by the middle of the day it's not like the seats were just being saved, they were all occupied by then!).

We enjoyed the stay, can't comment on Diamond upgrades since ultimately we got just what we paid for. One of the Ocatilla concierges, whose name escapes me unfortunately, went out of his way to take care of his, securing us a 4:00 PM check out (and making sure that was late enough even!) and also one of the restaurant managers stopped by several times over the course of our stay when we were in the restaurants to see how we were doing.

gbearbuck

Glad I could be of help...

We'll be there again this fall... cannot wait

iflyjetz

I am REALLY glad that I read this thread. Thanks to everyone who has commented here. Mrs jetz and I will be staying at the Az Biltmore 4-6 July.

I usually just book the cheapest room and count on an upgrade. After reading this thread, I decided to book a king Ocatilla Club room.
I found the spa package under Exclusive Offers on the property's home page. We could have paid $104/nite for the lowest AAA rate (cheapest room, no spa package). With the spa package (a 50 min massage; nonrefundable rate), the cost would be $109/nite for the cheapest room. Rather than hope for an Ocatilla upgrade, I paid $159/nite for the king Ocatilla Club including a 50 min massage.
The deep tissue massage all by itself is $150 so $159/nite for 2 nites was a bargain.

Thanks for everyone posting all of the details; I'll try to remember to post after my trip there.

fleef

One of my family members had a recent stay at Biltmore Phoenix/Scottsdale (waldorf astoria gave their name to this place??WHY? How?) & her report was so miserable, I told her she'd be doing a disservice by not posting a review to TripAdvisor. I shall alert the world here and now.

Staff: Rude, sullen & heavily accented Eastern Europeans (which is neither here nor there, but could explain the 'cultural differences')

Valet parking 46$ per DAY

Self Parking 12$ per DAY - and a very, long hot walk to "resort" (I'm calling it that very generously) & she said she got sneers from the valets for self parking.

Front desk was very unhelpful/unwelcoming. La Quinta side o' the highway gave better service, and with a smile to boot. When I check in to a place, I am usually given step by step directions to my room and the staff usually hand draws my "map" to me or makes it quite simple. With this Biltmore a hand wave in the general direction of where to go with NO eye contact, after being prompted "where's my room?" That's another thing: NO EYE contact was made by staff to the customer, which I thought was quite odd and rude as well. It was as if they didn't want clients!

Upon wanting to use the "business center" (ha ha) another non eye contact & dismissive hand-wave toward the sort of location, which led to a meandering walk toward a nondescript door, with a business card sized sign "BUSINESS CENTER" on the doorknob- which led to a dark windowless closet and a desktop computer that you slide your CREDIT CARD into?? um, no thanks..

Restaurant: Walk in to see hostess on her personal cell, no greeting & hostess literally turned her back to the customer while she talked on phone for maybe 5 eternal minutes. Hostess finished call, turns around and gives a glum, unsmiling drawn out "may I HELP you.." blechh. Food acceptable but steak half gristle/half great.

Sign posting "S'mores at 7 pm" Sounds pleasant, right?
S'more was grim, depressing silent line of folks who had high hopes of laughing families enjoying their vacation instead get a silent, sad queue single file to wait for a cold S'more handed out singly by an unsmiling, silent Russian woman that passed them out with a pair of tongs.

"Wine Tasting" quotes intentional- ha ha- more like wine SELLING- this was no sommelier, but an angry, tired woman who when asked "Can you tell me about this white wine..?" responded bluntly: "I can't say anything/don't know about it since I don't sell that brand" How many wines were there? THREE. 3 wines (Coppola, blechh) Clients were given ONE TEASPOON EACH of the "wine". Again, a miserable, depressing sad experience.

Room Service: "May I come in?" attendant makes note that atop the room service fee, the 17 % involuntary gratuity is to be SHARED with the other staff, *ahem*... and awaits his "personal" gratuity! He's still waiting, and my dear relative has already checked out...Can you believe that?? ASKING for a tip, gee whiz! The GALL!

To sum it all up, the Arizona Biltmore/Waldorf Astoria (total misnomer, chic luxe name for a miserable, horrid place) has staff that act like they don't WANT clients. All of the staff were heavily accented, unsmiling, downright rude, and you are nickel and dimed for each little thing. The whole place gives one the "creeps"..

HawkeyeFlyer

I have spent over 100 nights at this property and have never witnessed anything remotely close to what this person is describing. In fact, I am curious if they have the fact straight.
First of all there is free parking outside the Octilla pool area and it is not a far walk. But $12 for self parking is cheap and $46, while expensive is not out of the norm for valet at a Waldorf property. Also how are the Valet "sneering" at self parkers? How would they even know if someone self parked as the two areas are not near each other.
This is an AWESOME property, with great service, food and amenities. They treat everyone I have seen there extremely well and Diamond members like royalty.

steve64

I stayed there last summer when rates were super low and there was an "all inclusive" rate that included vouchers for breakfast/lunch/dinner. So I did as many Phoenicians do and had a weekend staycation at one of our town's resorts.

I wouldn't call anyone rude (and most certainly wouldn't pull the "ethnic" card), but overall, service would be best described as indifferent.

I did get a "sneer vibe" from Valet at check-in. I pulled into the drive, rolled beyond the door, giving plenty of room for additional vehicles to queue up behind me, even though they weren't busy. As I walked away from the cat an attendant approached and I advised him we were ok, just checking in. He snapped back that I needed to leave my keys in the car and I replied that they were in the ignition. Returning a few minutes later, I see he felt the need to pull the car forward another 20 feet, even though I think there was only one other arrival while I was there.

For check-in, a clerk quickly motioned us to come over. No greeting, no smile. I think his first words were finally "room xxxx, this way (the wave of the hand), then left before the bar and out the glass door". I inquired about the food vouchers and he said there was no such program. I handed him my printed confirmation, he made a call, then apologized and said he'd send the vouchers to my room. I was skeptical, but they did arrive within the hour.

Parking. The "all inclusive" rate includes self parking. I'd consider $12 (actually, any $$) for self park to be silly. This is not a downtown location, it's in an upscale residential area. There's nothing else around. It's near commercial and business districts, but not within walking range for most folks.
Understandably, the self park area was farther from the main entrance than valet. Wether or not if it was far from your room depended on where your room was located. I'd imagine that taking the time to explore a little, you could find parking not too far away. Things were a little more complicated during our stay as one pool and its courtyard for closed for repairs. This cutoff a direct shot between parking and our building. It wasn't an issue to me, in Phoenix, summer is the season to be doing hotel refurb.

We did have a hard time finding our room. Since the only directions we were given were from the Front Desk, we went back that way to go out the glass door as instructed. That did nothing but place us in the central courtyard. A perimeter walkway had a sign point pointing the direction to various buildings, but our building wasn't listed. Walking along the perimeter, we finally came to a sign board that listed our building, directing us to a path off the perimeter walk. You'd think that the first sign would list all buildings. Or that they'd provide a map. Or that the Front Desk wouldn't end his directions at the courtyard.

The room was nothing special. Clean and functional but a little dated. I would've been a bit disappointed if I had paid a winter-time rate.
Room Service items that were in the hallway when we arrived were still there when we left the date day (on a 2pm late checkout that was granted with no problem). The grounds and pool areas were well maintained and immaculate. A grand Phoenix Monsoon roared thru while we were there and clean-up was immediate.

Food. The main restaurant (Wright's) was closed for the season.
The food each of the 3 meals was great. The service, not so good.
For dinner and lunch, the hostess was involved in personal communications when we arrived. It was more important to finish those conversations than to even at least acknowledge our presence. For breakfast we were greeted quickly and with a smile.
For dinner, we had been seated about 15 minutes before anyone approached. After ordering, it took about 45 minutes for the food to show. The waiter apologized and later the manager came by and offered a breakfast discount. All this even though we never complained.
The breakfast buffet spread was one of the best I've seen and included made to order omelets. Service at lunch was great. Again, the food for each of the 3 meals was wonderful. The voucher amounts were generous and we had no problem staying within the amount (Mom doesn't drink, so I didn't ... so I don't remember if alcohol was included. I do seem to remember thinking that was a main reason why the voucher amounts seemed generous).

Diamond. I'm a 15 year HHonors Diamond. It meant absolutely nothing at this property. Our room was standard, no view and just simply "ho-hum" in all aspects. Granted, I don't know what the breakfast benefit would be as my rate included breakfast.

Would I stay again ?
I enjoyed the hotel for its historical aspects and as a Phoenician being able to say "I've stayed at the Biltmore".
I would never return again for the room or location.
At summer rates, if the all inclusive rate were available, I might return again for the package. I've seen that rate off/on other times of the year, my stay was the first I'd seen it offered along with low summer rates. While I said I'd consider it, note that I haven't checked to see if it's offered this year. My rate last year was $209. It includes parking, the resort fee and the generous meal vouchers (I don't remember the amounts, but there wasn't much left to cover the room ... let's say $80 for dinner, $40 for breakfast and $40 for lunch ???).

Forgetting about the all inclusive package, I'd recommend the Hyatt Regency Gainey Ranch (Scottsdale) over the Biltmore (assuming you didn't need the Biltmore location).
Update the rooms and develop a service culture will do a lot to improve this property. With the current service attitude, it isn't deserving of the W/A branding.

iflyjetz

I'll start my review by quoting Steve64, above. I've stayed at both HR Gainey Ranch and am currently sitting in my room at the AZ Biltmore. Steve64 is SPOT ON! HR Gainey Ranch is a far superior property and the cost is similar in the summer months - I don't know about winter.

Diamond status: I didn't feel any love for Diamonds at this property. I got hit with the full resort fees on my bill. No upgrade. OK, I did get coupons for 20% off a meal, 2 complimentary drinks at the hotel bar and 2 complimentary bottles of water (we had unlimited bottled water in the Ocatilla lounge).

Staff: No issues; almost everyone was very friendly and helpful with one exception. There was an older gentleman who works in the Ocatilla Lounge - very grouchy both the 4th and 5th of July. I could tell he'd been there for a while, as several 'regulars' talked to him warmly. I'll chalk it up to him working over the holiday.
My wife and I had no other issues here - the restaurant staff was great, no one was put off by waiting on us, and everything was timely.

Physical Property: It's a Frank Lloyd Wright inspired property. Big whoop. The architect of record is Albert Chase McArthur and it's not an architectural masterpiece. It isn't even memorable architecture. It's a bunch of concrete blocks (granted, a lot of ornate concrete blocks) thrown together in a very uninspiring fashion.
The property layout is bizarre; more a collection of oddities than any real planning. Cottages, three story hotel rooms, and timeshares(?) mixed with a convention center and parking garage added as an afterthought. Horrible layout.

Parking: Opted for self-park. $12 per night in a mixed residential/commercial area where there's more than adequate parking is simply another junk fee.
Due to the way the property is laid out, it is difficult to drive your car to the hotel unit that you're staying in. It took me more than 15 minutes to locate the Ocatilla in my car so that I could unload it. There is NO PARKING near the Ocatilla.

Room (Ocatilla): Dated. Either they are intentionally trying to make the hotel appear to be original design or it is way overdue for a complete facelift. Kudos to the bathroom; it was nice. The toilet was enclosed in a broom closet-sized room - a rotund person would have to back in to the toilet.

Ocatilla Club: Major disappointment, especially after others made it sound like a premier lounge. It's not.
Breakfast was continental with very few choices. Fruit, granola (no other cereals), breads, yogurt. No meats, no smoked salmon, no cheeses, no hot food.
Midday offerings were a few bowls of nuts and water/soda - again, nothing to get excited about.
Evening offerings were satisfactory but nothing to get excited about. One hot dish, vegetables and dips, cheeses and breads. No cold cuts, no smoked salmon. The highlight was the free beer and wine from 5 to 930PM.
The best thing about the Ocatilla Club was the unlimited bottled water.

Wrights: We had dinner there. It was okay but fell a bit short of other fine dining experiences that we've had.

Frank and Albert's: We had one of our breakfasts there, since there were no hot offerings in the Ocatilla lounge. Excellent in all aspects. Excellent service, excellent food. My only ding on the restaurant is that the prices were a bit higher than one would expect for a midrange hotel restaurant.

Bill: Multiple junk fees. Resort fee. Self-parking fee. They even tacked on an additional $15 to my wife's spa visit - it was supposed to be an all-inclusive package. A room listed as $318 for 2 nights/spa package came to more than $450 after taxes and fees (I did not include any food purchases in the >$450 bill). For the same ~$600 spent at the Az Biltmore, we would have had a much better experience at the Hyatt Regency Gainey Ranch.

Overall, this is a very mediocre property - it was not what I would call an upscale experience, and it DEFINITELY is not an aspirational property. My wife and I will not return.

Edit: We stayed at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort and Spa 6-7 July. Absolutely blew away the Arizona Biltmore on every metric - price, facilities, design, junk fees, rooms, everything.

The _Banking_Scot

Hi,

I booked a Ocatilla room at the Biltmore ( 4th -8th September) but now looking at my reservations at Hilton.com, I am now in a Junior Suite with a sitting area.

Does the Junior Suites get Ocatilla Access as I paid a little extra to get the Ocatilla room please?

Many thanks

Regards

TBS

pinniped

Is it a Junior Suite in the Ocatilla area? Can you tell that from your room reservation?

Did you click on something offering to pay a NOR1 upgrade fee? The "upgrade" could theoretically throw you out of the Ocatilla area. If you are set on the Ocatilla access, my guess is that you could insist upon it at check-in, although they may take you out of the Jr. Suite and put you back in your booked room type.

The _Banking_Scot

Hi pinniped,

Thanks for the response.^

All the reservation says is a Junior suite. I do not recall selecting a Nor 1 upgrade fee ( the room rate is still the same at $199 per night with a $50 resort credit per night). I will contact the hotel and see what they say.

Regards

TBS

Chalky White

Hi all,

I have a reservation here April 2-4 for a conference. Although I have never stayed in a Hilton property, I have Gold status through my Amex Plat. I booked the hotel through Amex FHR. Couple of questions:

1. Can I expect any kind of upgrade? Reading the reviews here it doesn't seem likely, but I was hoping that with the upgrades that golds are "supposed" to get, combined with the update that FHR reservations are "supposed" to get, I might get lucky.

2. We're bringing our 5 month old baby with us. Will the hotel do anything special like Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons to make his stay memorable (memorable for his parents, I guess).

3. How does the FHR breakfast work? Other reviews have left me a little confused--is it just free continental breakfast, or in-room dining, or can I get whatever I want (within reason) at Frank & Alberts?

Thanks!

Chalky White

I ended up being upgraded to ocatilla. The room was nice, but the bathroom was very cramped. I liked the ocatilla lounge--thought it was one of the better free lounges I've been to.

Nothing special for the baby.

Breakfast came in the form of two vouchers for $40 off your bill, including tax and tip, at either frank and Alberts, or The Cafe.

Overall, pleased with this stay and would stay at another Hilton based on this experience.

Michael19887

I just returned from a two night stay at this property on their All Inclusive package. It was a great deal. The package was $259.00/night and came with vouchers good for 2 for $62 at lunch, $115 at dinner, self parking is free, the resort fee waived, and a 30% discount at the spa. Breakfast is served in Ocatilla lounge. The summer is very slow here as others have mentioned. A few comments:

1. I received no diamond benefits at this property. There was availability in every room category and no upgrade was offered. I know they aren't required to by the program, but for the data point they do not give welcome cocktails like most other Waldorfs (besides Chicago, which also does not) that I've stayed at. The person checking me in didn't appear to know how to use OnQ, because he had no idea that I've never stayed there before and tried to send us on our way without any info on the property until I asked him where things were. He was short when I asked about directions and said, "haven't you stayed here before?"
2. The grounds are stunning. I made sure to compliment the landscaping director when I ran into him. It takes a lot of work to keep the flowers looking so nice and the grass so green during the summer in the desert.
3. The Spa is in rough shape and desperately needs remodeling. It is hardly worthy of a Doubletree or Hilton property let alone a Waldorf. The welcome area/relaxation room/dressing facilities are the worst I've encountered at any hotel. I almost wanted to walk out before the service - there were clothes and clutter everywhere greeting you at the front entrance, and the relaxation room they take you to had broken and chipped furniture, white walls with bright lights, and a screw on a seat. Not a good first impression. I'm glad we stayed though, because the hot stone massage was one of the best I've ever had, and the service from the staff more than made up for the embarrasing facilities.
4. Property is undergoing extensive renovations to the guest rooms (I hope they address point 3!). It appears to be a wing-by-wing total interior gutting. Another couple mentioned that their villa had a tube TV, so it sounds like this is much needed.
5. I would not recommend staying outside of Ocatilla until the renovations are complete, especially considering the property does not appear to do upgrades. I booked a standard Ocatilla room and that is what I received. They also have deluxe rooms and junior suites in that wing. The room is nice but the bathroom is cramped, because the shower, bathroom, and toilet doors always bump. The bed was very comfortable. Also, be sure to set your expectations correctly for the Ocatilla lounge. The food quality was good, but it is NOT a club level like you'd see at a Four Seasons or Ritz, and the offerings are less extensive than most U.S. Hilton executive lounges with the exception of the beer/wine being in the evening. For example, breakfast is strictly continental only. While they do advertise it as being continental only, they do not offer oatmeal, any cereals, hard boiled eggs, or salmon. All they had were three carb choices (mini bagels, mini croissant, mini biscuit), yogurt, and fruit. Evening snacks were one hot item (we saw mini empanadas one day and chicken on a stick during the other) and one small cold item with a few cheeses and grapes. I never went for dessert. Free wine (canyon road), beers from 5-9, and the waters/sodas in the fridge all day were the best parts.
6. All of the food on property was great, especially at Wright's. We ordered the beef wellington and lobster entrees and they were delicious and cooked perfectly. Frank and Albert's has a great burger too.
7. Housekeeping was awesome, so tip them well. They always called us to follow-up on requests to made sure they were complete. Shoe shine is included which we appreciated as we were there for a wedding.

If I am ever back in Phoenix in the summer, I would definitely return. I would book the same package because it was a great value.

1200GS

We enjoy staying at this WA - cannot echo any of the negative comments. Have stayed here for years pre- and post-diamond status and we have family that lives in the area and we do not like to impose when we visit. We have stayed at WA's across the country, Manhattan, La Quinta, Park City, Boulders - service on par at Biltmore.

$12 for parking? I've paid $12 for overnight parking at HI Downtown Boise, so not a whole lot to complain about at a full fledged WA....

demue

With the last experience being over a year ago I was wondering if anyone had any more recent stays? I think I read that they finished most of the room refurbishment at least of the Deluxe rooms and I was wondering if overall things are running better now than what some posters reported before?

For now, I'm booked on standard cash + points just to secure a room as rate is still 400++, but plan to monitor it and see if it drops.

Thanks