joshua362

I stayed there May 06 & Nov 06 several nights each time. Perfectly average, good room rate ($130 ish), decent CL lounge, nothing else remarkable about it. Same with the Mesa Marriott Nov 07 12 miles a way. But nothing bad I can remember. One unremarkable dinner on site.

Really no other affordable FS Marriott choices in the valley that I know of, I'm there for business, collect MR points & get PLT benes and eat the greatest pizza in the world - not for a resort / vacation.

I think it is just ok.

Thanks for the reminder, I need to go to PHX in Nov again and need to book up, NASCAR seems to always run near my visit which fills the hotels hence my stay in MESA last year.

Love to hear of any other options. I once stayed at the JW Desert Ridge but thats more than 20 minutes as is probably is Scottsdale. Also stayed at few unremarkable RI's highway side.

UPDATE !! Went to book early November '08 and the best rate is a ridiculous $216!! Mesa is $134, 12 miles away by comparison per the web site at my corporate rate.

I don't think this is a $216 / night hotel regardless of who is paying, so I'll stay away.

CJKatl

I'm pretty sure I've stayed at the SS close to the airport and it's a little nicer than most. It's probably as nice as the FS, albiet without room service or CL, but with free Internet. If I'm thinking of the correct property, it's at a quiet dead-end street across from Monster.com.

IrieDame

I decided to stay at the Buttes.

joshua362

I saw that and reasonable priced for me. Is there a CL? Thanks

DJ_Iceman

There is no CL at The Buttes, but they do provide breakfast coupons for plats. It's also a pretty nice resort property with a lot more atmosphere than the airport or Mesa FS hotels.

My leading choices for travel to Phoenix, even though my business was in Gilbert, were the McDowell Mountains and Suites properties in Scottsdale. Traffic in Phoenix is practically non-existant, so the ~20 miles was a breeze. Scottsdale has a lot more to recommend it in terms of vibe and activities.

All that being said, the Mesa hotel is actually pretty nice if only because of the universally positive attitude of the staff. The facilities are nice but average, and the location is quite ho-hum, but every single employee seems to love working there and it shows in how they treat guests. Plus, they DO have a lounge that is well-stocked at both breakfast and in the evening.

NDDomer86

Certainly not around rush hours and definitely not through the mini-stack

DJ_Iceman

Compared to what, though? I lived in the DC area when I was traveling to Phoenix all the time, and I would take Phoenix rush hour in the mini-stack over I-66 at midnight any day of the week. Now I live in LA, and I can say the same.

And then remember, I was usually driving from Scottsdale to Gilbert in the morning and back at night--the worst that would happen is the traffic would slow to 55 or so where the 101 and 202 came together. That's a dream compared to most cities across the country...

NDDomer86

Phoenix's growth has exploded over the past couple of years and the roads have not been able to keep up with the growth. I know very well the woes (and angers ) of LA traffic and I would say that it is definitely worse than PHX traffic but PHX traffic is definitely bad (has taken me 2 hours to get from Mesa to Glendale with traffic but no wrecks). The Mini-Stack is certainly no 101/405 interchange but it is rated as one of the most congested interchanges in the nation (http://www.forbes.com/2007/06/11/tra...0&boxes=custom). I would still say that the worst though is CA-91 East in the evenings as there is that long stretch from Anaheim to the 71 where you have no option but to sit in traffic as there are no exits.

GoCubs

As for weather, we typically go to AZ over Thanksgiving and have been very fortunate. Daytime temps are usually in the 70s, which makes the pool area pleasant but not hot. Early mornings are still quite cool - I absolutely froze playing golf one time - but things warm up by late morning.

We always go to Camelback, but when you have a young kid, a very large room is key (we even got a suite upgrade last year - doubt we'll ever be that lucky again!). The casitas are huge and very private. The service has always been on the same level as a Ritz, and the spa is gorgeous.

GrizShel

The search feature is kind of acting up now, so I may have missed some comments on these properties here, but at least I couldn't find anything.

Just looking for a clean place that is not in a bad neighborhood and preferrably with an airport shuttle service. Two Fairfield Inns relatively near Phoenix airport come out to be really cheap (about half price compared to most of the alternatives) so I am inclined to go with one of them unless there's something really bad about these properties that I am not yet aware of (and the low rates make me wonder a little bit). Here they are:

1. Fairfield Inn & Suites Phoenix
2520 N. Central Avenue
Phoenix, Arizona 85004

2. Fairfield Inn Phoenix Airport
4702 E University Drive
Phoenix, Arizona 85034

#1 appears to be closer to downtown, #2 closer to the airport.

Any experiences to share or recommendations about either property?

kctigers

i have had good experiences with both properties, if i remember right, the one downtown, is either new or renovated, a nice fairfield inn, and the one at the airport, is a typical airport fairfield inn, very clean and nice. i would choose the airport one, as it is like 5 minutes from airport, it is on city bus line to tempe and there is a hilton next door for a bar, full-service restaurant,etc....

good luck

edwkim

I am planning an award stay in January and have a 1 bedroom villa reserved. There is a notice posted on the resort website which states construction is occuring. Anyone know how much of a problem this is at the villas? I plan on being at the adjoining JW Desert Ridge resort pool and spa most of the time anyway. Anyone with first hand knowledge at either Marriott resort?

TA917901

I stayed at the Canyon Villas earlier this month. There are approximately 10 buildings running south to north. The construction is on the south end, so ask for a unit on the north end of the complex if you are concerned about construction noise. Building #s 3100, 3200, 3300 would be my recommendation.

Enjoy, it's a great place and the 1 bedroom units are very nice.

edwkim

Thanks for that info! You make me feel more comfortable about my award stay. Is it far from the Desert Ridge facilities - pool and spa?

DENROC

Relatively close----walkable but long