smat

I just stayed at the Wild Horse last weekend (July 26/27). Got a great summer rate of $113. I'm Platinum so was upgraded to a huge 2 room suite, with 2 decks, flat screen TVs, gigantic bathroom, etc.

Yes, the resort is a bit isolated and out of the way....but if you're looking for rest and relaxation it's great. I've stayed at the Westin Kierland several times and it is always so crowded....that this was a nice change. There were plenty of shops, Starbucks, etc. only about 3 miles away in Chandler.

My only complaint was the lack of elevators. The elevator is in the middle of the building, and the self parking near the Spa is at an end of the building, no where near the elevator. There were stairs near the self parking, but hauling luggage was definitely a problem. I heard others complaining about the lack of an elevators also.

cheepneezy

I just stayed here last week and thought I'd post some pictures for those interested. I got an AAA rate of $118 which was about $30 lower than the conference rate offered to the group I was attending with.

I'm not Starwood Elite so just had a standard room which I found very nice. The balcony was a bit hard to use since it was 110-116 degrees throughout the week.

I really enjoyed the stay and found the staff very attentive. There are 3-4 pools, 2 hot tubs and a great water slide. OK, so it was me and 30 10 year olds on the water slide, but it was a lot of fun. They also have a very nice scenic pathway which is about 2 miles long and was a great way to start the morning...when it was only 95 degrees.

Like others have said, the place is is rather sprawling and a long walk from one end to the other, especially to the car, but valet parking is available. If you don't eat/drink on-site($$$$), you definitely need a car to get somewhere since it's fairly isolated.

Internet connectivity was $12.95 for 24 hours, $6.95 for an hour(wired) or free wireless in the lobby. Lots of people were taking advantage of that. Didn't partake in the casino, but friends said there is a reasonably priced buffet available there.

cheepneezy

Double posting to embed a few pictures....

pago2x

Stayed there this spring. Beautiful property, great dry aged beef, casino was dumpy at best, staff was average, got a really nice suite upg. for plat.

jlewis

Been there a guest 4 - 5 times over the last 3 years. It is absolutely beautiful, quiet and away from the city. Food is good. Dinner at their "top" restaurant is an all-evening affair but they do have a more casual restaurant. Our complaint is that is it NOT cool in the hot months. They have started a "eco friendly" policy and rooms are not cooled below 68 degrees. WHen we were there is was about 107 outside. We did not sleep well.

1flyer1

I just returned from the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass. Property was nice, room was fine, no upgrade for platinum.

In summary, if you are going to be in the Chandler area, this is a good spot. If you are going to Phoenix or Scottsdale as a destination, you will be better served at the Phoenician or Kierland.

SaigonCyclo

Kai is the top restaurant. It received 1 of only 2 AAA 5 Diamond Awards given to AZ restaurants.

ENIAC

Just arrived for a 4 night stay. So far quite disappointing, though it may look better in daylight. It's wide open for cash and points, which I generally assume translates to good upgrade potential given previous discussion in this thread of nice suites. But I'm on the ground floor in the smallest room I've stayed in all year. The tiny patio outside has only one chair. Also I can't get a drink as the bar has closed at least half an hour prior to the time shown on the sign.

To be fair to them, an online search is not showing suites for these dates, despite the lowish prices and C&P with no minimum stay for regular rooms. I should get more obsessive about checking this prior to arrival. Also there was a cookie with a card in the room, so they made an effort at recognition.

I'll see if I can switch to the Westin for the remaining nights.

damon88

Hmm- we stayed there again for 1 night on our way to Sedona for Thanksgiving. We were really impressed.

Our suite was spacious- comfortable and a great value.

We're looking forward to returning again soon.

Tak

Six of us stayed last week, and we got 1 deluxe corner suite which was spacious, and 2 regular rooms facing pool and golf course on 4th Floor.
I thought 3rd and 4th are SPG preferred floor(i did not check 1 & 2nd FL).
Only the problem I found was that the suite was the corner unit and it was very far from lobby.

We had a dinner at KAI, and the service was very good.
However, I felt most food were very salty.
We also had dinner downstair, too.
It was salty again.
I guessed local likes salty food?

troyintn

What about Goodyear for spring training? I am takeing the kids and thought thye may enjoy the wildhorse more?

ENIAC

Further to earlier post, it had surprised us to be given a small, gloomy ground floor room with no view for a 4 night stay over Xmas. Especially as the hotel was clearly deserted -- literally nobody in the entire pool area at a sunny 3pm. Coffee shop had closed for the day by 10:30am, concierge desk unmanned at all times, bar closed early without notice.

We asked about a better room and were told that no king rooms outside the first floor were available because the entire 3rd and 4th floors were block booked for "the football team" which was arriving later. We started to imagine the pool area full of footballers and their friends.

So we decided to move. Cheers to SPG and the Westin Kierland. The Westin had C&P, but a 4 night minimum and we had only 3 nights left. The plat line agent called the hotel in the evening, but the duty manager was unable to OK a waiver of the minimum. However, I was told the name of the revenue manager (Anita) and called her the next day. She called back shortly afterward to tell me the WHP had agreed to waive the early checkout fee, she was waiving the 4 night C&P minimum, and we should head over to the Westin.

The pool and grounds were nice, but the hotel failed to impress in other ways. The lobby was grand but in my view tasteless, like something in a casino. The AC was like a 70s airport Sheraton -- very noisy. Our patio was jsut a patch of ground with no wall and only one chair. Others had two chairs and a bench, but maybe they'd run short. And the bed was like a 4pts: under the heavy ornamental comforter was a worn fleece blanket wrapped in a sheet rather than a light weight comforter.

If you can time your visit to avoid the football team your experience might be different. We're at the Westin now and like it a lot.

Tak

I have also stayed at Kierland a few years ago because the golf course which I could see in their website looked great.
They made a great display of golf course-two best holes from its lobby.
However, only the holes we could see from lobby were interesting, but all other holes were unfortunately boring.
If I compare two golf courses(Wild Hourse has 36 holes, Kierland has 27 holes), Wild Horse is still much better(although not as good as other famous PHX/Scottsdale courses-we also stayed at Desert Mountain).

I still remembered that Kierland lounge had Shrimp in the eveing.
It was a small lounge but the view of golf course and shrimp were so good!

Pizzaman

Anybody know if the pools are heated? We're thinking about a trip in February, and wondering if the kids will be fine with the water temperature.

AZ Travels the World

Yes, absolutely, they're heated. (Though just enough -- it was 80 degrees here today. Much like DC, right? )

OK, that was mean. First AZ cocktail on me, Pizzaman.

AZ