JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort & Spa, AZ [Master Thread]
 

I stayed at the JW Marriott in Tucson Mar 26 - Apr1.
In my opinion, it is not yet ready for prime time.

Unlike other reports, I don't fell that this hotel is much different than a plain old Marriott. Yes, the rooms are slightly larger, and the bathroom is nicer. But I really don't spend all that much time in the bathroom during my stays ( I hope :).

Starting off with arrival, there are no signs directing you to the resort. It is in the Starr Pass development, but if you don't take the Starr Pass exit off I-10, it is hard to find.

Next, the parking. As already reported, there is a mandatory $15 per night valet parking fee. There is no self parking. But I must add that the valet service was excellent during my stay and I rarely had to wait for the car to be brought up.

Next, the grounds are still being landscaped, so it is pretty barren.

The pools are also pretty barren. There is no lazy river or water slide. Just the pools (one single adult pool and two adjoined family pools). There is also a water spout fountain which the kids love.

As for restaurants, the hotel info describes having 7 dining options. Not quite. One option is the Starbucks, not what I consider a dining option. One option is the restaurant not open yet. And two options are at the golf course clubhouse, not on the hotel grounds. The Poolside facility, Plunge, is decent. The usual selection of burgers dogs and chicken. It does have a bar and Flat panel TV. The main restaurant, Signature, had a nice buffet breakfast. We ate there twice. On the first day, the food was great. On the next day, it was fair. We didn't eat dinner there because the restaurant doesn't serve until 5:30 pm. With our bodies on east coast time, that was too late for us.

We stayed in a room on the 4th floor. For some reason, there was no room number sign on our room. We had a lot of trouble finguring out that was our room, and finally just tried the key. I reported it to the desk on our first day, and was surprised that by the time we checked out no sign had been put up.

Our biggest disappointment was the lack of kids activitied. The hotel made a point of describing the "Rising Starr" kids club, featuring activities focusing on the Sonoran desert. When we were there, the club was not operating. Unfortunately, it was open the week before we arrived. There was star gazing at night, hikes in the desert, arts and crafts. When we checked in we were given a brochure listing all these activities. We made the mistake of telling the kids, then found out that the program was ending on Easter Day and there would be nothing for the kids after that. To Marriott's credit, on Easter Day the Easter Bunny arrived on horse back to the resort, and they held an Easter Egg hunt which everyone enjoyed.

The hotel staff was very pleasant.

Overall, this hotel has potential, but whether to stay there or not depends on why you are going. If you need a place to stay in Tucson for business, it's okay. If you are looking for a vacation with the family, don't go.

After we left Tucson, we went to the JW Marriott in Phoenix (Dessert Ridge). What a difference. This is the hotel to stay at in Arizona.

Your experiences are almost identical to ours. If you are goong to choose JW Marriott in Tucson or Phoenix--choose Phoenix. Larger property in Phoenix does not mean impersonal service. And there is far more to do in Phoenix. Shoppers will love the mall across the road from the Phoenix property, where you can spend some serious $$$--and enjoy a vast selection of fast food outlets or good restaurants.

Don't forget...
 

The Camelback Inn in Phx area is also a JW property. Quieter more serene setting than the Desert Ridge, but excellent property. I've had much more success getting room upgrades as a Plat at the Camelback than the Desert Ridge. (3 stays at each, all leisure)

:rolleyes: Thank you for this info. We're planning a trip to the Camelback since the chef we loved here moved down there to run the restaurant...lol
I think thats as good a reason as any to take a road trip.. :eek:

We stayed at this resort shortly after it opened and liked it so much that we booked a rewards stay for March 2006. It's true that it's certainly not intended to be a resort for kids. Rather, the "resort" features include large public areas with nice city views, good restaurants, a spa, and a top golf course. The surroundings are beautiful, IMO. The resort is nestled between the golf course and Saguaro-filled Tucson Mt. Park. We didn't have a problem finding the resort, coming from TUS via the Interstate. Exit at Starr Pass and drive until the road ends in Tucson Mt. Park. The lack of self-parking and the valet fee were a bit annoying, but the underground parking is much more attractive than a large lot.

Brutie
 

Enjoy your trip to the Phx area. Sounds like your driving. I wouldn't advise that unless necessary. By the time you take the 5 to the 210 you'll be ready to shoot yourself, and the worst of the drive will still be ahead of you. (My family lives in Danville, CA and I've done this drive too many times.) Budget for the airfare!!!

We just returned from our rewards stay. Despite being a lowly silver, I received a free upgrade to a "view" room in the spa wing.

The property was even better than last time (which is to be expected at a one-year-old property). Beautiful surroundings, pool area, and outdoor lounge with fireplaces. Good food, service, and value at the Signature Grill. We didn't make it to the spa or to the relatively new Primo restaurant, but the chef is a James Beard Award winner. Extremely efficient valet service, room service, bell staff, and cleaning staff.

The area is a bit more built-up now, but the driving directions remain the same. Take Starr Pass west from I-10 until it dead-ends at the resort. The formerly unfinished landscaping adjacent to the golf course has been fully completed.

We'll be back.

Updated Information
 

I am staying at this property right now. They must have listened to the feedback above becuase several notable changes have been made:

1. Added a mini "waterpark" complete with lazy river and water slide. Confirmed opening date is first week of March 2008.

2. Directional signage to resort is great....well marked with tasteful signage.

3. Self parking is now available in the deck. $10/day

4. Landscaping is complete...... they have succeded in making you feel like you are in an oasis in the desert.

5. They have 3 firepits and 2 fireplaces on the outdoor patio overlooking the pools and city of Tucson..... perfect for an evening cocktail.

I will also add that the hospitality director had a basket of goodies delivered to our room inclusive of a movie pass, popcorn and tons of treats. This was in addition to our plat arrival gift...... nice touch Starr Pass.

I would recomend the following local activities when you are not snoozing by the pool:

1. Kitt Observatory night program (reserve 3-4 weeks in advance.
2. Pima Air & Space Museum
3. Black Diamond Hummer tours ("Rockin Adventure" is 3 hours..... a real blast, they will pick you up at the hotel)
4. Titan Missle Museum
5. Desert Museum
6. Dinner: Mi Nadito or El Charro (both worth the wait in line)

With the addition of the water park, this property is as nice as the JW Desert Ridge in PHX...... I would even say that it is a little nicer becuase of the dramatic views of the city and hilly location.

I'm glad to hear that the water park will be finished, since we'll be back in mid-March.
^

Starr Pass is indeed one of the best FS Marriotts in the system.

I got married on the 1st hole of the golf course there, I loved it !!!

The water slide & lazy river opened on 3/15/08.

The self-park is in an attached garage right off the main road.

Great additions to a great property.

^

I love this hotel in the Tucson area. It is NOT a place to go with kids although the golf is great there and they do have mountain biking which you can do with your kids. The grounds are beautiful and sitting outside at the bar for the sunset is awesome. I found the breakfast buffet to be excellent and dinner is very good, although we often just ha appetizers and drinks for dinner. My friends and I stay here every February during the Jewelry and Gem show and we just love this hotel. The rooms could be better and I wish they had queen beds instead of oly double or king beds, but the atmosphere is lovely and the grounds are beautiful! Yes, one must follow signs to Star Pass but it is advertised as the STAR PASS Marriott so I think it is obvious that Star Pass is the Marriott!!!!! It is a bit pricey for Marriott, but it is a JW and it is very nice. Otherwise, go to the Enchantment Spa and Resort in Sedona, but for Tucson, this is a nice play to stay!

Hi,

Thanks for the comments on the Starr Pass.

I have booked 7 nights there with my parents for when we vist Tucson/Phoenix in August/September.

I booked it through bookinhotels.com ( payment in advance but cancellable up to 7 days prior). I will not get any of the Marriott silver benefits but at a all in price ( inc tax ) of $110 per night, I think it looks like being a very good value for money.

Regards

TBS

I just completed a 3 night stay here. Hmmm...nice hotel. Had a lot of trouble with the wired internet service...ended up giving up on it and going wireless. The hotel wasn't able to give me too much help...the person they sent up to the room (after getting nowhere with the internet service person they connected me to) was unable to help at all. They sent a general maintenance person to help with the internet. :rolleyes: They did comp the service for the 2 nights which was nice given the problem and their inability to fix the wired service.

I was glad that I had rented a car....it is pretty remote and I would have been bored without a daily trek off the resort grounds.

They also screwed up the reservation. Now I did buy it off of a 3rd party as it was dramatically cheaper than marriott.com. (like 1/3 the price--about what other resorts of similar quality in the area were running) They had me as checking out sat instead of sun... a minor issue but it has never happened to me before at a marriott.

I guess that I've found more polished service at other JWs that I've stayed at. I'm not so sure I'd be interested in staying here again given some of the other nice resorts in the Tucson area.