Fairmont Scottsdale Princess

Staying here is similar to trying to sleep above a night club or trying to sleep in the middle of a raging rave party. We stayed in section D near the lobby/Plaza bar. The first night the loud music didn’t end until past 11pm. The next night the music didn’t end until past 2am. This is very surprising for a AAA five diamond resort. If you ever come here, refuse any rooms near and around the Plaza bar or lobby. The hotel is beautiful and well maintained but the guests really should be able rest and sleep at night. Major fail here in my opinion.

Not worth the money. The whole place smelled like sewage. It was disgusting. Everything was way over priced. $78 for 2 kids to ice skate. Everything was hours wait in lines. Skip this and go to Zoo lights.

There is nothing new in the Christmas experience. There are long lines due to having very few attractions and too many people. Food prices are high, the decorations are the same as in previous years, and overall it is not a recommended experience.

We stayed at the Privado which was absolutely fantastic. Big shout-out to Chana who was so warm & welcoming. Orlando handled our reservations happily. Heidi greeted us on several occasions & asked if we needed anything. The casita was beautiful & so peaceful. We felt tucked away & the serenity was really nice for all of us. The private lobby was well equipped. We enjoyed coffee there in the morning & their charcuterie offering at 4pm. As a a guest at Privado, we were spoiled with the golf cart private transportation. They took us to dinner reservations in addition to pools opposite the property. Eli & Jake are always so eager to see if we need any transportation or assistance and we all enjoyed chatting with one another. We went during Christmas at the Princess. One of the biggest perks was the VIP wristbands for Privado guests. We saved so much time for the ferris wheel, tube ride & train. Lights all around the resort were stunning! Privado service was impeccable & I would not hesitate to book it again. The restaurants at the resort fell short in our opinion. We dined at multiple establishments. The service was very slow & the food was frankly not what you would expect from a 5-star resort. Bourbon Steak was a big let-down. My wife had to send her steak back because she ordered a medium temperature steak & they brought her one that was more on the the well-done side. Drinks there were not all too impressive either. My oldest son was interested in the kids club. We called one morning to see what they had on schedule and they admitted no one has signed up at all for that day. We didn't bring him in because we didn't want him to be by himself. We did visit multiple times to allow the kids to enjoy themselves. They had basketball, ping pong, skeeball & other games. The Splash Pool (family pool) was freezing because the pump broke. It was such a shame because my kids were so excited to go on the water slides. I know these things happen. Luckily, the resort had other pool options. We mainly frequented Sunset Beach because of the location & service. All in all, we had a very good stay. Privado definitely lives up to the hype. However, the food options at the resort left a lot to be desired, especially at Bourbon Steak.

This is not a 5 star hotel pure and simple. We had the second best room in all of the resort (only because we were told our room was going to hear loud music until almost 11 pm) due to the Christmas event. I thanked them for sharing but the room they suggested was much more costly. I asked for some relief and they would not discount it but it cost me a $1000 more a night and I accepted it.. I started listening to every person who was checking in and it seems there was a bait and switch system going on with a similar story as they told me to each person checking in as well. We had to call Concierge to have our room cleaned. (Second best room level below Presidential Suite and that’s what we have to do?) We had passive service from our concierge and asked for a one hour later check out and they said NO. There was a $130 vehicle charge which did not come with the room at that level. It was only until we complained where this was adjusted. No restocking of the amenities in the room. It seems the management does not care about loyalty. I have stayed at 5 stars and other quality Fairmonts and this is not one of them One of the front desk supervisors asked me how he could remedy our stay. I told him I am not looking to get a free stay but it was up to them. I never heard back. There are many other high quality resorts in Scottsdale. But it does seem they love the Christmas season because the massive amounts of people who attend the holiday event and it looks nice. And this is the first time I have ever written such a complaint that I remember.