JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort & Spa

We loved the JW. Check in was breeze. The room was lovely with a great view of the mountains. Room was clean and serviced daily. The grounds are beautiful and we enjoyed walking everyday. The best part? The service….everyone we encountered had a smile and was eager to help even with the after Xmas crowds at the hotel. Breakfast is amazing with everything you could want. There was fruit, pastries, made to order eggs, omelets, pancakes and waffles. Self parking next to our casita was easy (and free!) We haven’t been to the JW in over 30 years but are looking forward to coming back. The only down side was the spa was being refurbished.

I'd compare the level of service and care here to that of a Ritz Carlton. Every staff member was happy to help you and clearly empowered to do so. The rooms that are standard Casita are disappointing however. They had a musty smell and uncomfortable beds, no where close to what I'd expect from a Westin for example. We got moved to a Signature View which was decent enough. Location is great - we hiked up Mummy Mountain direct from the hotel and a ten minute taxi to the trails for Camelback Mountain. Overall an excellent stay thanks to the attention and care of the staff. In contrast we also spent a night at the Desert Ridge property which was no where close to Camelback in the quality of service.

Daryl at Jack Rabbit pool is what customer delight is all about. He doesn’t just go get you a drink. He’s focused on your overall experience. Remembers your name. Your football team , your family. He’s is a model for what good looks like. I’ve known him for years from the spa. He brought to the Jack rabbit pool his professionalism 5 star service. It would be wise for Marriott to train others to understand customer service that he provides as it’s not what it used to be here at the camelback. It’s the few veterans that remain that carry it on. Brett and Mike also do outstanding. Friendly and exceptional. It’s always great to see them. I’ve spent 50 to 60 nights over 25 years at this property. Things change but customer service should not! It’s folks like this that keep me coming back. Not the furniture! Invest in your people!

We visited for a company conference. The resort did a fantastic job with our conference, even lighting up the mountain with the name of our firm. The grounds are beautiful. It was nice to walk around the resort. All the buildings are no higher than two floors so it had a much nicer atmosphere than a high rise building. Truly felt like "Arizona". The rooms need work though. They smelled a little musty and were very dated. Wallpaper was peeling in spots and floors not very clean especially the baseboards and near the curtains. Mattresses were so soft it felt like you were sleeping on the floor. Restaurant was very nice with music every night. Overall, very good experience. Truly an exceptional resort if they can update the rooms a bit.

Today we woke up early (6am) to find that the Illy coffee maker in our room didn’t work. So we tried to call the front desk using the bedside handset, but it didn’t have a dial tone. So we called the hotel front desk using our cell and explain the situation. No more than about 5 minutes later a nice gentleman knocked on our door with a replacement Keurig coffee machine with pods. We mentioned that the broken one was an Illy but we were very glad we had our coffee!! About 5-10 min later there was a knock at the door and the man was back with a new Illy coffee machine. So unexpected! As we were drinking our Illy coffee (2nd cup) there was a knock at the door and a young woman from maintenance was there to address the phone situation. She quickly realized that the base was not working and came back after a short while with a replacement and fixed the phone. Both employees were super nice and resolved these mini issues so quickly. The JW Marriott Camelback really does know how to provide 5 Star Service! We have been coming to this property for many years and the people who work here are truly amazing. If you want to be pampered, come to Camelback - where time stands still.