The Phoenician, a Luxury Collection Resort, Scottsdale

The Phoenician is a great resort in Scottsdale. It is in the perfect location - close to shopping and restaurants. The property is beautiful. The pools are great. They are perfect for adults and children. The staff is warm and friendly. Housekeeping is great too. Mowry and Cotton a nice place for breakfast. My first choice to stay when visiting Scottsdale!

As a home-based travel business owner with over 20 years of experience—specializing in luxury travel, cruises, and destination weddings—I’ve devoted my career to excellence and service. However, during a recent Educational Stay, I was subjected to racial profiling, discrimination based on my disability, and the exclusion of my service animals from public areas of the property. While on-site, I was served low-quality meals that made me ill. When I reported my symptoms, I was offered only crackers, Gatorade, or bubbly water—no official report was taken. I visited the resort as an official representative, evaluating it as a potential venue for a destination wedding or bachelorette party. Covering over 200,000 square feet, the property should have offered a robust and enriching experience. Instead, my tour lasted less than 30 minutes and consisted largely of the guide pointing out areas where my service animals were prohibited. I was shown a one-bedroom suite in the Canyon Suites, only to be informed that neither I nor my service animals were permitted in that section of the property or its pool area. Despite the resort being advertised as pet-friendly and expansive, my guest—who also lives with a disability—and I were restricted to my room and one restaurant. Staff provided menus from off-property restaurants and instructed me to contact each establishment individually to confirm service animal policies, citing frequent changes. As a longtime representative of luxury Marriott properties who travels with service animals, I have never encountered such treatment from the brand. After submitting a survey detailing my experience, I was met with retaliation. When I raised my concerns directly with the hotel, I was informed that their staff had failed me. I’ve since taken action by contacting legal counsel and the Department of Justice to address the discriminatory and unjust treatment I endured. Discrimination has no place in travel. I will not remain silent.

We’re spent 2 nights here away from the kids. Enjoyed the lobby menu our first night. Great cocktails, we ordered 3 different food items-flatbread, wings & guac. All great!!! We had lunch poolside and enjoyed all the food and drinks there!! Also a good spot to get a draft beer. They don’t have draft beer in the lobby. All in all pretty good. Here are things that are meh. The fridge in our room are was for a mini bar that does not allow for anything extra. This was a problem for us and would have been a bigger issue if we had our kids. My issue with this was I had limited space to store my breast milk. The other meh was the adult pool area bad no cushions on the chairs unless they came with the cabana. At the other twos pools all the chairs had cushion. Using the hand rail was hard to utilize as it was scorching hot. They did not have a cover on it to cool the temp as most pools do. I’m sure it’s not LUXURY to have the cover but if we had our kids that would have been nice. One slide. One hot tub. Lastly. Our room key would not work to get us access out of the garage. We had to phone security everytime we came or went. We actually had to call the hotel to get out one time. All little things but could it would have been a great stay rather then a good stay. Food was great. Servers/attendants were friendly and nice.

The most appalling experience of my professional career. As a home-based travel business owner with over 20 years in the industry, I’ve dedicated my life to excellence and service. Yet during a recent Educational Stay, I was subjected to racial profiling, discrimination due to my disability, and the exclusion of my service animals from public areas of the property. While on the property I was given low quality meals that made me ill. No report was taken. I visited the resort as an official representative, with Kirsten Smith assigned as my point of contact. What should have been a professional development experience became a deeply distressing ordeal. After raising my concerns directly with the hotel, I was informed that the staff had indeed failed me. I’ve since taken action by contacting legal representation and the Department of Justice regarding the unjust treatment I received. Discrimination has no place in travel—and I won’t remain silent.

The Phoenician Resort is undeniably stunning, from the breathtaking mountain views near our hotel room to the beautifully landscaped grounds, multiple pool options, and towering palm trees that truly make the resort feel like a desert oasis. However, while the scenery impressed us, several aspects of our stay fell short, especially when compared to other top resorts in the Phoenix area. Dining & Amenities: One major concern was the limited dining hours. Most on-site restaurants closed by 5:00 PM, with The Tavern being the only option open until 8:00 PM. As out-of-town guests, this left us with little choice in the evenings aside from room service or ordering out. We expected more flexibility and variety in a luxury resort. Shops & Pool Experience: All shops on the property also closed early at 5:00 PM, and pool amenities, including the water slide, music, bar, and even the water fountains, were shut down around the same time. This was disappointing, as the pool is typically a hub of activity and relaxation, especially in the summer. Children's Activities: We were especially let down by the Funicians Kids Club, which was never open during our stay. This was a major reason we selected the Phoenician, and our children were incredibly disappointed by its unavailability. Summer Activities: We appreciated the advertised “Legendary Summers” theme, but there were no events scheduled during the weekdays only on the weekends. Other Phoenix-area resorts we’ve visited provide daily family-friendly activities all summer long, so the lack of weekday activities was a letdown. Overall, while the resort is visually impressive and offers a serene setting, we felt the guest experience didn’t fully match the high rating and reputation. With a few key improvements especially around extended hours, family activities, and consistent activites the Phoenician could offer a truly legendary experience to match its branding.