My standard hotel reviews include a breakdown by the following topics. Feel free to skip to whichever section you find most interesting.
- Highlights
- Lobby & Check-in
- Room
- Hotel Space / Ambiance
- Food & Drink
- Fitness
- Miscellaneous
Highlights: Westin Kierland Resort
First time in Arizona! Great timeshare experience, average service & food, lots of resort amenities – that I unfortunately did not take full advantage of. Beautiful outside décor, and expansive hotel. Excellent shuttle service to nearby Kierland Commons & Scottsdale Quarter, however one time it was very slow in arriving. The great timeshare presentation experience made it a decent stay.
Lobby & Check-in
Westin Kierland Resort is roughly a half hour drive from Phoenix Airport (PHX). No premier checkin that day – which was blamed on the daily demand. Made no sense to me, as premier checkin doesn’t mean you stop checking in regular people. Making me wait, despite status, is annoying. Platinum status included access to the 9th floor lounge, and waiving of the $29 nightly resort fee. Check in amenity is the choice of points, or branded Westin Kierland Resort water bottles.
Lobby is very large – opens up down to a couple bars and the outdoor landscape, and various restaurants and eateries on the side.
Room
Although they said they upgraded us to a Deluxe King, it looked like a pretty basic room, nothing fancy and served our purposes. Interestingly enough, the Green Choice program is done manually, with cards each day to turn in at checkout. Checkout was a struggle, as we asked for the standard 4:00pm, but they only were able to guarantee 12:30 the night before. They did extend it to 2:00 the next morning, without issue.
However, there were some problems. I had to replace my keys 2-3 times, which was very frustrating as they blamed broken elevator boxes for demagnetizing keycards. But, they also failed to mention this at checkin. Additionally, they removed my desk lamp at 2pm, saying they would replace it with an upgraded one within two hours. I had to call back late evening for them to bring me a new one, which wasn’t ideal.
Hotel Space / Ambiance
This hotel is huge. Thus, it’s why it’s a resort, with spa, restaurant, golfing greens, family activities, business center, luxurious pools, waterpark/slide, etc. Also, there were a combination of business travelers here for work, and families with small children.
Food & Drink
Platinum status does not include hot breakfast, just a basic continental at the 9th floor lounge. They said that I could order hot food for additional charge, but they did have a hot pancake machine. Afternoon hors d’oeuvres were nothing fancy or special, your standard meats, cheese, crackers, and fruits.
I did have lunch at one of the restaurants on a discount card. Tough decision between this and a cigar bar Mexican place. The complimentary flatbread was delicious, but the burger was average. Also, the fat steak fries I didn’t enjoy – too much potato to skin ratio.
Fitness
They have large luxurious pools for guests, as well as a decently sized fitness center away from the main hotel building.
Miscellaneous
All in all, this was a decently enjoyable experience. The proximity to Scottsdale Quarter and Kierland Commons allowed me to use the complimentary hotel shuttle to hit multiple happy hours. The concierge was top notch, having connections to several Quarter restaurants, although I found the either the service or value lacking in his recommendations. I don’t know what name-dropping is supposed to do in a restaurant, but it did not work here and I was frankly disappointed at one restaurant’s service and the other’s value. Lesson learned – take their recommendations with many grains of salt. Also,
The timeshare was a main redeeming quality to an otherwise meh to average stay, but I wouldn’t mind coming back to Scottsdale and Westin Kierland Resort anytime soon!
Have you been to Westin Kierland Resort & Spa? Let me know your experience in the comments!
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