The Clarendon Hotel & Spa, BW Signature Collection

If you've stayed here before the buyout, don't expect the same place. It went from one of the best private hotels to a sloppy corporate hotel, with half the amenities broken and the rest of what was advertised taken away. The rooftop has been closed since the buyout. There are kids everywhere again, no snacks, and no free breakfast. The breakfast voucher only covers bland, cardboard-like food. They've gone through three cheap restaurants that nobody liked. The water feature at the pool is turned off after 9, even though it runs until 11. The desk told us it was closed when we arrived, and we had to find out it wasn't. Our room was dirty and not the one we booked, and it was my fiancé's birthday. When we asked for a change or upgrade, they said to talk to the desk host in the morning, who would take care of things. That never happened. In the morning they said they couldn't do anything, and breakfast brought more disappointment. Save yourself the money and headache. It's not what it used to be at all.

The room felt like a Mexican beach hotel from 1975, with hard surfaces everywhere. There was a big gap beneath the door that let in light and made it difficult to sleep. Breakfast came with the room and was freshly made in the hotel restaurant. It was easily the best part of the stay, though the dining area gets blasted by morning sun through large windows with no curtains.

We told the front desk about the bathtub the next morning, and the attendant just said, "OK." No apology or acknowledgment at all. We later wrote to BW hotels, and their best offer was a $50 gift card for one of their flea-bag hotels. We declined. We might have let the problem go if the attendant had shown even a little consideration. We'd stayed here years ago, when it was privately owned, and it was clean, quaint, and a little kitschy. That's all gone now that BW owns it. On this one-night stay, the room had an overpowering cleaning-chemical smell, like Fabuloso, and the windows facing the pool were smudged and dirty. We left at about 4 p.m. to walk downtown. When we got back around 1 a.m., I showered and the tub began filling with water. I tried the drain lever but couldn't get it to work, and the water rose to about 10 inches. My wife refused to shower. We didn't call the desk at 1:30 a.m. because we didn't want to be bothered. The tub was still full in the morning. There are many better hotels around downtown Phx, such as The Palomar, The Moxy, The Hyatt, The Cambria, and The Westin. Don't waste your time at The Clarendon or any BW hotel chain. Customer service is nonexistent.

This is a basic, somewhat run-down hotel, but it was clean, seemed safe, and was conveniently located. The room was a good size. The evening desk person was pleasant and helpful, though the next morning the desk woman barely acknowledged me and didn't smile when I mentioned the AC and TV remotes weren't working. Both were working again when I came back later. The free breakfast is kind of a joke. If you want a budget place with no frills, this will do. I'm surprised it got four stars, so I'm giving it three.