Residence Inn Scottsdale North

I spent about 10 days here on a work trip. The location is excellent, there's plenty of parking, and the hotel feels fairly modern, perhaps because it was renovated some time ago. The serviced-apartment rooms are a decent size and well equipped, with a full kitchen, small breakfast table, sofa, TV, desk, bed, bathroom, and full-size wardrobe. They were clean and there was no outside noise. The air conditioning was another matter: it has a mind of its own, kicks in loudly in the middle of the night, and can get quite warm when it automatically turns off overnight. Reception staff were friendly. Breakfast was basic: coffee, tea, bacon, sausages, scrambled eggs, porridge, bread, and yogurt in the fridge. Surprisingly, there were miso soups and white rice every day too. Pretty good for a short stay in Scottsdale or Phoenix.

This is the worst Marriott I've stayed at. There were sex workers outside the front doors, which should have been my first warning. When I entered my room, two men were inside and there were briefcases on the bed. I ran straight back to my car. At the front desk, while I was telling the receptionist what happened, another man reported that he'd just been robbed and all his things had been taken from his car. He said the hotel wasn't safe and I should leave. I asked the receptionist for a full refund, and she said she'd speak with the manager. I also called Marriott's corporate number to report the incidents. Do not stay at this Marriott location.

I had stayed at this Residence Inn before and was so disappointed that I wrote a comment saying I didn't think it deserved to carry the Residence Inn by Marriott brand. Last week I returned after making a reservation without realizing it was the same location. I expected the worst, but the whole week was entirely satisfactory, and I was pleasantly surprised. Every staff member I interacted with was pleasant and helpful. The accommodations were what you'd expect at a Residence Inn. Breakfast was satisfactory, though the selection didn't change from day to day. I'd stay there again without hesitation if the situation came up.

For me, this is always a deal breaker. If I'm paying for a decent room at a decent hotel, I want to sleep at a comfortable temperature. These energy-saving thermostats track movement, then shut off the fan and AC when you fall asleep until they detect movement again. I kept waking up furious every hour and walking around the room to turn the AC back on. The units also won't go below 67, which is apparently a set feature. I travel every week, and I'm going to save this review and post it for every hotel that does this. Management, yes, I did call the front desk, and they acted like they'd never heard of this “new” technology.