On the positive side:
We stayed here four nights while attending a conference. It’s a nice place that we definitely recommend. Summerfield Suites is within easy walking distance of the older part of downtown Scottsdale and the Scottsdale Civic Center. Buildings are two storeys, with rooms that open out onto exterior walkways, and all rooms open onto landscaped interior spaces rather than onto the surrounding parking areas. New room designs and furnishings from a recent upgrade to the property are very attractive, with angled walls and counters, granite counter tops in the kitchen and contemporary furnishings and light fixtures. The shower is great--a large stone-tiled walk-in with sliding glass doors and a shower nozzle over six feet high, much appreciated by us tall people. Too bad there aren’t two shower heads, because the shower is more than big enough for two. The living room with a computer work area measured 12 x 16 ft., and the bedroom with king bed had plenty of room at 11 x 14 ft. Large windows in the living room that extend almost to the floor allow plenty of natural light. Full-size appliances in the kitchen were brand new. Internet connectivity was easy, strong and reliable, and the cost of wi-fi is included in the room rate. Service at the front desk was friendly and competent. The breakfast buffet was good and included a variety of hot and cold dishes, including nutritional options. We swam in the pool, which is a decent size. The pool is well kept and located in an attractively landscaped interior courtyard area. The fitness center has a few exercise machines and a set of free weights and was adequate for a decent workout.

On the negative side:
While traffic in the area is normally not heavy, on Friday and Saturday nights there is increased activity around the hotel, apparently due to the proximity of popular night clubs. On those two nights Summerfield Suites hires a uniformed security person to control access to the hotel’s parking areas. It is necessary to stop at the entrance to the hotel driveway and give the security attendant your room number before being allowed to enter and park. I suppose this is to keep the parking lot from being filled up by nightclub guests. We did not find this to be a significant bother, but we were a little surprised on the third day of our stay to find a security vehicle blocking the driveway one evening. Also, we noticed that on Friday and Saturday there was increased foot traffic through the hotel complex. We noticed several small groups of people wandering past our first-floor room who seemed to be just passing through the complex as pedestrians, presumably on their way to the nightclubs. I suppose the security guard at the front entrance is only able to control vehicular traffic. Fortunately the passers-through were not rowdy, and overall this posed little inconvenience.

One minor annoyance has to do with the toiletries that are provided, in particular the “white ginger” shampoo. We both found it to have a distinctly unpleasant odor. In fact it was bad enough that I went out and bought a bottle of shampoo at a drug store so we wouldn’t have to use what the hotel provided.

Notes on the area: There is a Fry’s Supermarket less than a mile from the hotel, which is handy for stocking up the kitchen, and it has a decent selection of beer s and wines. We walked through nearby Old Town Scottsdale on a weekday looking for a place to have lunch. It’s charming in its own way and worth a visit, but there were surprisingly few people there. In fact the place was more or less dead. The recession appears to have hit the Phoenix area hard. Numerous businesses have closed. However, there are some interesting boutiques and specialty shops that make it worth a stroll. The restaurants we ran across in the area were not great. In fact, the lunch we finally settled on was very disappointing, and after that we drove elsewhere in Phoenix to eat out.