My wife and I recently stayed there on the Saturday before Valentine's day. Understanding that pricing would be at a premium, I was okay with spending a little more based on what I understood to what I was looking for. I originally booked a spa suite, which had the advertised a spa soak tub, 1 of 2 things my wife and I wanted. When we checked in, we were given keys to a standard corner suite...which is not what we reserved. We called the front desk and explained our reservation and were immediately upgraded to a "Presdential" suite, the largest on property. I asked if the tub was big enough for two and the front desk said yes. We moved to the room (even offered help with luggage, unnecessary but appreciated) and it was indeed huge. Kind of modern/Austin Powers, I'm sure it catered to the young/hip crowd. We walked into the bathroom and saw that it was huge...but the tub was not big enough for two, comfortably anyway. I get it that Jacuzzi/Whirlpools are a premium, but if a person asks if two can fit comfortably I would have expected an honest answer, especially for the price we paid regardless if we were upgraded.

Fast forward to dinner at Roku: really good but expect to pay premium prices. Again a place for the cool hip crowd, but I was under the impression from the hotel website that the dress code was a bit more upscale. That was quickly put to rest with the frat boy uniform for "nice" (untucked collared shirt, jeans, wearing a nice watch that dangles on the wrist like a bangle on a girl, and square toed shoes from the 1900s. But I digress).

We went back to the room to relax and were greeted by the room services I ordered: rose petals, champagne, and strawberries with chocolate. They were excellent, and my wife and I tried to take as good of a bath together as we could. The in-room stereo system worked well with my iPhone, so we relaxed. The music from the outside pool bar, which was NOT explained to us, started to get louder. We turned on the TV to wind down, which drowned out the noise from outside for a little while. To make this short(ish), here's were the problems started:

1. The "Blackout" option on the drapes system is a fat lie. Tons of ambient light from the pool bar and outside our windows crept in the room, I had to turn off all electronics to get it actually closer to black, and then realized it was impossible because the window that was above tub was letting in light and the modern bathroom had no door to close out the light. Bottom line is that there was too much light for a supposed premium room.

2. The bed was too soft. I know this is a preference, but if you like firm beds/pillows you will not like this bed at all. My wife said it was like sleeping on cotton candy.

3. The A/C system only shut off for about 10 minutes at a time. And when it was on for the other 15-20 minutes, imagine trying to sleep while the humming of a microwave is on. Not relaxing at all.

4. The "Presedential" suite is also the handicapped-friendly room. Tons of room, of which they will try and sell you as a premium, seems unnecessary unless you were handicapped. For example, the rain shower and adjoining bathroom were huge, but the tub was small in comparison. Doesn't make sense until we looked at it from the handicapped point. If we got the spa suite like we wanted with the bigger tub as originally reserved, that would have been nicer.

5. The pool bar scene was happening until 2 in the morning. If that was explained to us when we moved, we would have requested a different room on the other side of the property.

Normally our treat to ourselves is to order room service, but because of the very poor sleeping conditions we just packed up and ate at Denny's instead. Bottom line is that my attempt at having a romantic getaway with a large tub and quality sleeping conditions (2 of 2 things we were looking for) sorely lacked at this hotel. If we were looking for a place to party and hang with our friends, this would be an awesome location. But a little information on the true nature of noise and light management in the rooms would have been nice. The staff was super friendly and seemed happy to assist us. But we couldn't ask them to keep things down, so there was no point in trying to bring this up. My wife and I rarely get to have these types of nights out, and I wish I would have looked for a resort instead which placed intimacy/light & sound management over the "social" ammenities. What we wanted to a great memory ended up being just a memory of poor planning and regret in not asking the questions important to us. If you're looking to party, this would be a great place in Scottsdale. But couples looking for romance between just the two of them should look elsewhere.

I stayed at the W for two weekday nights recently at an amazing rate of $127. If you've stayed at W Hotels at all, this one will not be a surprise: it is sleek, polished, fun and comfortable. If you've NOT stayed at a W before, this would be a good one to start with.

Check-in was incredibly friendly and easy and my room, though not upgraded, was fine. The bed was supremely comfortable and the Aveda toiletries much appreciated. The only annoying thing about the room was the lack of electrical outlets near the desk.

The pool area is absolutely gorgeous, with plenty of room to relax and wind down. Of course, this was a weekday, so the place wasn't hopping the way would assume it does on weekends Still, the serene atmosphere of the pool--with its very comfortable seating--has to be experienced to be appreciated.

I didn't dine at the hotel, but walked up Camelback (about one block) and had a great meal at the Culinary Dropout Restaurant. If you head down Camelback about three blocks, there is a great health food market, Sunflower Market, with a fine collection of cheeses, breads, wines and other goodies to bring back to your room.

Overall...I give the W Scottsdale high marks for ambience, attention and allure!

Wow! Where do I start about the W Scottsdale. I am a frequent traveler and hold Starwood Platinum and Hilton Diamond status. This could quite possibly be one of the nicest hotels I've ever stayed at the service was top notch from check-in to check-out. This is a newer hotel (only a few years old) and very well maintained. The designers of this hotel seriously deserve an award. The hotel offers several different room layouts and I have to give thanks to Bridget at the front desk who was very sweet and offered an upgrade to a corner studio suite. I also want to recognize John who brought my luggage up and pointed out some of the cool features in the room. The rooms are very stylish and modern, yet incredibly comfortable. My studio suite was actually equipped with a desktop computer (I've never seen that in a hotel before). The wall mounted TV swivels to any angle and was connected to a surround sound system installed in the room. The bathroom has a room divider in case you don't want it open to the room (choice is always good). Oh, and the bed.....the W bed is probably the most comfortable bed in the hotel world. As far as the property is concerned, the pool area is HUGE and located on the second level above the lobby with a bar area adjacent to the pool. I hear the pool parties are wild in the summer. There is also another bar in the main lobby. This place is definitely geared towards a younger crowd. As a full service hotel you will always need to be aware of the extras as you could get nickel and dimed to death if not careful. Thanks for a great stay and I can't wait to return the next time I'm in town.

The "W" Scottsdale will make you feel welcome and is an excellent Starwood property. The location is on the south end of the city across from P.F. Changs, Nordstrom, H&M etc...
The staff is very helpful when called upon and the rooms are very clean.
Parking is the only thing that is difficult. Valet is available but self park on street is 3 hours maximum and garages are expensive