Canyon Ranch is losing its long held top position as a spa which has value, service and excellent ambiance. I have been a repeat guest at the ranch for twenty years or more and have found it to be an excellent place to relax and refresh oneself while enjoying healthy food and interesting classes. My last experience there, however, was very disappointing, and in reflecting upon my last few stays there I realize I have been disappointed in the quality of classes, food, and attitude of the personnel at the ranch.
I think there are a lot of repeat guests like me who return to the ranch year after year without really noticing the shabby nature of the rooms, the disorganization of the front desk staff, nor the lack of interesting classes.
There have been definite cutbacks at the ranch and unfortunately this has happened without much consideration for the guests. My friend and I found the food to be unpalatable at many meals, and we both were extremely uncomfortable during our massages. My friend said he had never experienced a worse massage in his life. My massage felt as if someone were stroking my body without any knowledge of what to do.
During our check in process the staff claimed they had no record of my ten minute conversation requesting adjoining rooms and I had to ask for the manager to have this corrected. (BTW the ranch was only 50% full) At checkout they stated that my deposit taken almost a year prior to this stay could not be found which caused me a lot of stress. They later stated it was there and had been misfiled.
At no point did a staff member apologize for the inconvenience caused to us or attempt to represent Canyon Ranch in following through.
At our final check out a manager came and spoke with us and was extremely courteous and professional, handling the issue with grace and respect for us. We both spoke later of how nice it would have been if everyone we encountered had been as professional.
The problem with Canyon Ranch in my humble opinion is they have no incentive for returning guests like a reduced room rate or providing a guest with a room in a location they preferred. Even a complimentary spa service would be nice. Airlines build loyalty by doing this very successfully. It would be good to give incentives to the staff to behave with more personal responsibility when dealing with the guests. I noticed many of the long term staff had left and a few of the really wonderful doctors in the medical department had moved on. In general the staff we encountered was disinterested in our wellbeing and rude or unresponsive in their communication with us.
In observing the other guests, we saw a population comprised mainly of women who were in their fifties or older. My prediction is that Canyon Ranch will slowly wane in popularity as it already has. Without being able to attract a younger clientele, the older clients will return to find fewer and fewer services, classes and rooms that are not acceptable. Miraval will continue to be the first choice of spa goers as it provides all the things that the Ranch does not. We visited there for dinner and a tour and sadly agreed that our next spa trip would be to Miraval as the rates are far lower and the service, accommodations and staff far nicer.
- Canyon Hotel Tucson
- Canyon Ranch
- Canyon Resort Tucson
- Canyon Ranch Tucson
