Staybridge Suites Phoenix Biltmore Area an IHG Hotel

I have been a travel nurse for many years, and I only stay at IHG hotels. This Staybridge Suites in Phoenix has by far been the best experience I have ever had. From the sales manager to the front desk staff (Danny), they made this assignment the best ever. If you are a traveler of any kind but mostly if you're working at Phoenix Children's Hospital for an assignment please stay here, you won't regret it. It takes me 7 minutes to walk to work. No car needed; they have Waymo here!

We showed up with 21 soccer players. Staff was friendly. Rooms were ready. Our stay was perfect. The rooms are big which we needed because we put 4 kids 17 year old in each room. And the staff is helpful and very friendly. The central location also gives you access to everything within minutes.

Always look at the map carefully when the word "Area" is in the hotel name. The location of the hotel is not ideal - it is really not in the Biltmore area and it is next to Highway 51. The area really does not have any stores and is really not a great area of town - it is OK though. What it is convenient for is the Children's Hospital and the Heart Hospital. The front desk staff is very friendly and helpful. The hotel is 3 years old and things are in good shape. I had a regular studio room - it has everything but it seems a little crammed. Given this is Phoenix, I thought maybe the room would be a little bigger. The food offering in the morning and evening is kind of disappointing. At the Staybridge / Homewood / Residence Inn level, I really expected something a little better. Maybe they are all like this now?

Stayed here long enough to begin referring to it as home! 4 months; May to September through what happened to be the hottest summer ever. And that’s saying a lot for Arizona. Cleanliness: I thought at first that this was a new hotel, but after a few weeks I began to realize, (I started noticing wear here and there) that they just keep this place sparkling clean, that’s why it seems new! And for that reason, they get 5 stars from me. But I guess I can’t technically give that many because it’s not technically a 5-star hotel since it doesn’t have the amenities a 5-star might have, like bellhops, a bar or a restaurant per se. They do, however, do a pretty bang-up job at breakfast. That is to say, a full spread of breakfast foods; eggs, sausage or bacon and potatoes. There’s a muffin station, all varieties of breads and muffins at the toaster station, an oatmeal station, a waffle station, and of course cereals, fruits, yogurt etc. Sometimes they’ll make omelets or biscuits and gravy. As you can imagine you can self-serve your coffee any way you like it, they have it all. The only thing the menu is lacking might be a gluten-free option, but I would be willing to bet they would accommodate. Just a lovely job overall, and I regularly overhead guests commenting on how much they love staying here. Pool: The pool is wonderful! It saved my life so much so I was almost glad my apartment flooded and I had to stay here that long because I got to swim every day. The pool is also clean! But the juxtaposition of the pool places it partly in the shade in the morning and partly in the shade on the other side in the afternoon. Usually, there are clean towels and plenty of chairs. Only 2 umbrellas but there is natural shade. That’s huge in AZ which kind of brings me to my next point. Why no aerator on the pool? It turns to bathwater during these torturous 110+ months of summer when the temp never drops below 90 even at night. Aerators are simple to connect and make a world of difference. (And they are pretty) but again, the staff is out there cleaning the pool area and sweeping the pool almost daily. “Social Nights” are thoughtful but not well thought through. Nice little snacks, pizza, wings or tacos Monday through Wednesday, but why not put on music? A different atmosphere than breakfast, lights, etc, should be dimmed, warm, music playing, and conducive to people putting down their phones. Perhaps staff could come through and say “hello”, and break the ice so to speak. Laundry: I love that there is free laundry. People don’t know how to do laundry so they ruin the machines. Unbelievable really, that the inconsideration of ignorant people will ruin the wonderful perks that are offered. I can’t tell you how many times I went to the laundry room to find the machines CRAMMED full of laundry. Of course, there was always one or two out of order. Same with the food. People come and stack 2 or 3 plates full of food and hike it back to their tables like it was the last food in the world. I know they went over budget and had to change the way they presented the food. It is so sad to see a business with a vision and how they manage it with such integrity until a bunch of scarcity-conscious, inconsiderate, hoarding, desperate people come in like wrecking balls and destroy it for everyone! Green Water Dispenser. I love that so many hotels are offering this now. However, this one has been flashing the “maintenance” notification for 4 months. Lately, it doesn’t work at all. Water is an important thing to have in AZ, especially in summer. I don’t like to see people carrying in cases of bottled water! Homelessness: You will see widespread homelessness in Arizona, so be prepared. It’s everywhere. There is not a hotel close to the airport, near major freeways and parks where you will not see homelessness in abundance. The hotel maintains its gates and takes care to keep them locked so that indigents don’t come in to use the facilities. It may look like a sketchy area if you drive around, but rest assured, it’s as good as it gets in AZ and they do stay alert to the situation. The word “no”: Some training might be in order for some of the staff to learn a more positive dialogue. Especially the Front Desk staff. For example, when a caller asks if the hotel has a restaurant, why say “no” and leave it at that? That caller may have been perfectly happy with the fact that there is an extensive breakfast spread and light snacks 3 nights per week. I noticed this “no: word quite a bit. The answer is always “Yes”. “We don’t have a restaurant in the hotel but we prepare an extensive breakfast spread and light meals 3 nights per week. There are several restaurants nearby and food is easily delivered to a large sitting area where you can enjoy your meal”. Branding: I’ve been involved in many corporate decisions to brand and I think it can sometimes be death to the company. The original concept or vision, which was inspired and beautiful and popular; popular enough to get investors and franchises, etc., can be lost in the effort to expand and grow. That vision gets tainted by the limitations of branding. That can be the death of a vision. Once you become imprisoned by your own brand’s rules you are no longer a quaint, wonderful little hotel. And I feel like the concept here is to try to retain that feeling and create them all over the world. You've got to find a balance. This is the most difficult thing to do, but you have to find it. For instance, allowing freedom for manager’s decisions since they are the ones on sight in day-to-day interaction with staff and customers. There's more to running a business than a budget. There are reviews and referrals from existing customers. One needs to look at that before one decides that the manager's decisions aren't in alignment with the corporation’s. I understand the concept of branding but sometimes, just sometimes the manager who is on-site and dealing with the people from day-to-day and listening and discerning may just know a little more about the needs. And maybe just give them a little bit more rope.

hi, we are the people that they've kicked out through the police on 8/29. all we were doing was minding our own business. but they gave us a handful of accusations to kick us out. firstly i (the kid that would be in the lobby late) was accused of showering in one of the bathrooms. firstly, there aren't even any showers in those bathrooms. secondly, i have a shower in my room. so why on earth would i choose to shower in there??!!? 😭😂🥴 and lastly, it's none of their business on what i do behind the privacy of a locked bathroom door. they were stingy with the linen. accusing us of "sTeAlInG" it. i remember leaving linen outside our door daily. so that was an unjust accisation. the manger leah, she was a VERY NASTY INDIVIDUAL. she didn't acknowledge her guests, cold with my concerns and was banging on the bathroom door while I was in there. it would've been professional if they'd confirm the facts before making such outrageous accusations. the food options were repetitive. getting boring and kinda nasty. the area was a monstrosity to be in. very atrocious area. lights were blowing out, hardly ever any wipes in the gym, broken water machine in the gym, filthy elevators and the toilets wouldn't flush. not an ideal place tbh. but Daniel tho. he was my guy. he stood out from the rest in a positive way (thank u Daniel) housekeeping sucked. they were supposed to clean our room every Monday but for some reason chose not to. they were rude too. but then they all complain about how we were "sTeAlInG" their stuff. sounds about right. tbh I'm glad they've kicked us out. they indirectly did us a favor the things we didn't like: - the food - the hot tub - the dirty floors - their exaggerative "policies" - the area - the disgusting chairs outside people who've mistreated us: - leah - eboni - Rafael - Stevie before it's too late, I'd surely suggest staying elsewhere. and don't risk your well-being dealing with such people. I'm literally tryna save u. but stay here at your own risk - room 403 (last name on the room was Young)