JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa

This review is for families who are considering staying at this resort. We live in Phoenix and were looking for our next staycation. We have 3 kids, ages 1 – 6, and so we are very picky about amenities hotels have to keep our little ones entertained and happy. Not only did this hotel deliver on rooms and things to do but their Family Escape was fantastic! We got a back of the house tour, a complimentary craft project for the kiddos and while we never took advantage of it, they had childcare for kids 4+. The pool water was AMAZING (always a great temp), the pools and lazy river were some of the best. It wasn’t crowded, we always found the perfect chairs… the food and drinks were great and I highly recommend. I also loved the fact that there was always someone attending to us at the pool. The prices were a little steep for the dining but other than that we had an amazing time!

Nice quality hotel. The hotel staff were all very friendly. I was there for a three day conference the amenities were comfortable. The room was clean, but it was so loud. If you want to hear he party from the bar, until at least 1am great. For a quitter room make sure to ask for a room in one of the further wings.

Very polite and helpful staff — I really appreciated them.
The bed was comfortable. The kale/​apple/​orange smoothies in the spa were good.
But this is NOT a place I would consider a spa and general resort — the only healthy menu they have is in the spa that doesn’t open until 8 am and closes after lunch. And even that menu is EXTREMELY limited. No outdoor trails — they simply cater to pool and golf clientele. Looked everywhere for coconut water, which I thought would easily be in a gift store or the spa facility since this is an extremely arid area — and this week the temps soared to 113 – 118 degrees. It was miserable. If you’re a golfer or a family who just wants to lie around the pool, this place will likely meet all of your needs. I might more appropriately call this a Golf Resort. I won’t be back.

We had the pleasure of staying here for a few nights over the Memorial Day weekend. We tend to travel often so we were given Griffin Club access (it’s like Regency or Grand club, for all you executive members with other hotel chains). This facility is huge and gorgeous. The amenities were designed with both families and couples in mind, having a large pool area with a lazy river as well as an adults only area located at the Spa. You can get a membership to the club here and get access to one of the two golf courses, in addition to spa services and credits. If I lived here, I would jump at the membership.
Front desk was very helpful and pleasant, and valet and bell service was fast, even on such a busy weekend. I can’t wait to come back.

Worst cancelation policy EVER!!! They have a 7 day cancellation policy and charged me the full room rate when I canceled the room 5 days in advance!!!
They did not warn me about this policy when I booked the room! I spoke with the multiple people and none if them could help me. I’ve stayed there before and it was nice but will NEVER stay there again due to this policy!!!
They essentially stole $ 200 from me!!!

5 star and more! Everything you need… Pool/​gym spa. Lazy river. Great happy hour at Roys. Walking the grounds is beautiful!

My wife and I stayed here for our wedding night last weekend. Although the resort was beautiful and our room was very nice and clean, I will more than likely never return.
Upon arrival we were told that valet parking was free for newly weds. We checked in and had a gift waiting for my new wife and I in our room that had our last name spelled completely wrong. It was kind of embarrassing but we both laughed it off. When we checked out the next day, we were charged $ 30 for valet parking. We attempted to talk to the lady at the front desk but were treated as if we were lying about the free valet parking and told she couldn’t do anything and we needed to talk to someone in valet. Luckily the gentleman in valet took care of the charge. The following day the resort charged an additional $ 500 to my credit card. When I called to find out what the charges were, nobody could give me an answer. I was told sometimes they just charge a card, then put it back on and I would have to talk to someone in billing the following day. When i finally spoke to someone in billing i was told that the charges were billed to our room from the poolside bar at a time after we had already checked out. When I explained that it couldn’t have been us because we had already checked out of the hotel I was told that they would need to do an investigation and it could take a couple weeks to figure it out. The end result was that they realized we were wrongly charged and should get a refund within a few days. I understand that problems happen and mistakes are made but they staff that I interacted with didn’t care about me as a customer at all. The last thing I want to deal with on my honeymoon is crappy customer service from a so called 5 star hotel. Next Time I will spend my money somewhere else.

I came here to visit some friends who were in from out of town for a pool day! We spent the day relaxing by the Revive Spa pool and it was fabulous! This pool is SO much more relaxing than the big, main pool. If you’re looking to lay out in the sun, read a book, have a healthy salad, and soak in the calm surroundings {with no kids around} of this gorgeous property, I HIGHLY recommend going to the Revive pool.
I had a refreshing prickly pear margarita and enjoyed my time catching up with friends! I most likely won’t be back in the near future since I live in town, however, if I plan to have a spa day, Revive/​the pool is a place that I would definitely consider!

We come here almost every year for Easter. The rooms are a good size even though it’s a little expensive. This year, we got a hotel room that was a 10 minute walk from the elevator. It was a little ridiculous. However– 4 acres of pool? Yes please!
There is a lawn made of real grass and my kids always play soccer there. Until some kid (my kids said they didn’t have anything to do with it) apparently kicked a soccer ball and it hit a lady. They then took away all baseballs, soccer balls, kick balls, and volleyballs. What were my kids supposed to do? The lawn is there so the adults can watch their children while the adults relax. When the «security guard» told my kids that they couldn’t play soccer anymore there, he recommended another location. When my kids and I went to the other location it was a very nice Soccerfield made of real grass again, however there was no place for the adults said it was simply a courtyard surrounded by more hotel rooms… It really ruined the vacation.

It’s a mixed bag, and given the number of great resorts in the Phoenix area, you shouldn’t have to settle.
Clean grounds, friendly, well trained staff. Rooms are quiet and the beds comfortable.
The biggest problem we had was no maid service! We were out of the room from 8:30 am — 3:00 pm and again from 4:00 pm — 11:00 pm. No one cleaned our room.
While the pool was nice, it was loud. First, there were several guests that thought it was acceptable to blast their favorite music on their boomboxes and the staff seemed ok with it. Soon after, I guess it was because the hotel had DJs blasting music. I don’t know if that was a special thing for spring break or is normal all year round. There are so many pools and areas that the hotel should run it like a cruise ship, different areas for different purposes: one for party time, one for quiet relaxing time, one for screaming kids, one for adults only (Today there is no adult only area, and there are a lot of screaming kids here. A lot.)
This is a nice hotel and with a little tweaking, could be a great resort. For now though, there are better options.

Ambiance and pool area are well suited for the price and caliber of the JW Marriott branded hotels. That said, the rooms are nice but not spectacular. For example, the bathrooms don’t have a private space with the toilet. The cleaning service came to our room pretty late… around 3:30 and didn’t really seem to thoroughly pick up or clean our room. They didn’t have any on demand services which is just a small perk of hotels but sort of an expected amenity for hotel priced at this level. Lastly, the concierge service did set us up with a great steak house recommendation for dinner. All in all a mixed bag experience.

Was here for a conference in December and wow was I blown away at how amazing this JW Marriott was. First the property is huge… MEGA BIG. Absolutely enormous. It has many of the amenities needed for a relaxing and enjoyable stay at a resort. We had many events spread out across the property during the 4 days in which I was here. Second the service whether it be for breakfast, lunch or dinner from all the restaurant staff was top notch. Food eaten at all meals was equisite and lots of selection. Probably more than my tummy needs but oh well… it was tasty!
My hotel room had a nice view of the desert landscape and I enjoyed watching the sunsets in the evenings. Overall the room was spacious (double bed) and very comfortable. I also really appreciated the fact that there was a bar fridge in the room where you could keep drinks cold. Having cold bevvies is a big necessity for me to quench my thirst at different times of the day.
I went down to the pool and lazy river area on two days. Although a bit cooler out the pool area is very relaxing and there is always a server coming by asking of you would like a drink or anything. The lazy river was just as a lazy river should be like. A place where you can float like a hippo as the current takes you downstream to a happy place!
The bar area was bustling with activity in the evenings and I had introduced work friends to a Moscow mule which led to many empty copper mugs displayed on a table late in the evening. Outside it was quite nice as there were firepits and propane warmers where you could warm up and enjoy the company and laughter of others outside as the desert does cool down in the evening.
The hotel has a Starbucks in the lobby area which was great for the morning or that 1pm wake up. Although I didn’t play golf at one of the two courses friends of mine did and they commented on the great time they had and the quality of the courses.
If you are coming for a great vacation this resort is upscale and a great place to come enjoy the Arizona hear and recharge those low batteries.

I was here with my wife for four days. Don’t get this Marriott confused with range of Marriott properties all over the world… This Marriott is fantastic!
This particular hotel is a bona fide resort with just about every amenity you might need. From the front valet, to the front desk, to the housekeeping crew, everyone is very friendly here.
The hotel is very large, and the grounds are very nicely done. There is so much to say about this hotel and the service that I simply can’t get to in a Unilocal review.
The only thing I might nitpick on is that the self parking is an inconvenient walking distance away if you’re in a rush. After closing the door on my hotel room, it was just under a five minute walk away. If you can get over the $ 29 per day valet charge, you probably will just want to valet. My wife and I didn’t valet because we left some personal items in the car that we didn’t want to run the risk of losing. You just never know sometimes.
But the self parking situation is so minor at this hotel.
I completely recommend!

Beautiful resort!
Beautiful view from our room, fantastic service. Great resort to spend our Christmas holiday.

We’ve stayed at other JW Marriotts and like them very much. This one fell pretty short for us on this stay. For the record, I can’t say 100% if the problems we had were just a run of bad luck, or more representative of a larger management culture fail at this particular location.
Positives:
— Lovely room, great bed, nice TV
— Room service was fast and delicious (Sunday night at 9pm)
— Floor staff very friendly, not pushy
— General design and layout of the facility: outstanding
Negatives:
— A general attitude of unhelpfulness
— A tendency to argue with the guest with interruptions, rather then letting them talk
— Very poor communication between the person booking the reservation and the location management. See below.
— They charge ** $ 15 ** for internet access. Really? We had the fee waived, but I had to call down to ask for the waive — it wasn’t offered, which it should have been given the misunderstanding below.
I called the night before and was confirmed for a king room. When we arrived we were told the facility was undergoing renovations and that we might get construction noise outside our window starting at 6:00am. WTH? Really? They couldn’t wait until 9? Regardless, nobody informed us of that fact for that rate when we booked the room. The staff at the front desk had a chiding tone — that slightly condescending «friendly» tone they think nobody is picking up on. Super snotty. I asked what it would cost to get the same room not located near the construction zone and was told a price 2x what was quoted for the one we got. The place was empty — I“m sure they could have worked with us to find us some place else in the location, but the attitude prevailed, not the helpfulness.
The thing that got me: he insisted that the booking agent knew about the construction when that obviously wasn’t the case. I don’t know why he had to argue the point with me. I really wasn’t trying to get something for nothing, but I felt treated that way. Frankly I’m not sure we would have booked here at all had we been informed of the noise prior to reservation.
Lastly — we pulled up in a UHaul (10′ model) into the front. The valet immediately asked us if we were here to set up the lights. Didn’t even occur to him we were guests. Sometimes it’s those at the «bottom» that reveal the tone of the overall management culture. I suspect this was the case here. Can’t say for sure.

What an absolutely beautiful resort! I stayed here during November for about 4 nights. I was attending a convention that has being hosted at the resort. The check in staff was very attentive. I had an issue with my reservation and they were very accommodating and patient while I fixed the issue with work which was who made the reservation for me. The room was very nice with an absolutely beautiful view of the Oasis pond. I had the most beautiful morning and evening views. The bathroom was huge, it had a soaking tub as well as a separate standing shower. I was in heaven.
Once I settled in I made my way to Twenty6 which is their bar on the ground floor. It’s a completely open area which is great for people watching or just enjoying the views out of the picture windows that they have. The food for the rest of the stay was mainly provided by the conference but it was all food from the resort and it was all so good! The service was on point and very friendly and helpful.
I didn’t have an opportunity to use to pool or play golf but I did have an opportunity to just walk around the grounds and it was very peaceful and very well maintained.
I would most definitely be back. Even though I was there for work I had an opportunity to relax and unwind and came back completely recharged.

What an amazing experience we had. The facility was beautiful and my family loved spending their day playing and swimming in the lazy river while I attended a conference.
The room was spacious and had a great view of the courtyard. The room service wasn’t anything great, they kept the room tidy but kept forgetting to restock the coffee (a big thing in my world :)).
We tried two of there dining facilities but weren’t overwhelmed with either but there was nothing terrible about them either.
Between the beautiful facility and the free shuttle to the neighbouring shopping and dinning areas we could have been entertained the entire week without having to venture any further.

My husband did a 1 night stay-​cation date night here at the start of the month. We usually go to the talking stick resort for these types of nights out, but we were SO happy we tried this place. We will definitely be back again. And I can’t wait!
Plus this place is closer for us than the talking stick. So that’s another benefit. We live in north Peoria by lake pleasant area.
Rooms are nice, the whole grounds are nice. We loved the floaty pool, it has a fun slide but your kids need to be 42″ or taller to go on it.
They also have other pools, but we didn’t have a chance to check them all out. The restaurants were nice and had live music, the landscaping was beautiful! It was cooler than outside of the resort which was a nice break too! But the place totally reminded me of Hawaii in Phoenix! :) I’ve been to Hawaii twice and it’s like being there when you come to this place. You don’t feel like you’re in the Phoenix desert. :)
Also, I left my wedding ring on the bathroom sink in our room. I called and they held it for me until I came back two days later. :) I’ve had instances at other hotels where if I left something it wasn’t recovered. So here, you can rest assured of you accidentally leave something valuable, you will get it back. And for that, I appreciate them. We have my ring insured, but there is something about my original ring, I don’t want to replace it, not yet at least… ;)
Go here, you won’t be disappointed!

I highly recommend the resort. It sits in gorgeous desert scenery, complete with sweeping views of the mountains in the distance and their golf course in the foreground. I had a very pleasant stay for a work conference. The food for our conference was delicious and southwestern style in keeping with the region, which I found refreshing given the conference food I am accustomed to in Washington, D.C.
Everyone I came into contact with was so courteous. All you have to do is ask!
The resort also has a shuttle that takes guests to and from the huge shopping center across the way, which is a nice way to do some shopping, see a movie, or grab a bite to eat (though the hotel’s restaurants seem really nice).
I spent an hour or so at the spa and I found the facilities clean. I tried to book a massage but they were all booked up (can’t blame them)! I took a very short walk around the herb garden because it was over 100 degrees outside so I couldn’t stay longer, but I really enjoyed palm trees, herbs, and style of the resort.
The resort is a 30 minute drive from the airport. I booked an über and paid roughly $ 25, to give folks an idea.

We came here for the huge gingerbread house display at Christmas time.
Super cute displays. We are looking forward to next years display.