Andaz Scottsdale Hotel Review
Overview
The Andaz Scottsdale is a new property located a couple of miles North of Old Town Scottsdale in the Phoenix Metro area. With 201 rooms and a unique modern style, this new resort is both hip and comfortable while bringing the Andaz concept to the desert.
This past year I have had the pleasure of staying at this hotel on two occasions. (I’m reviewing my first stay since my second was a quick overnight.) While rates can spike to $400+ during the busy months, my visits came during off peak times. On both occasions I was able to grab a room for about $100 per night in lieu of spending 20,000 World of Hyatt points.
- My Cost: ~ $100 ($39 Resort fee waived due to Globalist status)
- Alternate Rates: 20,000 World of Hyatt points
Location
The Andaz Scottsdale is in a Prime location on Scottsdale Rd near a number of golf courses, restaurants and shopping. There are a lot of high-end resorts in this area and the Andaz fits right in. For those looking at visiting Old Town Scottsdale, it is only a few miles away and the hotel even has a shuttle that can take you there.
Check-In & Lobby
Keeping with the Andaz concept, this hotel doesn’t have a traditional lobby, but instead a comfortable living room type area where check-in is done on an iPad. This space is modern and comfortable and truly is a nice place to hang out if you want to get out of the room for awhile.
During both of my stays check-in was done quickly and I was given a choice of where I wanted to stay. On my first trip I had quite a lot of stuff to lug from the car to my room, so I asked for and was granted a room near a parking spot. On my second trip I took a room near the lobby. During check-in you will also be provided with a calendar of events happening at the resort. This will tell you when you can get free booze by the pool! 🙂
The Room
The Andaz Scottsdale is made up of 201 bungalow style rooms giving the property a very spread out feel. During my two stays I was able to experience two room types, a basic room with two queen beds and the Saarinen Bungalow shown below. I definitely recommend looking at a map and asking for a room location that suits your needs. Depending on where your room is the walk to get to the pool or other amenities could be long so keep that in mind. (Although the resort is beautiful to walk through, especially at night!)
As is the case with many of Hyatt’s newer hotels, the Andaz Scottsdale features rooms with a large 65″ smart television. This means you can stream your favorite programs from Netflix and other platforms right onto the television. The system they use works very well and this was definitely a nice touch for this resort.
Saarinen Bungalow Review
On the first stay I was upgraded to a Saarinen Bungalow which is a bit bigger than a normal room. In addition to a sitting area outside the room’s front door, it also has a private balcony out back for sun bathing. The highlight of this room though is the amazing shower. This thing could probably fit six people!
The room as expected is modern and comfortable with a couple of seating areas in addition to the bed. (See more photos at the end.) A huge television looms over the area (I’m not complaining) and of course there is a mini bar where all non-alcoholic beverages and snacks are complimentary. I particularly liked the taffy and snack bars!
Standard Eemes Bungalow Review
While I arrived late and thus didn’t snap any pics of the standard room on my second stay, I will say it was noticeably smaller than the Saarinen Bungalow. It did have the same television and mini-bar from the first room, but was missing that large bathroom and patio out back. Unfortunately I believe all rooms with two beds are standard, so if you want an upgrade go for a King!
Food
The Andaz Scottsdale only has one main restaurant called Weft & Warp Art Bar & Kitchen. Small bites can also be purchased at the pool bar as well. As a Globalist, breakfast was included each morning, but with a twist. They serve breakfast until 2pm, meaning you can use your free amenity for lunch instead. As someone who doesn’t really eat early that often, I took advantage of the later cutoff time.
As for the food, it is really really good. Over the few days I stayed, my family and I tried a wide variety of dishes and everything was delicious. From the Lemon Poppy Pancakes to Huevos Rancheros, there wasn’t anything bad. The true highlight though was the restaurant’s homemade hot sauces. (See a photo in the gallery at the end.) Try them all. You won’t regret it!
Amenities
The pool area at this resort has a very “fun” vibe and is often packed with guests. While it lacks water slides that similar resorts have in the area, it also lacks a ton of children. While my daughter did enjoy some pool time playing with the various inflatables they had, the place was mostly filled with adults which gave it more of a party type atmosphere during the day. For those who want privacy, bungalows are available for rent (and some rooms come with them), although the hotel does have a large number of day beds available for free as well.
In addition to the main pool, the hotel also has a full spa and a well equipped gym. While I didn’t get to try out the spa, the gym looked wonderful with a wide variety of new equipment. Keep in mind that the gym is located on the far end of the property so if you plan on working out regularly, it might be wise to get a room nearby, especially during the brutally hot summers.
Conclusion
While Hyatt has a number of resorts in this area, I truly am in love with the Andaz Scottsdale. As a Globalist the resort fee and thus parking is free plus I get a delicious breakfast, access to a wonderful pool and gym plus in the case of my first room, a comfortable space that I simply didn’t want to leave.
To be honest, given that I live in Las Vegas I probably won’t be escaping the cold here during the peak Winter season, but I’ll be glad to stay for around $100 when the temperature is high. Honestly, at that price it is one of the best hotel values around!
More Photos
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We really enjoyed our stay at this hotel last May and the breakfast was one of the bests I’ve had in the U.S. that’s free from my Globalist status.
Love that hotel. Didn’t know about the 2pm thing for food. We ate breakfast every morning. I did get charged $45 at one breakfast for all my alcohol. Wasn’t a fan of the snacks in the room though.
I think the snacks are becoming more and more scarce at Andaz properties, but we did like the taffy and the bars. They didn’t really advertise the late breakfast but I generally ask what the latest time is and was surprised at their answer!
Love the Andaz brand. Love Scottsdale(and Phoenix). But assuming non-Globalist status means that parking and their stupid resort fee would be approximately 50% more on this $100 room? Screw that. These fees must stop.
Most of the resorts in that area have high resort fees so unfortunately Andaz is par for the course. One of the nice things about the Andaz is the parking is included in the resort fee so you aren’t hit twice. Globalists of course get free parking on all stays too since the resort fee is waived. One of the reasons I initially chose this over the nearby Hyatt Regency is because they separate out their resort fee and parking cost so it meant I would have had to pay for parking out of pocket. But I agree that resort fees are out of control.