HYATT PLACE: PHOENIX- NORTH, ARIZONA

photo found on internet

When I first accepted the speaking engagement for the IWMC I knew one of the things that I needed to find was a place to stay. I hadn't traveled to Phoenix since I was a young girl so I wanted to find a hotel that was within an affordable price range, was in a safe area, and also was in easy driving distance to my commitments. 

As y'all might remember I often stay at the Hyatt House at Belmont/Redwood Shores in California when I go for treatment and I was interested in finding another Hyatt so that I could continue to build up points for my upcoming Port surgery and stay to help save money. Overall I was unfortunately not pleased with my stay at this property. 

Hyatt Place Phoenix- North is conveniently located just off of Interstate 17. As the conference that I was speaking at was held at Grand Canyon University (exit 203 off of I-17) Hyatt Place Phoenix-North was off of exit 208. Despite heavy traffic I never spent more than 35 minutes traveling between these two places, making this a wonderful option for those attending events at Grand Canyon University. In addition Hyatt Place Phoenix-North is just minutes away from Arizona State West Campus, the MetroCenter Mall, and the outlets of Anthem. It is also 12 miles north of downtown Phoenix and also 12 miles from the Cardinals Football Stadium. 

photo found on internet

If you are traveling for personal or business reasons you will definitely find that you feel that you have stepped away from the busy and bustling city and traffic as the hotel property is very quiet, making it a restful retreat away from the hustle and bustle of the nearby highway and city. 

For those who are ill and traveling to the Phoenix area for medical treatment the Hyatt Place Phoenix-North might be an option. All of the Hyatt Hotels are smoke free and this particular hotel has wonderful options for a variety of rooms that will make you feel like you are living in the comfort of your own home. There is free high-speed internet along with a guest laundry facility and there is a complimentary breakfast buffet that offers many wonderful nutritious choices. In addition I found most of the hotel staff to be very pleasant to speak with. Finally, I felt that there was lots of handicap parking for those who are needing this that was close to the entrance of the hotel. 

To be fair though and to give a bit of a warning I was extremely disappointed in three aspects of my stay at the Hyatt Place Phoenix-North and have to admit that I am not sure I would stay at this particular hotel again nor could I fully recommend this to others. 

photo found on internet

First, I was extremely disappointed in how a situation was handled on my first night at the property. After an extremely long day of travel I arrived at the hotel and my room to find that despite the temperature outside being close to 95 degrees my room was even hotter than it was outside. I quickly adjusted the temperature in the room (it had been set to heat??) setting it to 65 degrees cool and went out to purchase some grocery supplies for my stay. On the way out of the hotel to my car I stopped by the front desk expressing my concern and was told that setting the temperature to 65 that everything would be fine within an hour. After returning more than two hours later to my room there was little difference in the temperature (in fact it was much cooler in the hallway). After trying to contact the front desk by telephone (there was no answer) I had to go back downstairs to talk with someone. 

Unfortunately I encountered something that I can honestly say that I have never encountered at a Hyatt property which was a very rude response. I tried to explain that I thought something might be wrong with the air conditioning but before I could even share the background story I was cut off and abruptly told that there was nothing that she could do for me. I tried again to explain and ask if something could be done to which I was told very flippantly, "we are overbooked and there is absolutely nothing I can do". The way that she said this implied that it was my fault that the hotel was overbooked and that I was lucky to receive a room. (For the record I had booked my hotel several months in advance for this trip.) When I tried to "push" this and ask if there was anyone else I could speak with or if there were any suggestions or other Hyatt properties in the area that I may be transferred to she offered to bring up two small fans "when she could". I tried to explain that I have health issues and that heat is a problem for me and she just told me that it was not her problem. 

She did come with the two very small fans quickly, but then as she stepped into the room she said "well its not that bad" and then told me it was my fault for not setting the temperature to 50 degrees. Honestly I have never ever heard of setting a temperature thermostat to 50 degrees before and after having been assured by the front desk a couple hours earlier that setting it to 65 was adequate I found this to be very confusing. I have to admit didn't appreciate the whole way that everything was handled. As the time difference is 3 hours behind in Arizona from East Coast time I was literally to exhausted to do anything about this situation that evening. I also have to admit that the situation was not fully resolved as the temperature never went below 75 degrees (despite being set at 50 degrees cool) and each time I spoke with someone different I was told that there was nothing that could be done.

To be honest this was extremely disappointing as I have never encountered this before at a Hyatt property but it would make me hesitant to recommend this property to others and for me to stay there again. I had been assured that the hotel was "very disability friendly and accommodating" and it was extremely disappointing that this situation occurred. To me this was a definitely a disappointment after being told that the hotel was "very disability friendly and accommodating". 

photo found on internet

A second thing that was disappointing was that despite Hyatt properties claiming that they are "smoke free" I had issues with smoke smells in my room. It was so strong in the bathroom that I had to keep the door closed and it made it difficult to breath when I went to shower. I did express my concerns over this and was assured that the property was "smoke free" but this was not resolved throughout my stay. 

photo found on internet

Finally, a third thing that would make me hesitant to recommend this property was the cleaning service. When I would leave and have my room cleaned trash was not removed, I had to ask for towels (that were not replaced) and when the bed was made I returned to find crumbs and pieces of food on the comforter (?!?!?). This concerned me regarding the cleanliness of the hotel. 

Again, I have never had these situations happen at a Hyatt property before and am hoping that these were exceptions and not the routine at this property. Unfortunately being a Hyatt Gold Member did not help in any of these situations and hope that this was not the routine of how things are handled at this property. I hope that y'all have found this review of the Hyatt Place Phoenix-North helpful! Please let me know if you have any questions regarding this hotel! I would be happy to answer them!