Ritz-Carlton, Phoenix AZ - November 5

Rating - .0000001

This place SUCKS.....joke is on you if you stay here. Only reason we did is because we hosted a customer seminar here the next morning. However, if you like staying in your great-great-great-great grandmothers old time shack you would enjoy it.

We arrived late (around 9 pm) and the valet guys were pretty good. I don't know if you can self park the car anywhere close. Valet asked my name and spoke into his headset, but after I walked the ten feet to the front desk the clerk had no clue who I was or what I was doing there (basically no clue at all). She couldn't tell me where our event would be (I like to check out the room the night before) or if anything had arrived for us (we shipped some things).

I headed up to the room and it reeked of fresh paint. I was going to call down, but decided I would stop on my way to the fitness center. The itself was AWFUL - could have really used a good cleaning and some new wall paper.....it just looked old and beat-up. Don't ever get suckered into staying in room 827.

Headed down to front desk and asked if the room was just painted, answer was "I don't think so", and instead of asking if they put me in a new room that was it. Service = Horrible.

The "newly remodeled" fitness center was weak -- very, very small, limited free weights, tread mills/ellipticals, and old weight machines. It would be a disaster if they had a house full of people who wanted to work out. Might be a nice spot if you were over 100 years old!

Headed back up to the room and was unimpressed with the shower and bathroom. I would say it was on par with a Super 8.

Although breakfast was included in our package, I headed down early to our event. I will say the food for that was great, service was top notch and the coffee cake was so unbelievably good...I also liked the free shoe shine.

No way would I ever stay at this location or any Ritz for that matter.

Total - $231.80 (room was 208 for the Schwab rate - including $18 breakfast)