The Canyon Suites at The Phoenician, Luxury Collection · Scottsdale

Given the previous glowing reviews, and the amount we paid, I was hoping for a little more from our stay at the Canyon Suites. We really enjoyed our trip overall and would possibly even consider staying here again, but there just wasn't much to make it feel 5 star/more than a normal hotel stay. For us, it was the little things that we have experienced in other upscale resorts that seemed to be missing here - e.g., a welcome drink and cool towel on arrival instead of just a bottle of water, little treats at turndown service or around the pool during the day, staff that starts to recognize you by name and makes sure to ask if there's anything you need... Some particular highlights: - The gym and tennis/pickleball facilities were quite nice and we appreciated being just a short walk away. - It was also really nice being able to walk back from the hotel after finishing our hike up Camelback (Cholla Trail). - We got pedicures at the spa and want to give a special shout-out to Rachel and Cynthia, who not only did an amazing job, but were lovely to talk to during the service. - We really enjoyed the provided breakfast and being able to eat outside, and all of the staff here was great. And some critiques: - Given we were guests at the hotel and were paying for a service, it was disappointing to hear that we wouldn't be able to use the spa facilities beforehand because we were "just" getting pedicures and not a more expensive service. Many other resorts of this type that we have stayed at allow guests to use the spa at any point during their stay, whether they are getting a service or not, so this seemed particularly stingy. - Please stop using plastic water bottles/cups in the room and around the pool. Again, we've seen many other hotels find a better way to do this. It was disheartening to leave the pool one afternoon and see all of the plastic left behind.