The Scott

$$ | Scottsdale, AZ, United States

OVERALL RATING | ★★★☆☆

A lovely, if predictable, hotel experience in the heart of beautiful Scottsdale.

Highlights | Pools, Value

Lowlights | Dated Rooms

DESIGN

As I entered The Scott’s grounds, a few things caught my eye – palm trees, green grass, a turquoise and white mid-1950s Cadillac parked in the port cochere. Cuba? -  I asked myself. Is the Scott’s aesthetic a play on a pre-Castro Havana getaway? No, but I was close. According to their website, The Scott is inspired by the Caribbean (of which Cuba is a part) and the Sonoran style of southern Arizona/north-western Mexico. The hotel lobby is bright, airy and organic. Scores of pothos bring greenery and life to a space dominated by natural touches – wicker chairs, leather stools, linen upholstered couches. The Scott’s old-school organic feel is briefly interrupted by the neon pink signage of the Canal Club bar, but returns once one steps out of the central building and into the grounds. The Scott's property is perfectly manicured - full of lush green plants, flowering bushes and palm trees. The property has two large, curving pools, one of which has a sand beach. The pools are flanked by lounge chairs and cabanas upholstered with crisp white fabric. I walked past the pools and through the grounds to reach the building that housed my room for the week. The room also felt quite organic, but with a touch of glam – wooden floors in the entryway, a wicker headboard and linen curtains accented with golden brass accents and a marble bathroom countertop. The organic nature of The Scott invites calm and relaxation, two feelings that are always welcome during my hotel stays.

LOCATION

The Scott is located within walking distance of Scottsdale’s Old Town and the Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall, both of which offer excellent – and seemingly endless – shopping and dining options. Many of the areas other attractions – Hole in the Rock, the Desert Botanical Garden, the Musical Instrument Museum – are less than 15min away by car. While sidewalks are plentiful in this area, they are not offset from the main roads. There is a lot of fast moving traffic in the area, so exercise caution when leaving the hotel to explore on foot.

ACCOMODATIONS

The Scott comprises several buildings dispersed throughout the property and accessed by walking through the manicured grounds. They offer several types of guest rooms - Pool View, Lagoon View, Courtyard View – as well as suites. I opted for a Courtyard View room with double beds. While the hotel lobby and grounds feel quite airy and spacious, the building in which my room was located, and my room itself, felt quite cramped. The hallway was a long, windowless, dimly lit corridor – it felt very aged and uninviting. I was relieved when I entered my room, which was quite pleasant. However, it was immediately obvious to me that this hotel had been renovated. While the bathroom and décor were fresh and aligned with the theme presented in the lobby, the room's architecture was very 1980s motor hotel with low ceilings, a small bathroom, and a utilitarian layout.

Turns out I was correct – the Scott underwent a cosmetic refresh and rebrand in 2017- 2018 , but the structures were untouched. I personally like a feeling of openness in hotel rooms, and many modern boutique hotels deliver that with high ceilings and unique architecture. However, I respect and applaud the Scott for their sustainable approach to renovation. While they are clearly older, the structures of this hotel appear to be sound and I believe they should continue to be used until they are no longer suitable.

I found my room to be comfortable and functional with some unexpected delights. The beds were comfortable, there was decent seating allowing one (but just one) to take a meal or do some work comfortably. The minibar was very nicely appointed with a variety of snacks and drinks (some of which were locally sourced). The bath products were pleasant as were the Frette robes that hung in the bathroom – I always get excited when there are Frette linens involved. Also – there was an ironing board and iron IN THE ROOM. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve had to call the front desk for these basics. Overall, I had no complaints. I looked forward to returning to my room each day.

AMENITIES

Free onsite parking

Onsite restaurant and bar

Poolside food and drink service

Room service

Spa

Minibar

Robes

Lather Bath Products

Several outdoor pools (including a sand beach pool) with ample loungers and cabanas.

CLEANLINESS

I had no issues with the cleanliness of this hotel. Everything was clean - no notes.

STAFF & SERVICE

I stayed at this hotel during a conference and for that reason, the staff were a little harried. Even under these circumstances, I found the service to be stellar. My check in was smooth. When I arrived in my room, it was freezing cold – I’m talking arctic. I raised the temperature on the thermostat, but an hour later the system was still pumping cold air. I called the front desk and a maintenance engineer arrived within ~fifteen minutes. He informed me that the system was in cool mode and he had to go into the ceiling to enable heating. I was, admittedly, a little annoyed with all of this, but in hindsight I’m grateful that the engineer arrived promptly and knew how to resolve my issue right away.

I dined at the Canal Club restaurant several times and ordered room service – all of my interactions with restaurant staff were great. The staff wasn’t super friendly, but they were efficient and there were no mistakes made with my orders. What more can I ask for?

CHEAT SHEET

Hotel restaurants can be hit or miss, but in my opinion, The Scott’s Canal Club is a hit. I ate several meals there and they were all quite good. A few standouts were the churros (10/10), the Spanish Latte (delightful) and their breakfast yogurt parfait (simple but so delish).