The Clarendon Hotel and Spa

Surprisingly nice for an older hotel. Staff is incredibly friendly and pool is well maintained. Probably not the best if not a big fan of 420 though as it permeated the lobby at times. That being said, it looks like $250 gets you an annual membership to the lounge and gym which might honestly be worth it if you're a local. Also, they seem to have great bands playing live music quite often, which was a nice surprise. I can definitely see why this is 21+ though, which is actually a plus in my book.

Let me preface this by saying I have stayed here multiple times since 2021 and have stayed in different rooms from the basic king to deluxe king suite and have to say, this is not a 4-star hotel based solely on the rooms. Front desk service is exceptional and to be at the level advertised. Pool, restaurant, and spa are okay. But the rooms, there are many shortcomings that show the cracks. Several similarities between different rooms are as follows: - High amount of scuffing on any waist-height furniture, on lamp shades, and surrounding areas by doors. - Electrical wiring for TVs haphazardly put together and are an eyesore. - Retro and modern decor/furniture that either go exceptionally well together or feel like a room put together from random items found at a Goodwill. - Shower heads that are nice to look at, but water pressure is severely lacking. - Mix of warm and harsh lighting that clash. - Walls have an oddly high amount of covers for what I assume to be for switches and electrical wiring. - Bathroom vanities that are large, but just have a 3-inch rim of countertop space. - Room ventilation is sub-par as I could constantly smell people smoking outside while my air conditioner was running at full-blast. - Beds are comfortable and are possibly the only item up to the standard of a 4-star hotel. I could continue to nitpick, but the list would continue for a lot longer. Why do I nitpick? The Clarendon is supposed to be 4-stars, but the above list of shortcomings are items I don't notice at other 4-star hotels because they don't exist at other 4-star hotels. The basic king rooms are absolutely below the standard of that of Motel 6, with the only good thing about the rooms being the bed itself. I have seen studio apartments in the bad parts of Phoenix be at the same level of these king rooms. The king deluxe suite rooms do appear to have more care taken into them, but that is unacceptable. All rooms in a hotel advertised at this level should have the same care and attention to detail across the board. Most recently, the security has been upped, and I completely understand for the area, but to get to a point where I, as a guest, have to wear a wristband essentially at all times outside of my room is unacceptable and feels less like a hotel and more like a dorm with an out of touch RA. To reiterate, staff and housekeeping are exceptional, but, the ownership and top-level management are not, and it shows by how clean the rooms are, but many problems stem from the facilities and foundation of the hotel. Whether or not ownership has noticed these shortcomings, this is an abysmal hotel in comparison to what is advertised.