text: Just got back from a stay at the Phoenician.   Although the resort was beautiful, I was thoroughly disappointed in their service and won't return. I don't take a lot of vacations but do like to stay at a top notch place when I do go. For me, the service is by far the most important aspect on my trips and I found the staff at the Phoenician lacking in that respect. We were given a mountain view room. Typically, when I hear a hotel advertise mountain versus pool view rooms, it's not a big deal to me (in fact, I'd prefer the mountain except if I'm in a coastal hotel with a view of the ocean). In this case though, what they mean by mountain is opening your shade and being right next to a mountain (so close you can tell the bugs on the bushes). So essentially, you don't really have a view. That wasn't the greatest, but the bigger problem was I had no phone reception on half of the room and the other half I was only able to get one bar (clearly a result of being right next to a mountain). We went to the NCAA basketball game on our first day in town so we weren't in the room much. The next morning, I went down to use the fitness facility and found it to be sub-par for a hotel of the level of the Phoenician (needed a serious refresh...they have a bunch of antiquated machines and spin bikes). I asked the concierge if she knew of a track nearby (figured I'd just go for a jog instead since I didn't like the fitness center). She had some maps laid out for jogs on the complex but I informed her that running on asphalt takes its toll on my knees and that I really needed a track. I asked if there was a college nearby and she directed me to ASU, but gave me bad directions (had me turn right on Camelback and it should have been left). I drove for about 35 minutes and never came across the first street that I was supposed to turn on (Scottsdale Blvd). So that wasted over an hour of my time for nothing. As I kept having calls drop off on my phone, I became more annoyed with the situation and by Saturday morning complained to the front desk. The snooty clerk replied..\"well sir, we can't do anything about the way the hotel is constructed\". I thought to myself, so what are you saying?...your customers have to suck it up and deal with it? I would think a more professional clerk would have apologized for the inconvenience and immediately look to switch my room (instead of me telling the clerk that this wouldn't do). So I had the room switched but it wasn't available yet (it was 7am). He said I would receive a call informing me when the room was ready. By 12:30, we hadn't received a call and had to leave for the game so I called the front desk. The clerk said to leave our packed luggage on the bed and it would be moved for us to the new room by the time we got back. We arrived back at the hotel at 5. The new room was ready but the luggage hadn't been moved (they said they would take care of it right away). So we went to the bar for a little over an hour. We got back to the room...still no luggage. I called back to the desk and the clerk apologized and said it would be done right way). After another hour and still no luggage, I went to the desk and complained (we had 8 o'clock dinner reservations at a restaurant away from the hotel and needed to change clothes). We finally received our luggage just before 7:30 and needless to say didn't really have time to freshen up a bit before dinner (actually just got to the restaurant at 8). Although the front desk manager apologized the next day, it really didn't matter to me at that point. She asked what she could do to make me happy and offered to comp a massage or a free meal. I just asked if it was possible to get an \"uneventful\" day from her staff (which was really all I wanted all along). She had a look on her face like she didn't even know how to respond to that request (as though that might be asking the impossible). I mentioned that I really didn't think I was asking too much to have our luggage delivered and perhaps her staff could have at least made sure we had some ice (they don't have ice machines so we had to call room service for ice). She was surprised by the ice comment and questioned whether we had had turn down service (apparently the maids are supposed to deliver ice every night). I informed her we never received ice in the 3 nights we had been there and I had to call for it (and of course, tip their room service which I thought was bogus). She did end up comping our lunch but honestly it just didn't matter. I can't stand it when a 5 star hotel provides shoddy service like this. There are plenty of deals out there especially with the economy being in the shape it's in (even for 5 star hotels). My wife actually chose the hotel (I was pushing for the Four Seasons). The last day at the hotel was our 25th wedding anniversary, but I was just too annoyed to really enjoy it. Too bad the staff doesn't realize they ruin people's stays when they can't deliver a quality experience.