AZ Tucson Doubletree Hotel at Reid Park East

[cakobau]

Stayed at the Doubletree Hotel at Reid Park in March 2004. Overall a very positive experience.

Got a tower room on the 2nd floor (low level for the priceline or hotwire folks, i'm guessing.) I presented my Hilton HHonors card, but they didn't enter the number.

Pros:

Comfortable room, nicely appointed.

Free in-room high-speed internet (100mpbs!)

Free wi-fi access in the lounge.

Great water pressure in the shower. (I almost felt guilty getting such good water in the desert!)

Cookies upon check-in. Yum.

The orange and grapefruit trees, fruit free for the picking, in the courtyard. A charming touch, and delicious. (Just don't get the oranges with the bumpy skins -- those are quite sour...)

The card in the room states that there is a $1.50/day fee for local calls. I wasn't charged the fee.

Cons:

The day I checked out, housekeeping knocked on my door at 9:30am. (Late start...) This annoyed me, since I had the "do not disturb" sign on the outside of the door.

The low level of the room: I had a view of the dumpsters and dirty laundry bins. But it was a quiet side of the building.

A tiny whiff of anti-Hotwire arrogance at checkout -- "I see you have a HOTWIRE reservation, so there is no charge to your Visa..."

The location is a matter of taste. It's in the Tucson East region, which is mostly strip malls, but it's not far from Saguaro National Park, the Foothills area, or downtown. Reid Park, across the street, was the site of spring training games for major league baseball, so most of the hotel residents (except us!) had some connection to baseball. The Chicago White Sox hosted events for their VIPs and sponsors at the hotel while we were there.

I'd happily go back. The hotel was at the upper end of 3 stars, bordering on 4, and I highly recommend it.

[blindman]

Stayed here 27th-31st Dec. 04 after I was "upgraded" from my 2.5* PL bid.

No mention of PL on check in, staff friendly. Asked if I wanted smoking or Non smoking.Got a motel style room at the rear of the pool, decor drab but OK.

Coffee maker in room, no minibar but ice-machine around corner. Free 100Mbps internet used daily. Room quite large with one huge bed. TV had a few reasonable channels.

Pool a bit small, but also a Spa. Gym had three treadmills, a bike and stepper, all in good order.

Charge of $1.50 added daily to grant you free local calls. I queried this and was only charged for the one day I made one local call. So if you don't make any calls, query it!

Location is about 5 miles East of downtown, a few minor shops within walking distance. Tried the Old Pueblo restaurant (one block north)one night which was quite good.

I was trying to get the 2.5 residence Inn, so was not happy with this hotel. Would say it is just a 3*

[Kristinemeow]

PRICELINE BUYER BEWARE!!! Doubletree has a Priceline doublestandard!

I booked the Tucson Doubletree Reid Park as a three star hotel. The hotel has two parts, a 'tower' and a 'courtyard'. The 'tower' is what I would expect from Doubletree. The 'courtyard' is far less than what I would expect from a Doubletree, and a 3 star hotel. We were put on the second floor of the 'courtyard' area where there is no internet access (whether you pay or not), the door opens to the outside rather than a hallway within the hotel, there are no elevators to access the second floor, and no readily available bellhops to help you carry your luggage up the stairs in the 98 degree Tucson heat, the air conditioning rattles noisily unless you leave the bathroom window open which opens onto the stairway area where intruders could crawl in, and even with the window open, the air rattles constantly and cannot cool the room sufficiently in the Tucson heat. Only after complaining to the hotel desk, and then the hotel manager, were we moved to the tower where we could access the internet and sleep with the security of an inside hallway, amenities that we would expect from a Doubletree hotel. When asking to move to the tower, I was told by the front desk clerk that the 'tower' was booked solid and reserved for those who paid extra to stay in that portion of the hotel. I was also told by a hotel employee that this is 'the oldest Doubletree in the world,' thus explaining the lack of elevators in the 'courtyard' portion of the hotel. It is my belief that this hotel reserves the substandard 'courtyard' rooms for its Priceline guests, and only permits those who book through Doubletree to stay in the part of the hotel that meets the standards of a Doubletree hotel. Had I known that by booking this 3 star that I would receive a 1.5-2 star, I would not have used Priceline, or I would would have tried to book the 'resort' rated hotel on Priceline.

Now to be fair, once I complained, I was indeed moved to the tower, and I received a refund for one night's stay. I would have much rather received what I paid for in the first place without the stress and confrontation of having to complain and change rooms. I have passed this information on to Priceline, and I would encourage you to book elsewhere, or be ready for a fight if you want to receive the 3 star accommodations that you have booked.