Hotel Valley Ho

We always LOVE visiting the Valley Ho for AZ Tiki Oasis, and this year was as fabulous as ever. The hotel is gorgeous, the grounds are beautifully kept, and the staff is incredible! Our server at Zuzu, Chancellor, went above and beyond to provide the outstanding customer service that we have come to expect from the Valley Ho. We actually remembered him from last year and our experience with him was fantastic both times (we were here today 4/27 around 11:00). Thank you also to Tripp at the host stand of Zuzu who was a delight as well. No matter how lovely a hotel is, it’s the staff that makes or breaks an experience. I’m glad to see that the Valley Ho values having an excellent team!

Amazing hotel near the heart of it all yet 1.5 blocks away makes it feel more like a Paradise Valley resort and less like a hotel in a bustling touristy spot. Renovated to maintain 60’s desert vibe. Location is perfect! Walk to almost everything in and near Old Town. Spacious and comfy rooms, rooftop views, great pool area with plenty of chairs, great bar, service unbeatable on all levels! Perfect choice for Scottsdale!

The hotel is about 30 minutes drive from the airport. It has a vintage motel feel. We had a large room which was noisy in the evening both from people talking outside and from the air conditioning. There is a shop on site but it doesn't have any healthy food or drink options and breakfast needs some simpler healthy choices although it is good that breakfast starts at 6am when you have arrived with jet lag. We were sent an offer to pay extra for a late check out and larger patio - I agreed to do this and I had understood this was confirmed but it turns out that this is subject to availability and the hotel was too busy - if you get an email I wouldn't bother replying. There was some confusion about when we could check out and even after they said we could stay until 1pm we were interrupted 3 times in the room - once with somebody just walking in. The pool area is very noisy (several bridal showers as well) and you have to pay extra for beds of which there were hardly any left. I recommend that if you book a room you book it on a flexible basis as they operate a variable rate system. When I checked a few weeks before arrival the room rate had gone down by around $200 and I was able to change to the lower rate.

Being in the field of preservation and a frequent traveler, the Hotel Valley Ho had been on my list to visit. It did not disappoint! Clearly, great pains were taken to preserve not only significant portions of the physical structures but also the essence of the place. The best way to describe it is that it is a vibe. The contraction and release genuinely makes you feel like you are in a secret hideaway. Even if you aren’t into preservation, it is a great spot for anyone. We did the tour, which was worth doing. It was also a great home base for exploring Scottsdale (a short walk into Old Town Scottsdale) plus getting picked up for a hot air balloon ride and driving to Taliesin West. All of the staff were friendly, helpful, and seemed to take pride in the place. I still wanted to give a top rating in spite of the weekend pool party. But, as a word of warning, the weekend pool party seem completely at odds with the rest of the hotel. Loud music, drunk people, lots of tacky. I’m sure the hotel makes a lot of money from them, but is there not a way to make them classier? This is coming from a social person who loves an event and who is not that old. So, stay at the hotel, but avoid the main pool on Saturday.

I've been looking forward to staying here for a long time, and this was also my first time visiting Scottsdale. The hotel is in the perfect location, you don't really need a car to get around and there's so much to do just a short walk out of the hotel. The rooms themselves are fantastic. Tall ceilings, huge bathrooms, and very well laid out overall. I wouldn't need anything bigger if I were staying here a week or more. I stayed in a cabana room with a ground floor patio right next to the main pool. I personally love being on the first floor though anyone booking should note that these rooms do not get afternoon light, so if you want sun you still have to find a spot by one of the pools. What I didn't like personally was that this place is loud. There's no escaping the noise if you're in any of the buildings near the main pool. Also, as other travelers have mentioned, it seems people can smoke without getting called out for it. This was worse on the Saturday than the Sunday, but still totally noticeable. For those reasons, the smaller, quieter Ohasis pool was a life saver for me, and the only pool I spent time at. However, that area isn't perfect either. The deck is in desperate need of a power wash, I couldn't walk the 5 feet from the pool back to my sun lounger without getting my feet coated in dirt/gravel. Also, my feet were the only part of me to enter the water because it was so cold. Not sure if there's NO heaters, but it was something I could hear other groups complaining about as well. In the summer? I get it, no need to heat the pool, but it's spring, it would be amazing to have it a little bit warmer. Other reviews said that this property was far from a 5-star experience, and even though my stay wasn't perfect, this hotel is SO close to being amazing. The grounds are simply beautiful, the rooms are expansive, the beds are cozy, and it never felt overcrowded even with a wedding going on while I was there. I think this hotel has something for everyone, and I think I'll be back- just on a weekday in the off-season instead.