Saturday, May 10, 2008

The Wigwam Golf Resort Starwood Luxury Collection

Starwood Luxury Collection Wigwam Golf Resort and Spa, Litchfield Park, Arizona (western suburb of Phoenix). Starwood hotel page.


Adobe style casitas
The Wigwam Resort, main pool area


The Wigwam lobby entrance

hallway to Red's Steakhouse


lobby seating lounge

AAA 4 diamond
TripAdvisor Rank #1 of 1 hotel in Litchfield Park
SPG Category 4 hotel = 10,000 points for a free night or
$60 and 4,000 points on Cash & Points award.
The highest degree of satisfaction with this resort expressed in online hotel reviews seems to be among golfers. I came across several reviews on TripAdvisor praising the three golf courses.
Among Starwood members discussing the property on FlyerTalk, the general consensus is the resort is underwhelming for a designated Luxury Collection brand property.



I did not stay at the Wigwam Resort. I made it my first stop in 150 miles since lunch and leaving Blythe, California on I-10. The freeway exit for Litchfield Park came just in time as the traffic slowed to a crawl at 2:00pm, a good 20 miles west of downtown Phoenix.

The distraction of being in a residential neighborhood caused me to miss the street sign leading to the resort. I stopped and rechecked the map and then continued to drive and found the Wigwam Resort in the middle of an older, developed neighborhood, directly across the street from a public elementary school. The location was not at all what I expected.

The conference room wing was the first door I entered from the parking lot. There were dozens of people in the halls and some booths with representatives.

The Wigwam is a golf mecca of greens in the desert. The resort was a golf country club as early as the 1930s when V.O. “Red” Allen came from Minnesota as the Club’s first golf pro and the first of three generations of Allen’s to head the golf program at the Wigwam. Red’s Steakhouse in the Resort is a tribute to this 40 year golf veteran of The Wigwam.
The property is composed of many adobe style casita units.





There is one central-area pool in the resort. The tennis court area, fitness room, and the Elizabeth Arden Red Door spa are at one end of the resort. There is a lap pool in the spa area.



Lap pool near Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa

Red Door Spa entry corridor



The Wigwam Fitness and Aerobics room


Tennis court and Golf course in background
Red’s Steakhouse
My opinion is The Wigwam Resort looks like a pleasant place for a good active time playing tennis, golf, workouts, and swims. The Wigwam is a different type of understated elegant resort than the other Starwood Resorts of the Phoenix area. This is the kind of resort conducive for interacting more with other guests or relaxing alone at your casita rather than the Las Vegas style grandness of the other three Starwood resorts.
Starwood’s other Phoenix area Luxury Collection property, The Phoenician, has received consistently high praise over the years and still ranks high on overall top hotels in the USA. The Phoenician along with the Westin Kierland hotel, when compared to The Wigwam Resort, these resorts have more elaborate facilities for pools, dining choices, and a setting in the Scottsdale vicinity for being dazzled.

Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort and Spa in Chandler (east Phoenix area) looks like the most recommended 3rd choice hotel discussed on FlyerTalk for a cheaper Phoenix- area Starwood option than the Phoenician and Westin Kierland resorts. The Sheraton hotel page for Wild Horse Pass states: “Voted Best Resort & Best In-Town Getaway by AZ Republic Reader’s Poll” .
5-12-08 I noticed The Wigwam Resort on www.Skyauction.com this weekend. The auction ends 5-13-08 and currently is $30/night + $49/night service charge. The Wigwam for $79 a night is an incredible deal for this resort in my opinion.

No comments: