Sedona, Arizona. Long known as one of the greatest destinations in the American Southwest, the town is a mecca for hiking, biking, off-roading, photography, and wellness.
Although I had been there several times before, I’m always taken by how it always feels “new”, as if I’ve never been there before.
Review: Sedona Rouge Hotel & Spa Trademark Collection By Wyndham
On my most recent trip, I planned on checking out two hotels, the first of which being the Sedona Rouge Hotel & Spa Trademark Collection By Wyndham.
The Arrival & Parking
The hotel was easy to find (you can’t miss it) on Highway 89A in West Sedona.
The Sedona Rouge Hotel & Spa Trademark Collection By Wyndham had a large parking lot in the front (with plenty of parking spaces) as well as other parking lots next to the rooms.
The Nightly Rate
On the night of my stay, a base-level Superior Studio 1 Queen Room went for $268.72, but it was also available for the go free rate of 15,000 Wyndham rewards points or the go fast rate of 3,000 points plus a $194.14 a night.
The resort also has a resort fee of $32.00 per night.
The Check-In
The lobby was a little crowded when I arrived for check-in, as such, I waited outside until it was my turn.
The front desk staff was friendly and quick with the check-in.
However, when they handed me the keys to my room, I inquired as to whether they had my Wyndham Rewards number so I could get points credit. That’s when things got weird.
I was told that because the Sedona Rouge was a “Trademark Collection By Wyndham” hotel, my points number could not be automatically attached to my reservation.
So naturally, my next question was “so was I recognized for my status or given an upgrade”?
The answer to that was “no”, they couldn’t see my Wyndham Rewards number and that if I wanted the points and status benefits I’d have to call Wyndham corporate and work it out with them, but also that they were sold out, but I could “check back later to see if anybody cancelled”.
That seemed crazy to me as I was already checked-in, and “working it out with corporate” would still require me to come back down to the office and then see if they had any cancellations.
The fountain next to the lobby. Image: wyndham.com
Tiled Javelinas. Image: wyndham.com
The Room Key
The Superior Studio 1 Queen Room
Room entrance
Room view
The Bedroom Area
The room was spacious and came with a kitchenette and a [mostly decorative] mini-fireplace.
The one strange feature to the room was the Queen Bed which was actually a Murphy Bed.
Queen bed? Murphy bed? Or both?
The Welcome Letter (Pandemic Version)
The Living Area
The Mini-Fireplace
Room Artwork
The Kitchenette
A kitchenette is always a welcome feature, especially in a semi-secluded place as the Sedona Rouge Hotel.
The Closet
The Bathroom
The bathroom was clean, well-lit and bright.
The bathroom had their own Sedona Rouge brand of toiletries, but also used a Lemon and Mint olive oil soap which was hand crafted in Sedona (and smelled wonderful!).
We were huge fans of this locally crafted soap – so much so we asked the front desk for a couple more for the road (to which they obliged).
More succulent art
Walking The Property
The property was nice. At night, there were families hanging out at the fire pits in the courtyard, and in the morning there were yoga classes held out on the flat spot by the wall (see the picture below).
The pool area was nice as well, if not a little small.
The restaurant, spa, and fitness room were closed during our stay due to the pandemic.
The courtyard. Image: wyndham.com
Image: wyndham.com
Image: wyndham.com
Image: wyndham.com
Review: Sedona Rouge Hotel & Spa Trademark Collection By Wyndham
Overall, I’d say the Sedona Rouge Hotel was a “solid choice” for a place to stay in Sedona.
There was nothing that really blew me away, but there were also no glaringly huge negatives about the property either.
The biggest negatives for me seemed to be mostly technologically-based and had to do with billing and status. Aside from the weird Wyndham Rewards points situation – for which I did end up calling Wyndham corporate and eventually got my points for the stay – I was told they couldn’t give me a copy of my folio due to the printer being down (but they promised to email a copy). Well, they emailed me a copy of a folio alright, but it wasn’t my own, it was from a random woman from the Pacific Northwest!
Come on, this is “no bueno” guys. Wyndham, you have some serious technology issues to address.
On the plus side, the Sedona Rouge Hotel & Spa waived our daily resort fee of $32.00 due to the pandemic closure of the hotel’s restaurants, spa (etc.).
The bottom-line? We were happy with our stay, but also probably wouldn’t pay cash to stay there again (although at 15,000 points, this would be a fine place to stay if you had Wyndham Rewards points to use).
Final Rating: 7 out of 10.
