I booked the Four Points by Sheraton Tempe hotel on a cash and points rate for 1,600 Starpoints and $30 before the March devaluations. The going rate was $150+taxes during spring training week so I definitely saved a lot of money by going the cash and points route on this category 2 Starwood hotel. The hotel is now a category 3 hotel due to the category increase because of the recent Starwood devaluations. The hotel is situated right across the street from the Arizona State University (ASU) Campus which is pretty much a party school. When I pulled up to the parking lot, I noticed there were a lot of young scantily clad women running around and I thought I might have been at the wrong hotel.
When I checked in, I noticed that there was a list of guests on a picture frame whose names were SPG members ranking from Platinum, Gold, and Preferred. I’ve never seen that before at any hotel and I thought that was a cool gesture in terms of recognition. I was number 2 on the Platinum list thinking it was in the order of upgrades, but found out that it was in alphabetical order by last name.
The lobby was set up with a spring training theme and there was a box where you could drop your business card and win 5,000 Starpoints in a monthly raffle.
When I checked in, I asked the front desk agent if there were any suites available and notified me that there was a one bedroom suite available. I asked her how many one-bedroom suites there were on the property and she said there were only one so I felt pretty fortunate and lucky. As a Platinum guest, I chose the breakfast for two instead of the 250 Starpoints amenity. The agent also advised me that I needed to put a parking permit on my dashboard because they do tow.
The lobby also contained a restaurant called 3 and a lounge area with a TV and business center with computers.
The one-bedroom suite consisted of a living room, TV, huge dining/conference table, and a L shaped sectional couch with a loveseat.
In the living room, there was also a wetbar, fridge, and microwave.
The bedroom area had a king sized bed with a tv and a large executive desk.
The bathroom consisted of Four Points amenities, but with a twist. The bathroom had a built in liquid soap, shampoo, and conditioner dispenser.
The living room also boasted access to an outdoor balcony with views of the pool and towards Arizona State University. In addition, the bedroom also contained access to the same views coupled with some lawn chairs.
I stayed at this hotel twice in the same week, so I will show you a junior suite which was a complete 360 with the previous, 1 bedroom suite. The junior suite was basically two rooms with the connecting door open. The bedroom was very small and it was definitely the size of their standard room.
The bathroom was equally as small as well.
However, when I stepped through the connecting door to the living room, I felt more free. There was a huge living room with a small table and two chairs. The room also had a TV and a fridge in addition to a large cabinet space with a wetbar. The bedroom and living room did not have access to a balcony like the aforementioned 1 bedroom suite.
The Four Points does not have a lounge, but I had breakfast the next morning at their main restaurant called 3.
The breakfast was set up buffet style with hot and cold options.
The best part about this hotel was in house kitchen chef where you can get made to order eggs any style with an omelet station. This is included in the buffet.
The sunny side up egg and omelet were really tasty and I didn’t partake in any other offerings because I wasn’t that hungry. I would highly recommend this hotel if you need a stay in the Tempe area as the rates are often pretty low when there aren’t any major events going on like spring training. As always, this hotel provides the best Platinum recognition as a Four Points brand.
To leave you on a high note, you gotta love the framed SPG guest list!
