During our families last couple visits to Arizona (Thanksgiving and Christmas) we have stayed at two “Element” hotels: one in Moab, UT and one in Chandler, AZ. Boy were they different.
We stayed in the Moab location on our drive back to Idaho during the Thanksgiving trip. It was very nice. They had a hot chocolate bar all day long (it was cold out, in the summer it is a lemonade bar). The room was nicely laid out such that all 4 of us had a decent place to sleep. The bathroom was pretty small, but it was only one night so no issue there. The breakfast was amazing. They had 2 guys making banana pancakes that were unbelievably good and they had eggs too. They also had a yogurt station, oatmeal, fruit, and a variety of breads. It was great. I would definitely stay there again.
So for Christmas break we decided we would stay at the Element in Chandler near where we used to live for a few days. This one was less than great. The beds were comfortable and the bathroom was a decent size. The staff was very nice and helpful. We needed bottles of water (which should have been in the room but weren’t) and razors and they were glad to get them for us. That is where it kind of ends though. The room was a bit cramped, but not too bad. The food was not great. They had the yogurt bar and the breads, but the bread choice was white or whiter. The first day we had a sausage, egg and cheese bagel – but mine was cold and there was no way to heat it up. The second day there were scrambled eggs in a crockpot (they were marginal). Not going to stay here again I don’t think.
So, two very different experiences. We We’re all very hopeful after the Moab experience that this would be our go to hotel of choice, but the Chandler one didn’t live up to the Moab one. Oh well.