The Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa is Fun for the Whole Family!

At the end of April I attended the Mom 2.0 Summit in Scottsdale, Arizona.  I stayed at the Hyatt Scottsdale Resort &  Spa at Gainey Ranch and absolutely fell in love with all the unique sites and fun activities they offer families.  I plan to come back with my family as I know my daughter would go crazy for their large waterslide!  After driving a good 5 hours it was nice to be welcomed so warmly by the staff at The Hyatt Scottsdale.  Walking into the front lobby was quite breathtaking as it overlooked the courtyard and you could see the gorgeous desert mountains.

There are over 493 rooms at the Hyatt Regency with a vast selection of rooms to fit your needs.  You can ask for a Club Room (usually in quiet sections of the resort and you have access to The Regency Club, Pet Friendly Rooms (pets under 50 pounds are allowed), Hypoallergenic Rooms (great for allergy sufferers), and View Rooms (premium, preferred and resort views).  I had a gorgeous view of the courtyard and pool area and the morning sunrise was a great way to start my day!  I can see why people come to the desert to relax and just chill.  There is definitely something about the desert I find so soothing.  The whole staff really goes to great lengths to make sure you are having a wonderful experience at the resort.  Not more than 15 minutes in my room where I was recovering from my drive through the desert wondering what I was going to eat (you know how road food is) I had a knock on my door announcing “room service!”  Imagine my surprise and delight to have this delicious tray arrive!

The Rooms:

I arrived in my room to be greeted with music playing and my name across the television screen.  They do this for every guest to welcome them!  I love that!  The bathrooms are gorgeous and clean. I stayed in the King Hyatt Grand Bed™ Room which is perfect for couples or business travelers. I really enjoyed the resort views from the balcony or patio of this spacious room.  The bed is quite comfortable and offers plush pillows, soft sheeting and down comforter. And each Grand Bed room offers special touches including an armchair, oversized desk with enhanced lighting, Wi-Fi Internet access, refrigerator, 37” flat screen TV, easy video checkout, iHome stereo with iPod® docking station and deluxe bathroom with custom stone vanity, robes and Kenet MD bath amenities.

The Resorts Water Playground:

The resort says that the water playground has long been a favorite of resort guests, and they provide 10 swimming pools, 20 fountains and 45 waterfalls to enjoy. My daughter would go crazy for this waterslide!  In her eyes, the faster the waterslide goes the better.  She gets a kick out of good ‘ol mom who is a chicken even on the baby slides.  Yes, sad, but true!  She however, would have a blast and would probably want to play all day in this gorgeous kid area! This water-slide is new, totally cool, 30’, 3-story, and…fun for all ages (if you are braver than me!). Hours of fun are guaranteed as you climb to the top of the tower, take in the spectacular views, and then zip down the triple turns at 25 miles per hour!

French Celtic Mineral Pool

Gosh, the name of the pool alone wants me to come back and try this out!  I was so busy with the conference I didn’t get a chance to enjoy the pool but I definitely plan to next visit!  I think The Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch is one of those destinations that a family could keep coming back to for a nice relaxing vacation.  Whether for a few days or even a day trip if you are local to the area, they offer so much to do and see!

And this beach area is just calling my name!  Put on some sunscreen, grab your suit and head on down to enjoy the day with the family at the gorgeous pools and beachside.

Enjoy Spa Avania at the rejuvenating Scottsdale Spa Resort:

The Golf Course:

If you or your husband plays golf,  you will probably fall in love with the top rated gorgeous golf course at The Hyatt Scottsdale! Surrounded by incredible scenery, Gainey Ranch Golf Club offers an exciting year-round challenge for golfers of any skill level. There are three distinct nine-hole courses and offers a different experience for players.

The Native American Learning Center:

One of my absolute favorite sights to see at The Hyatt Scottsdale was the Native American Learning Center. Ann Lane, Senior Director of Advertising and Public Relations, describes how this museum came about below in our interview.  As a former ESL teacher and mom, I always love when you are in a new experience and learning.  Over the years, I have traveled to many hotels but I have never seen something like this before.  There are some wonderful artifacts, photography, bronze statues for the whole family to enjoy and learn together!

You can take a tour anytime of the day at the Native American Learning Center and learn more about the Native Americans who lived in this region.

 Interview with Ann Lane, Senior Director of Advertising and Public Relations

How did the idea to create the Native American Learning Center come about? I don’t recall how many years ago, but in the neighborhood of 14 or 15, there was a meeting that our then general manager attended at the Grand Canyon.  At that meeting, he met a gentlemen from Hopi.  If my memory serves me correctly, I think he was a former Chairman of the Hopi Tribal Council.  The two began to talk and with our GM’s interest in the Native cultures, he furthered the discussion to the point that a couple of years later, after much work and the input from their Advisory Council, thus was born our Native American Learning Center.  The resort provided the venue, but they provided all of the information, displays, etc.  It was their story, not Hyatt’s.

What do you feel sets the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa apart from other resorts?

I think there are so many wonderful resorts in the Valley, but truly one of the major things that sets us apart is our team of associates.  They have such pride in their resort, a sense of ownership.  Many have been here for 15-28 years, myself being one of them!  I was brought in to open this resort almost 29 years ago.  I feel like I gave “birth” to this resort.  They deliver authentic hospitality, as if this were their home and they are welcoming all of our guests.

The architecture is very distinctive and is so beautifully natural with the desert, yet it has a sophistication to it.  No one else has a Native American Learning Center, a 2.5 acre water playground with a sand beach, authentic gondolas made in Venice complete with singing gondoliers, live nightly entertainment in Center Stage Bar, the Arizona Wine Experience, Arizona Happy Hour and Wine Me Dine Me in SWB, a southwest bistro, each designed to give our visitors a taste of the Sonoran southwest.  We pride ourselves on our flavors of the southwest.

We offer “experiential” offerings to our resort guests from Native American dancers every Friday evening, a close encounter with Arizona Birds of Prey each Friday, except in the summer, Phoenix Herpetological presents fascinating reptiles  to a number of programs during holiday periods, Christmas/New Years, Spring Break, Memorial Weekend, 4^th of July, Labor Day Weekend and Thanksgiving Weekend.  Summer offers a wide variety of summer fun with Nighttime Cosmic Waterslide Races, Xtreme Games and Dive-In movies, to name just a few.  We have something for everyone, including our 30’, 3-story high speed waterslide for the young and young at heart.

Our Spa Avania experience is designed to harmonize your body, mind and spirit with the time of day.  A uniquely holistic approach that bases your total-immersion experience on the cyclical needs of your body at key periods of the day.  It has a French Celtic Mineral pool, so one does not need to go to the Dead Sea to get the benefits of the beneficial minerals!  We know of no other spa with this philosophy.

Thanks Ann for sharing and letting us know about all the wonderful sights and sounds The Hyatt Scottsdale has to offer!  I plan to come back soon to try out the large waterslide if I am so brave and check out the singing gondola’s.

The Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa has been winning awards for many years now and some include:

-2015 World’s Top 500 Hotels, Travel + Leisure

-2015 “Best Hotels in the USA,” US News & World Report

-2015 Family Vacation Critic “Favorite”, Trip Advisor’s Family Travel Site

-2014 Top 20 Resorts in Texas and the Southwest, Condé Nast Traveler

-2014 #1 in Scottsdale, Arizona’s Best Places to Stay, AZCENTRAL’S Expert Picks

-2014 Best Hotel Pool, Phoenix New Times

-2014 “Best Spas in the World, Condé Nast Traveler’s Reader Poll

Note:  We were provided with  a complimentary night by the lovely folks at The Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa but this did not affect our opinion in any way.

To read more about The Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort &  Spa at Gainey Ranch go here.  And you can find them on Facebook and Twitter.

Great news!  One lucky dandelion mom or dad will have a chance to check out The Hyatt Regency themselves!  They are offering a summer or fall giveaway that is valid through December 30, 2015. There are some normal restrictions, subject to availability and not valid on holidays. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway