Taylor S.
Yelp
I am so happy that I have finally stayed at this resort after years of intending to do so. Other than being on the premises a few times over the years, I knew of the Tucson National as the place my parents held their wedding reception back in 1988. I turned out to have a fantastic five night stay. There's a lot to unpack here, so I'm going to get started all while my suitcase will sit in the corner of my bedroom nearly untouched for the next week.
Let's start with the overall location and common areas. The homes right next to the resort, as well as all the grounds and buildings are a sight for sore eyes let me tell you; the property is an absolute beaut. It's one of the only local resorts that don't heavily play up the rustic, desert theme. As an AZ native, the rustic AZ stuff starts to feel cliche after awhile. There are a few cacti and native plants around , Mexican tile in the restrooms, and an awesome mountain view to remind you that you're in Tucson, but it's mostly palm trees, flowers and grass outside the Spanish-style buildings. I did not get to try the pool or spa services but it all looked very nice. The lobby was probably last remodeled in the early 90s like others have complained about ad nauseum, but the marble floors, dramatic staircase, plants, and very cool detailing made up for that. Plus, despite the age, nothing was rundown or in disrepair in that area.
I really liked the staff, which is atypical as that is in area in which I usually find fault in these resort hotels. They were friendly as can be--even the guard gate operators. They are responsive too--there was a fire department Christmas party one night, where several got drunk and thought it would be a good idea to strip into their underpants at 11 pm and dive into the pool in 43 degree weather. Security was on it promptly, and nipped that in the bud before it got out of hand.
Now on to the room--I was EXTREMELY impressed with the size and features for the price. It was right on the golf course, and offered a great view of that, as well as the Santa Catalina Mountans. The rooms have definitely been touched renovation-wise within the last decade, and everything was in great shape; I encountered none of the severe maintenance problems that others did, but those seem to be isolated to the casita rooms which indeed have not had any meaningful update since the 90s, and are not being rented out at this time. There is storage galore in these rooms: tons of drawers, and a very large (for a standard hotel room), walk-in closet. Most of the lights had dimmer switches, and the room has plenty of places to sit: a sofa, and two club chairs in addition to the desk chair, and beds. The television was just the right size for adequate viewing from anywhere. The bathroom was really nice too. The beds succeeded at being everything to everyone. The beds had just the right amount of firmness and softness with a nice, springy feel.
As for COVID protocols, they had the usual room service menu that has to be accessed with a QR code, and they were a bit skimpy on bath products, towels, writing utensils, and coffee/tea; being the second time I've stayed in a hotel since COVID hit the fan, this has become the norm. We did ask for more, and they delivered. They had stickers on the hotel lobby entry door that they're AZ clean certified and not to enter if you feel ill, and tons of hand sanitizer, but mask usage throughout the property was next to non-existent. Because I believe opinions on COVID protocols tend to be politically-driven, I am declining to state my opinion, and instead will be giving you, the reader, the opportunity to construct your own opinion on the matter based on the info that I am providing.
As far as complaints, there are only a few. The first one is about television programming--it isn't fantastic. They have one HBO channel, but no pay-per-view in theater movies, ability to use streaming services, or ability to view the bill, TV listings, or in-room dining menu on the TV--most hotels of this caliber have something like this. The channels seem geared towards news and sports with some channels not having any audio at all. These rooms could also benefit from a mini bar or very small fridge--none of which were present, and that was surprising in an otherwise feature-filled room.
I did not dine at Bob's this trip, or have room service but did dine at Legends, and thfood8i was very good. Refer to that restaurant's page for my review.
To say that I was bummed to have to go back home is a gross understatement. I could definitely see myself in the future, and I do recommend it to anyone who appreciates a very nice setting.