Magnuson Hotel Papago Inn

I'm very impressed with this hotel! I got it for $70 a night on Priceline (last minute) but it's great. The pool is awesome and they have free breakfast and Free Wi-fi as well as a fun bar and restaurant, and while it is outdoor access all the walkways are inside and you need a room key to get in. The rooms are big and have a fridge. They also have a huge Chessboard which looks cool :)

I loved the strong retro vibe here. This hotel looks like it could have been on Mad Men. But thankfully the grounds are well maintained and not dated. If you like a hotel with personality, you'll love this one. I really liked the fresh red roses on the front desk. Rooms here are fairly large. I liked how they all face inward so you won't hear as much noise from the street. It's within walking distance to Papago park and many shops and restaurants too. I could see the average guest hanging out by the pool and then chilling at the on-site restaurant and bar afterwards.

I remember staying here back when it was the Best Western Papago. Now, it's under new ownership, and I have to say, I really love the changes! The small lobby is filled with southwestern-style furniture (big wooden carved frames and a cool coffee table). They sell cool postcards, and there's a little reading nook with vintage books and an aquarium full of fish. The best thing about this hotel is that it doesn't look like much from the outside - in fact, it might look downright seedy from certain angles. But once you step into the lobby, and then the inner courtyard - wow, it's like going from a black and white movie to technicolor. The courtyard is beautifully maintained with greenspaces and all kinds of trees and flowers. It reminded me of a cool, well-maintained vintage apartment building. The rooms are not particularly colorful or unique, but everything looked very clean and smelled nice. There is also a restaurant on site, but it's not open yet. A staff member said they anticipate a soft opening sometime in January 2016. I hope it opens sooner, because the furniture and kitchen looked very vintage cool.

Much like the creepy guy in the rusted out Chevy who was slowly driving around the parking lot for much of the time I spent here, this place reminded me of a motel out of a seedy 70s horror flick. I will admit though, it did get better once I stepped inside. The lobby is small but serves it’s purpose and the hotel is actually laid out with two stories of outside-entry rooms surrounding a huge courtyard with pool, gazebo and what appeared to be a random parakeet coop. It actually looked a little like the apartment complex from Melrose Place… just a little. There was a nice looking breakfast room (though it wasn’t free), but it didn’t make up for the dark, dingy lounge marked simply by the word Cocktails painted on a large white wooden door.

The Best Western Papago Inn might be one of the nicest Best Westerns I have ever seen. It’s branded as a Best Western Plus, and although I’m not sure on the exact classification (I’m guessing the “plus” refers to the on-site restaurant and bar) it means you’re going to get a little bit…extra during your stay. The rooms were clean, and simple. Very well maintained, they come with a pretty sizable flat-screen TV as well as a mini-fridge and coffee maker, etc. One complaint about the mini-fridge: it was sort of squeezed into the bathroom area right next to the sink, which cut down on counter space and seemed a bit out of place, but the utility is still there. The hotel itself is situated in a ring, with the rooms facing into the central plaza, complete with pool, garden and…atrium, so you can relax in the sun to a soothing chorus of exotic birds (parakeets, I think, but I’m not an expert). A unique feature, to say the least.