The Red Lion was my home hotel as I participated in the Rock n Roll Half Marathon in Arizona.
Upon arrival, I called for the free shuttle service as directed. The hotel representative told me to wait in the wrong area initially.... so I was waiting for a good amount of time until I inquired with one of the airport workers. He directed me to where the hotel shuttles typically pick-up people, and after multiple phone calls to the hotel back and forth we were finally able to find each other, the shuttle and I.
The rooms were nice and clean. I would have preferred a fridge, but oh well. Continental breakfast was provided with eggs, toast, cereal and WAFFLES. Omg, I loved their waffles. The waffle mix was pre-made, and all you do is simply pour it into the waffle maker. I've never made waffles before, and I was having a lot fun with that. Their waffle maker stamped The Red Lion logo onto waffles, and I don't know why I got a kick out of that too. lol.
The people I interacted the most were the shuttle drivers, and they were very nice. Shuttle services were provided to areas within 5 miles of the hotel. I needed to go to the downtown area, but it was beyond the 5 mile marker. I had the shuttle driver drop me off at the Metro Light Rail, and for $2 I was able to get to downtown. Once I was done, I met up with the shuttle driver at the Metro Light Rail, and they took me back to the hotel.
However, I had another hiccup with being picked up. I waited at the light rail for more than an hour before I was actually picked up. I was not in any hidden or obstructed area, and believe me, I was on the look-out for the shuttle. The Metro Light Rail is in the median lane of two streets driving in opposite direction. It was difficult to monitor both streets for the shuttle. The driver was fulfilling all his pick-up jobs, except for mine. I called, and called again letting them know I was not picked up. He assumed the people he was picking up was me, but they were not. I could have just walked back to the hotel, but it would have been a 30 minute walk late at night, and I had a half marathon the next day. Once I was finally picked up, the driver himself said he did see me sitting by the light rail as he made multiple trips picking up other people. Bah.
I think shuttle drivers should be able to call people if they cannot find them, and/or really ensure they are picking up the people that did make the request instead of all this middle man business with the front desk.
The next day, I had my half marathon. I was concerned about having the shuttle complication again after my race. Luckily, I happened to see the shuttle service to my hotel, and waved him down for a ride back. He recognized me, so we had no issues.... but I did let him know that I did not call. I was in the process of calling him, but I was attempting to find a uncomplicated area that I can be easily found before calling first. Anyway, so whoever he was trying to pick up was probably still waiting around amongst the sea of Rock n Roll Marathon participants.
Other than the problems with being picked up, I had a great stay at The Red Lion. I would recommend staying here.