Talking Stick Resort Review for April 2026

The 15-story tower houses 496 rooms including 15 luxury suites and 30 executive king suites. Be warned, though: a $25 per night resort fee applies and covers access to the pools, fitness centre, and certain other amenities. I do not like resort fees as a concept, but I also kind of begrudgingly understand why they exist.

Rooms

Standard rooms are decorated with contemporary Southwest styling, either a single king or two queen beds, private balcony or patio options on select floors, and views of Camelback Mountain and the McDowell Mountains on the upper levels. Executive king suites offer additional workspace and living area.

As you’d expect, the penthouse-level luxury suites provide the most expansive views across the Scottsdale valley floor and the surrounding desert mountain ranges. All rooms include free WiFi, premium bedding, flat-screen TVs, and in-room safes.

The rooms, I’d say, were nice enough without really impressing all that much. I had no real complaints either though.

Where to Eat

The dining situation at Talking Stick Resort is surprisingly varied with most tastes and fancies catered for. Here is what to expect.

Orange Sky is the dining centerpiece. The 360-degree view from the rooftop encompasses Camelback Mountain, the McDowell Mountains, and the Scottsdale valley floor, making it one of the more genuinely spectacular restaurant settings in Arizona regardless of the food, which is actually strong enough to justify the visit on its own merits too.

Ocean Trail below it is the more adventurous option: an Asian-Creole fusion concept that Phoenix Magazine's Valley Gaming Guide has called the most unique casino restaurant in the Valley. That designation is easy to understand on a menu that pairs Cajun-style preparations with Asian ingredients in combinations most casino restaurants would not attempt. I did attempt it (well, eating it) and I am very glad I did.

Pool and Spa

Talking Stick Resort has four pools including the main pool, a lounge pool, and the recently renovated West Pool, with cabana and daybed rentals available across the complex.

An outdoor stage adjacent to the pool area hosts the Release Pool Party series, which has brought Kaskade, Steve Aoki, and Skrillex to the property, and seasonal outdoor concerts featuring Journey, Foreigner, Bad Company, and Collective Soul, among others. The pool complex is enormous and can accommodate up to 4,000 guests for major events and functions, making it a significant entertainment venue in its own right during the warm season.

The Spa at Talking Stick occupies the 14th floor and covers 13,000 square feet with panoramic views of the valley from private treatment rooms. The spa's treatment menu is tied to the heritage and traditions of the Pima and Maricopa communities, using culturally significant botanical ingredients that are specific to the SRPMIC's history and relationship with the Sonoran Desert landscape. At least, that is what their in-resort promotional material says. Sadly, I didn’t have the time to try it personally.

A spacious steam room and 24-hour fitness center are available to hotel guests. Just be aware that spa services require guests to be 18 or older.

Entertainment

The TSR Showroom seats 650 and handles headline acts across music, comedy, and performance year-round. Meanwhile, The Salt River Grand Ballroom at 25,000 square feet converts between meeting space and evening concert venue for larger touring acts.

For me, the combination of the indoor showroom, the grand ballroom, and the outdoor pool stage gives Talking Stick Resort three distinct performance environments at different scales, which is unusual for a property of its size. It’s genuinely quite impressive.

Degree 270 is the resort’s nightclub. Players Sports Bar and Shadows, a martini and cigar bar, round out the late-night social options.

Golf

The Talking Stick Golf Club offers 36 holes of championship golf managed by Century Golf, having recently completed a major renovation that added a new Golf Academy, updated clubhouse, and Sandwich House.

I can’t really tell you any more than that though because I am not a golfer so I didn't try out the facilities myself. 

For me, Talking Stick Resort is the most complete casino resort experience in the Phoenix-Scottsdale area. The entirely non-smoking environment, the 68-table poker room, Orange Sky's rooftop dining, the culturally grounded 14th-floor spa, the four-pool complex with outdoor concert stage, and the golf (if you like that kind of thing) make it a destination that genuinely offers something for every type of visitor.

The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community's ownership and operation of the property also brings a cultural authenticity to the guest experience, and I always like that kind of thing. I mean, why do we travel if not to experience and learn about other cultures? It’s not just about the slots, you know. Except when you’re winning, of course. All the culture in the world can’t drag me away from a hot Dragon Link machine.

Anyway, for visitors to Scottsdale who want a casino resort, Talking Stick is the starting point and for many it is probably also the ending one.