Review: Ambiente Sedona, a Landscape Hotel (Arizona, USA)

Wednesday newsletters always feature a hotel or flight review.

Today: Review of Ambiente Sedona, a Landscape Hotel (Arizona, USA)

Hotel website: Ambiente, a Landscape Hotel
Location: Google maps
Tip: get complimentary VIP perks at Ambiente Sedona when booking via Virtuoso

A first of its kind in North America, Ambiente, a Landscape Hotel is uniquely designed to blend in with the mystical red rocks of Sedona, Arizona, offering guests the opportunity to experience and embrace the natural beauty that surrounds them in one of the world’s most stunning locations. Opened in spring 2023, the new Ambiente Hotel is comprised of 40 cubed-shaped guest rooms (called atriums) that are elevated above the ground by steel piers and constructed using floor-to-ceiling, bronze-tinted glass and matte-charcoal and rusted metal. At dusk, the tinted glass reflect the nature around it creating stunning, mirrored silhouettes. The atriums’ sleek and contemporary design embodies elegant minimalism and the utmost in luxurious accommodation. Onsite facilities include a pool, spa and fine dining restaurant. Ambiente is a member of the Leading Hotels of the World.

Ambiente Sedona, a Landscape Hotel, features in my top 10 list of the best luxury hotels in the American Southwest.

Have you ever stayed at Ambiente Sedona, a Landscape Hotel? If so, what was your experience? Leave a comment.

In this review (more info and photos below my YouTube video):

Pros & things I like
Cons & things to know
My verdict
Tips for future guests & save money
Best time to visit
How to get there
Photos

PROS & THINGS I LIKE

Opened in spring 2023, Ambiente, a Landscape Hotel has already earned a reputation as one of the best hotels in Sedona. Located in Arizona’s high desert under the towering southwestern rim of the vast Colorado Plateau, the small city of Sedona is a famous across the globe for is spectacular red sandstone formations, which form a popular backdrop for many activities, ranging from spiritual pursuits to dozens of hiking and mountain biking trails. Historically, Sedona was a rural ranching community located far off the beaten path, but its unsurpassed natural beauty became nationally known through the motion picture industry. Today, commercials and television shows still are filmed in the unsettled areas surrounding this city, which annually attracts more than three million tourists from around the world.

Overlooking the protected preserve of Coconino National Forest, Ambiente Sedona sits on a three acres of plot, surrounded by the city’s most iconic red rock monoliths, including the Steamboat, Chimney, Coffee Pot and Snoopy Rock formations. Upon arrival, guests are ushered through a monolithic wooden door into a modern lobby where a floor–to-ceiling glass wall and adjacent observation deck put the sweeping red rock views on full display. The two-story glass and metal lobby building serves as the check-in area, complete with a guest lounge and observation deck, boutique gift shop, meeting rooms and offices, and a spa. Once check-in is complete, an elevator delivers guests to the ground floor where they tour the property via an electric vehicle before arriving at their private Atrium.

Ambiente Sedona is comprised of 40 cubed-shaped pavilions (called ‘Atriums’), built using matte-charcoal colored metal and floor-to-ceiling, bronze-tinted glass walls. Uniquely designed to blend in with the surrounding geography, the accommodations offer contemporary, Earth-toned decor to support a disconnection from everyday life and a reconnection with nature. Each Atrium features the same key elements, including a bedroom with kingsize bed, a cozy sitting area (right next to the bed), a petite kitchen, and a bathroom equipped with an oversized soaking tub, double vanity and a walk-in shower with dual rain heads. Nearly all Atriums have a private rooftop deck, featuring lounge seating, a roaring firepit and a day-bed which is great for sunbathing and stargazing (or sleeping outdoors).

At the center of Ambiente Sedona is an outdoor lagoon-shaped pool (with a built-in Jacuzzi) which is located right next to a pavilion housing the hotel’s signature restaurant, Forty1. Forty1 features a full-service kitchen serving à la carte breakfast and dinner daily, as well as an indoor/outdoor bar complete with multiple TVs and ample seating. The restaurant offers a seasonal a la carte menu which is inspired by natural organic ingredients from the local Verde Valley. Directly adjacent to the restaurant, an elevated deck features fire pits, cozy lounge seating and programming like nightly stargazing. Also poolside, guests will find a custom Airstream that has been transformed and reimagined into The Drifter, a separate culinary destination serving lunch and poolside fare daily.

Ambiente Sedona has a strong focus on wellbeing. Housed within the main lobby building is Velvet, an intimate, three-room spa offering treatments that exclusively integrate locally-sourced ingredients embodying the healing properties of Sedona. Authentic elements of traditional spa, earthy textures, clean ingredients, and modern innovations are artistically intertwined to create distinctive spa experiences. Each spa treatment begins with a selection of a unique ZENTS scent blend that will be used for the massage. All guests also receive a vial of the blend as a gift at the end of the treatment. The Velvet Spa also has two experiential spaces that aim to provide powerful well-being for both body and mind. One of them is the Dark Sky Lounge, an interactive sound lounge surrounded by the celestial night sky, and the other one the O2 Soaking Bath Lounge, which features beautiful Japanese-style warm baths. There’s also a cute little sauna room, which is located right outside the spa area.

Designed by a team of award-winning architects including Stephen Thompson of Architect Studio and ASUL Architects, Ambiente Sedona was constructed with a deep respect for the environment. Using sustainable methods and and an organic deisgn, the resort’s modern architecture complements the neighboring scenery and minimizes the impact on the land as it was built around the natural vegetation and topography, requiring less cut and fill. At initial glance, all of the individual buildings, from the Atriums to the lobby and poolside lounge, appear to be floating amidst the landscape as the structures reflect the surroundings with the use of bronzed glass. Ambiente aims to be Sedona’s leading example of sustainable tourism and innovative hotel design that promotes long-term vibrancy within the community.

Ambiente Sedona is owned and operated by a local family, Michael Stevenson and his two daughters, Jennifer May and Colleen TeBrake. After serving in the US Army, Mike, at age 26, and his wife Kathleen moved to Sedona to work at his father’s restaurant. In 1973, Mike embarked on his calling to fulfil his dream of running his own business by investing in The Red Rock Motel located at the edge of Oak Creek Canyon. Unfortunately, just one short year later, that dream ended as he was forced to declare bankruptcy. In 2016, in an extraordinary turn of events, Michael was able to purchase a beautiful piece of property. After walking the natural landscape of pinion pines, natural washes, and red rock formations with his daughter Jennifer May several times, they knew instantly that the scenery within deserved something very special. That day, the vision for Ambiente was born, reigniting Mike’s dream from over 40 years ago.

Ambiente Sedona, a Landscape Hotel is a member of the Leading Hotels of the World (LHW). The latter is an exclusive collection of more than 400 luxury hotels and resorts in over 80 countries. LHW does not own hotels; it rather offers a reservation service for independent hotels and supports sales and marketing, advertising and public relations, financial services, quality control, and hotel inspections for its member properties. LHW has many iconic properties in its portfolio, such as such as the 12 Apostles Hotel in Cape Town, The Datai Langkawi in Malaysia, Hotel Adlon Kempinski in Berlin, Le Sirenuse in Positano (Italy), Il Sereno Lake Como (Italy), and the Gstaad Palace in Switzerland. LHW also has its own loyalty program, which allows guests to collect points at LHW properties and spend them for free nights at LHW hotels & resorts.

CONS & THINGS TO KNOW

Ambiente Sedona, a Landscape Hotel is located right next to a major highway, which tends to get busy during the day (the traffic slows down at night). The resort’s designers have done their utmost best to distract the guests from the presence of the nearby highway and to mask the noise with vegetation, babbling creeks and background music. But despite all these efforts, you can still hear the road in some parts of the resort, even inside some atriums (especially those atriums that back the highway and those on the upper part of the hilly landscape). The highway noise somewhat spoils the resort’s peacefulness and tranquility, especially when you’re on the rooftop deck of your atrium.

Ambiente Sedona features a somewhat strange layout, as the atriums are built very close together with their windows facing either the walkways or the other atriums. As a result, most atriums do not enjoy great views, except for the few, so called ‘landscape atriums’ on the property’s northern edge (which enjoy views of the forest and the surrounding grandiose scenery). For example, I stayed in a ‘forest atrium’ during my holiday but as you can see on my photos, it did not offer any forest view at all (rather a view of the nearby atriums and some mountains in the distance). Also, while privacy is not an issue during the day because of the atrium’s bronze-tinted one-way-vision glass, you’ll need to close your curtains at night once you switch your lights on (to avoid others having a direct view into your bedroom).

Ambiente, a Landscape Hotel does not have its own gym. But with direct access to more than 300 km (200 miles) of hiking and biking trails in Sedona as well as premier rock climbing, outdoor adventure and recreational activities, there is no need for an onsite fitness center, and instead Ambiente encourages guests to explore the outdoors by offering mountain bike rentals and hiking tours. The hotel also boasts exclusive access to the Adobe Jack Trail system, a moderate 2.7 km ( 1.7-mile) hike that connects to an additional seven miles of trails renowned for the picturesque scenery displayed along the way. For those who prefer to explore within hotel grounds, additional wellness trails weave throughout the site with designated spots to stop and follow instructed exercises that promote overall wellness.

Ambiente Sedona doesn’t come cheap and ranks among the most expensive hotels in the Sedona area. The room rate starts around $1100 USD per night for a star atrium (lowest room category) and rises to more than $2000 USD per night for a landscape atrium (the most expensive room category and the only room type coming with a view). It’s pretty insane when you think that these rates come close to what you would pay for a 5-star hotel in the Maldives but I guess that’s the new standard in the Sedona area. On a positive note, room rates include mini-bar (snacks & non-alcoholic beverages), Sedona fitness center access (offsite), valet parking, Audi RS e-tron GT concierge car transfers (available for airport and local attraction pick-up & drop-off) and free WiFi.

MY VERDICT

Location: 6/10
Design: 8/10
Pool: 7/10
Rooms: 8/10
Food: 8/10
Breakfast: 8/10
Spa: 7/10
Service: 9/10
Wow factor: 9/10
Value for money: 6/10
Overall experience: good 7.6/10

TIPS FOR FUTURE GUESTS & SAVE MONEY

Save money: get complimentary VIP perks at Ambiente Sedona when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. daily breakfast, room upgrade, early check-in, late check-out and $100 USD resort credit

Save money: Ambiente Sedona is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World (LHW) and participates in LHW’s loyalty program Leaders Club, which allows guests to collect points at LHW properties and spend them for free nights at LHW hotels & resorts (including Ambiente).

Save money: read here my tips for getting the best deal at a luxury hotel like Ambiente Sedona (and/or receive many free perks).

Read my tips for preparing your trip in time.

BEST TIME TO VISIT

Sedona is a four-season outdoor playground. Many people plan on visiting in the spring (March & May) and fall (September to November) to enjoy perfect weather for outdoor exploration; however, you can really beat the crowds and truly experience the serenity of Sedona in the winter. Sedona’s high elevation keeps it mostly insulated from the scorching heat Arizona is famous for in summer.

HOW TO GET THERE

The closest airport to Ambiente Sedona, a Landscape Hotel is Sedona Airport (KSEZ) which is 2 miles (3 km) away. Flagstaff Airport is the closest small commercial airport to Sedona which is 25 miles (40 km) or a scenic 40 minute drive. Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport is the closest major international airport (approximately 2 hours away by car).