Aloft Gainesville University Area — Attraction in Gainesville

When we arrived we learned that they only offer 1 parking permit per room, despite the website and app saying complimentary parking. We had two vehicles. I offered to even pay for a second and was denied. We were told to use the UF parking across the street, however we would need to move our 2nd vehicle by 7am or it would get towed and have no other option to park it at that point. When looking in the parking lot there were multiple vehicles with uhaul trailers occupying 4 - 5 spaces, however we were told because they only needed 1 permit it was acceptable. It was completely unacceptable. We get to our room and the refrigerator did not work. I reached out to the front desk and they said their maintenance had left for the day but they would be willing to store our refrigerated items in their refrigerator until check out. I have medicine that must be kept cold and them storing it was not an option. I asked if we could be moved to another room and she needed to check with her manager. After a while she got approval to move us to another room. We moved our items and left to dinner, only to come back to a hot room. The 2nd rooms AC did not work. At this point it was almost 11 and we were exhausted. We went back to the front desk and told them the AC did not work in our room. The new person told us "I don't know what to do". I demanded a new room, and after a lot of convincing we got another room. The rooms themselves only had two towels, 1 bottle of water, a very cheap plastic ice bin. On check out none of the house keepers wore masks to clean the rooms. Lastly, there was a bowl with solution they asked you to drop your keys in right at the front desk. It was so off putting to see a bowls with dirty fluid and keys knowing they would later give those keys to other guests. I've stayed at many Marriotts all over the US and I was completely appalled. I used 30k points to stay at this hotel and it was a total disaster. What a waste! I rarely leave poor reviews but I wish I had read an honest review before booking and...

CANCELLED US JUST BEFORE ARRIVAL!! We booked this hotel on 9/26 for a football game day on 10/5. We are 2.5 hours away and with a late game, we knew it would be too late to drive home and hotel would be needed. We also chose this location because it's a quick walk to the shuttle bus. We got into town around 4:30 pm and stopped for a quick bite to eat, with the plan to then go to the hotel to get dressed and ready for the game. We got a call from the hotel at 4:45 pm saying they'd overbooked and were cancelling our reservation. They were moving us to another hotel, but it was in Ocala (38 miles away! Back the way we'd already come). We were told that third-party reservations (we booked through Expedia, even though we are also Marriott Bonvoy members) were cancelled first. We booked 9 days ahead of time, and there were still rooms available at that time. This tells me that they continued to take reservations and, rather than cancel the last booked, they cancelled our Expedia reservation. Because of the football game, there were no other rooms/hotels available. We had no where to get ready and had to just change clothes in a Target bathroom. The shuttle bus after the game, dropped us off just before midnight. And, rather than being able to walk a few hundred yards to the hotel and go to sleep, we had to spend 30 minutes charging our EV for our drive back to Ocala (and away from the fast charger we planned to use in Gainesville the next morning). Post-game traffic and an accident lengthened our drive and we arrived around 1:30 am. What had been planned as a fun day/evening was ruined by terrible business practice and no concern for customers and the impact to them. I will never use this hotel and will warn anyone I can against them. I will say that the Fairfield Inn in Ocala, who was left to deal with several of us who were moved, was gracious, welcoming, and...

I’ve stayed at this location multiple times before due to its location, but my most recent visit was a complete disaster. Unfortunately, I won’t be returning.

My reservation was from Thursday to Friday. I arrived very late—around 3 a.m.—after a long drive. When I got to the front desk, the woman there told me I should have checked in earlier because she had already “rolled the day over.” Whatever that means. I explained that I had been on the road and nowhere in my reservation did it state I needed to call ahead if I was arriving late. Plus, I had a prepaid reservation, which means I already paid for the night in advance.

She told me not to worry and said she would book me another room. She asked for my credit card for the deposit but never mentioned that I’d be charged again for another night. The next day, I saw a $378 charge on my account. When I went to check out and asked about it, I explained the situation and reminded them my original prepaid rate was $153 for the same exact room.

They said they’d correct it and refund the difference, minus a $50 dog fee—which I already think is way too high for a one-night stay, but fine. I left thinking the issue was resolved. Then the next day, I checked my card again and saw another $100 charge, plus a $4.30 charge for breakfast items I never purchased.

They emailed me an "invoice" with my signature, which I never authorized. They clearly reused the signature I gave when signing for the deposit. At no point did they inform me that I was being charged for an extra night—especially at nearly three times my original rate. And the breakfast charge? Completely bogus.

I’m furious and currently disputing these charges with my bank. This whole experience is unacceptable. Not to mention, the room itself and the overall cleanliness were well...