Residence Inn by Marriott Ghent — Hotel in Ghent

Good front desk staff, poor management, contaminated tap water problem

I had mixed feelings regarding the 3-night stay at this hotel.

The good: front desk staffs were all friendly and helpful. The hotel itself was new and well equipped and very spacious given the European standard. The bad: the Marriott elite status was not well honored/respected. The management does not show respect/hospitality up to the Marriott standard.

Details:

1. As a Marriott titanium member, I requested a possible upgrade in advance to a one-bedroom suite if available. Upon check-in on a Saturday, I was informed that the hotel was fully booked and no suite was available. I completely understood for a Saturday night and requested that they keep an eye for me for the possible upgrade due to preferred privacy reason in the next two nights. No one contacted me since then even though the hotel was half empty the next day and that the suite was shown available online. Not even the high floor preference was accommodated, either, as the room given was on the first floor.

2. On the third day of the stay, we found that the tap water was contaminated: we tasted a little bit unusually salty in the boiled water and didn’t pay much attention and later realized that the tap water was really salty, like seawater. We didn’t have a clue what we had been drinking as the contaminated tap water was clearly not drinkable. We reported this issue to the front desk girl. Being initially skeptical on this, she came to the room to taste the tap water herself verifying this a serious problem. She then took immediate actions accommodating our request of moving to a new room and offering free bottled water. All these immediate actions were much appreciated (I am sorry for not remembering the staff ‘s name. She did an excellent job making a decision fast and taking problem-resolving actions). Upon the communication on moving to another room, we were aware that the original room upgrade request was received but the manager held the decision of approval although there were suites available. We did not move to a suite after all because the girl explained that the suites are located on the same water circuit that might be affected by the contaminated water as well.

During check out, the front desk staff, Jazlyn Ching, asked my feedback on the stay. I mentioned the two feedbacks above and she apologized for the inconvenience, particularly for the contaminated tap water, although no cause had been identified. When I asked for any form of possible compensation for this unusual inconvenience, Jazlyn mentioned that she had to check in with her manager. Until then I realized that the manager was just sitting in the office right next to the front desk. When Jazlyn came out of the office, she offered 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per her Manager’s approval. From the beginning of the contaminated tap water incident to the end of check out, the manager never showed in person or even made a call to properly apologize/explain/compensate for this unusual tap water problem (which I never experienced in a Marriott hotel). I am sorry that Jazlyn had to be the messenger in between. This was really unexpected from a Marriott property and I would consider it a total failure in hospitality from the management perspective. If I was not mistaken, the manager did walk out of the office chatting with some other clients to show the hospitality during the breakfast time. I am not in a position to draw any conclusion but my personal impression: the manager’s hospitality was either non-existing or highly selective.

I provide 2 stars to recognize the front desk staffs. As a long time loyal Marriott elite member, I am very disappointed to say that it was one of the worst Marriott experiences I ever had. I would not recommend this hotel, particularly not to loyal Marriott...

We brought our dog with us for a long weekend trip. That’s why for the first time I chose to book a residence inn property. The room assigned to us was on the ground floor right next to the construction site. Our whole family are sensitive to noise and we were assured when we checked in that construction work wouldn’t start until 8am. However, on the Tuesday morning it started at 6am! I called the reception twice and was told this would be sorted out and it wasn’t. Even our dog didn’t have a good rest, not to mention that we had to drive back to the UK on the day. Thank you for ruining our holiday!!! Secondly, the whole construction thing was not properly communicated, we did not know even when we received the welcome email, and we had to ask about it when we checked in. The hotel did not have any communication or even a letter in the room to communicate about this. Thirdly, when we checked in, we were asked whether we would need daily housekeeping but the housekeeping team did not show up for the first day (which the receptionist was aware of as I had to collect towels from the reception). In addition, we told the receptionist that we paid for the pet fees already (and showed my app for the payment made) but still got the €30 charge per day(!!!) for the pet in my invoice. Lastly, on parking, we paid €19 each day for parking and the car park was not in use due to the construction work! We had to use the shared car park which was 10 mins walking distance from the property. When checking out, we had to carry our luggages and walked for some time as the construction site completely blocked the exit of the hotel. This was utterly inconvenient. Again, there was no communication about this in advance. This is the first time I stayed at the Residence Inn and probably the last time. The experience from checking in to checking out is an entire...

I stayed for two nights. The room was spacious, modern, and cleverly designed, managing to feel both stylish and cozy. The bed was very large and extremely comfortable, it felt even bigger than a queen size. There’s also a sofa with a coffee table and a high desk, perfect for doing some office work or enjoying a coffee.

The kitchenette is well equipped with a microwave-oven, fridge, and all the basics. I thought it was a cute touch that they even provided microwave popcorn. The water pressure in the shower is excellent, and the water heats up very quickly, so you just need to be a little careful at first.

The view wasn’t particularly special though, one window faced the Courtyard by Marriott next door and the other looked over an industrial area. but it still offered a bit of openness that was easy on the eyes.

The breakfast was excellent, with everything I could want: eggs, bacon, mushrooms, fresh greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, various breads and jams, pain au chocolat, and a selection of cold cuts and cheeses. The breakfast staff were very efficient, kind, and friendly, making mornings pleasant.

Even though I didn’t request housekeeping since I only stayed for two nights, my room was cleaned while I was out, a nice surprise.

The location is not too far at all actually. it’s an easy 45 minute walk to the Gent city center, and you can reach the Millionaire’s Quarter for 25mins which is beautiful and definitely worth a visit. Also, about 600 meters (around 6 minutes on foot) from the hotel, there’s a large Albert Heijn supermarket where you can buy almost everything. very convenient for grabbing drinks or a ready-to-eat meal.

Overall, this hotel feels comfortable, modern, and thoughtfully designed, a great choice for both short and longer stays. I highly recommend it for all who ever...