Marriott's Aruba Ocean Club — Hotel in Aruba

Our week-long trip at this property just concluded, and sadly, it was one of the most frustrating travel experiences we’ve ever had. This was our second year staying here (alongside ~15 family members spread across multiple 2 and 3 bedroom suites), following a stay at the Surf Club, and after two wonderful visits in the past, we were looking forward to another great vacation. We chose a lock-off room as my Wife and I felt it would best suit our needs. Instead, the trip was marred by relentless noise, rude and bizarre staff interactions, and a complete lack of accountability or basic hospitality. What’s most frustrating is that not a single person offered an apology or made any real effort to address the issues.

Here are the major problems we encountered:

1. Nonstop Noise from the Connecting Room: From the moment we entered our room, it was clear we wouldn’t have a moment of peace. The connecting room housed at least six people—two adults and four children, with two grandparents joining midweek. Every day, from morning until late at night (as late as midnight), we endured kids screaming, parents shouting at full volume, loud music, and constant banging on the walls. The kids also ran unsupervised through the hallways, screaming while their father yelled at them from the doorway. Even worse, their fire alarm went off at 11 p.m. one night, waking us and many others. Adding insult to injury, there was a device in their room that beeped loudly every 30 seconds all night long. Security claimed to have spoken with them multiple times, but nothing changed.

We have multiple videos from throughout the week highlighting how bad it was in our unit. These were showed to both the front desk and security.

2. Laundry Room: Midway through the trip, we used the hotel’s laundry machines. When we returned to transfer our clothes to the dryer, the room was a disaster. Another guest’s machine had backed up, flooding the room and her clothes with water and paper towels. When we opened our washer, it hadn’t drained, forcing us to reach shoulder-deep into soapy water to retrieve our clothes. Staff arrived, took our room number, and eventually called the engineering supervisor. He ignored us completely and instead got into a shouting match with the other guest, blaming her for the issue. Not once did he acknowledge, speak, or apologize to us for the inconvenience, let alone offer us a solution.

3. Housekeeping Intrusions: On Day 2, housekeeping barged into our room at 7:30 a.m., waking us up. They returned twice more that day, later claiming they thought we had switched rooms. When we requested a “Do Not Disturb” sign, the front desk said they would find one. An hour later, they called and rudely told my wife they didn't have any left and asked “Why do you need one anyway?”

4. Towel Service: On Day 2, I tried to get towels for the beach but was rudely told I had already taken four—despite not having taken any. It turned out our noisy neighbors had taken eight towels, and staff assumed we were with them. While this was eventually cleared up, I had to re-explain the situation the following day. On the third day, they were completely out of towels altogether (at 11 am).

5. Blinding Smoke Detector: The smoke detector above the bed flashed a green light every five seconds, bright enough to disturb our sleep. When we reported this, a security supervisor reeking of cigarettes dismissed it as “normal” and told us to deal with it. This only became noticeable after the neighbors set off the alarm, but this might have been a coincidence.

This was an expensive trip at the busiest time of the year, and while we’ve always been loyal Marriott guests, this stay has made us question that loyalty. We wanted to leave excited to return like in previous years, but the poor handling of these issues and the indifference of the staff have left a...

I’d like to preface this review by saying that I’ve been staying at the Marriott Ocean Club for over 20 years. I absolutely love the location, the spacious rooms, the relaxed atmosphere, and the consistently friendly and helpful staff—especially those on the operations and activities teams.||However, my most recent stay was deeply disappointing, which is why I’m leaving a two-star review.||We were aware before our arrival that the resort was undergoing renovations. Over the past several years, the property has been working on much-needed upgrades, and we understand that progress takes time. In the most recent newsletter, the resort briefly mentioned structural renovations, but offered little detail about how these might impact in-unit experiences.||Upon check-in, we were informed that the two-bedroom unit we had been assigned was directly affected by exterior renovation work. Specifically, both balconies would be unusable from a Saturday checkin until the following Wednesday morning—this was a major disappointment for my family, as we regularly enjoy meals and downtime on the balcony. We were told that work would be completed by Tuesday Afternoon and the furniture would be returned Wednesday morning, making the space usable again.|As a goodwill gesture, we were offered a beach palapa in the 4th, 5th, or 6th row for the impacted days—a roughly $30/day value.||When we arrived at the room, there was a fresh coat of paint on the balcony floor. Over the next several days, however, we saw little additional work being done aside from some window cleaning. Concerned about delays, I checked in with the front desk multiple times. Each time, I was reassured that the balcony would be ready Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning at the latest.||But Wednesday came and went—our unit remained the only one in our column without balcony furniture. I followed up again and was told it would be resolved that day. Thursday morning arrived and still nothing. With less than two days left in our stay, I returned to the front desk to request additional compensation—again, not a refund, but simply another palapa to make up for the ongoing inconvenience.||While the first two staff members I spoke to were helpful and understanding, the property manager was abrupt and dismissive. She claimed it was out of the resort’s hands because the contractors were behind schedule, and that this wasn’t a "full-service hotel." I explained that their own team had consistently told us the issue would be resolved on time, and we were now the only unit still affected, even though work had moved on elsewhere. Yet, there was zero accountability on her end.||Interestingly, after I left the resort for a few hours that day, I returned to find the furniture magically back and the balcony accessible—suggesting it could have been resolved sooner. It was also obvious that they had simply overlooked our unit the day before but had no interest in owning it.||I’ve worked in the hospitality industry for many years, including at Marriott properties, and this is not the level of service the brand is known for. I rarely write reviews, but this experience left me genuinely frustrated.||When a property is aware of a major disruption to a guest’s stay, they must communicate honestly and clearly, and follow through on their commitments. And if circumstances change, it’s their responsibility to make it right. I understand renovation fatigue from guests may have worn the team down, but that shouldn’t have influenced how our individual situation...

I’d like to preface this review by saying that I’ve been staying at the Marriott Ocean Club for over 20 years. I absolutely love the location, the spacious rooms, the relaxed atmosphere, and the consistently friendly and helpful staff—especially those on the operations and activities teams.

However, my most recent stay was deeply disappointing, which is why I’m leaving a one-star review.

We were aware before our arrival that the resort was undergoing renovations. Over the past several years, the property has been working on much-needed upgrades, and we understand that progress takes time. In the most recent newsletter, the resort briefly mentioned structural renovations, but offered little detail about how these might impact in-unit experiences.

Upon check-in, we were informed that the two-bedroom unit we had been assigned was directly affected by exterior renovation work. Specifically, both balconies would be unusable from a Saturday checkin until the following Wednesday morning—this was a major disappointment for my family, as we regularly enjoy meals and downtime on the balcony. We were told that work would be completed by Tuesday Afternoon and the furniture would be returned Wednesday morning, making the space usable again.

As a goodwill gesture, we were offered a beach palapa in the 4th, 5th, or 6th row for the impacted days—a roughly $30/day value. When we arrived at the room, there was a fresh coat of paint on the balcony floor. Over the next several days, however, we saw little additional work being done aside from some window cleaning. Concerned about delays, I checked in with the front desk multiple times. Each time, I was reassured that the balcony would be ready Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning at the latest.

But Wednesday came and went—our unit remained the only one in our column without balcony furniture. I followed up again and was told it would be resolved that day. Thursday morning arrived and still nothing. With less than two days left in our stay, I returned to the front desk to request additional compensation—again, not a refund, but simply another palapa to make up for the ongoing inconvenience.

While the first two staff members I spoke to were helpful and understanding, the property manager was abrupt and dismissive. She claimed it was out of the resort’s hands because the contractors were behind schedule, and that this wasn’t a "full-service hotel." I explained that their own team had consistently told us the issue would be resolved on time, and we were now the only unit still affected, even though work had moved on elsewhere. Yet, there was zero accountability on her end. Interestingly, after I left the resort for a few hours that day, I returned to find the furniture magically back and the balcony accessible—suggesting it could have been resolved sooner. It was also obvious that they had simply overlooked our unit the day before but had no interest in owning it.

I’ve worked in the hospitality industry for many years, including at Marriott properties, and this is not the level of service the brand is known for. I rarely write reviews, but this experience left me genuinely frustrated.

When a property is aware of a major disruption to a guest’s stay, they must communicate honestly and clearly, and follow through on their commitments. And if circumstances change, it’s their responsibility to make it right. I understand renovation fatigue from guests may have worn the team down, but that shouldn’t have influenced how our individual situation...