Rayong Marriott Resort & Spa — Hotel in Rayong Province

As a Bonvoy Titanium member with over 400 nights in Marriott properties, I expected far better from this stay. This is the first time I have felt compelled to leave a review, and it reminds me I must praise the high standards and experiences across the network and not take these for granted in the future.||Sadly, this hotel does not live up to the Marriott name and cannot be seen in the same family alongside properties in Bangkok like the Marriott Marquis or Suriwong. Perhaps if the property was rebranded as a Courtyard or Embassy, it may align expectations to the standards experienced. That said, safe and well-prepared food should not be optional for any establishment, regardless of brand.||The only reason this isn’t a 1-star review is the exceptional effort from a few staff members who clearly care. Here goes:||A. The Good (Where Credit Is Due):||• Housekeeping Team: Rooms were well serviced despite the standards elsewhere, and particularly when my wife was ill from the food poisoning, they cleaned thoughtfully where they could. Thank you.|• Beach Bar (Khun Da & Team): Friendly, efficient, and really attentive. Thank you for finding an umbrella for us!|• Café C Salt (Khun Nan & Team): Despite a failing kitchen, the front-of-house staff worked tirelessly to compensate. Their effort was the sole reason we didn’t walk out.||B. The Unacceptable (Where Management Needs Reflection):||1. Food Safety & Quality:|o Day 1: Room service gave my wife food poisoning. Beware of the Beef Massaman—perhaps a hangover from the Songkran buffet? Sadly, it felt like the norm and not a one-off as we stretched into the remaining days of our stay…|o "Complimentary" C Salt Dinner (Day 3): Arrived 90 minutes late—undercooked pasta and an "escalope" that was just a dry pork chop wrapped in bacon.|o The Daily Breakfast Risks: Breakfast is a madhouse and felt like a package tour hotel. But of real concern was undercooked and cold food (that should be hot)—the undercooked Moo Ping (cold pork skewers) and raw har gow in the dim sum steamers being a couple of examples. This aligned with the daily gathering of birds within the indoor section and terrace of the property.||C. Service Breakdowns:||o Day 2: 2.5-hour wait for room service for the non-sick, with 3 chases and no explanations until after 2 hours, when a hollow "it will be another 20 minutes" assurance led us to give up and resort to dinner consisting of Pringles and Snickers from the minibar.|o Day 3: The complimentary meal experience no one would have paid for. I have never known of anywhere where a “comped” experience was not addressed with care or follow-up, and so categorically failed to achieve its objective.|o Gym Chaos and Dangers (Day 3): Kids with their parents in their pajamas turned it into a ball pit with the exercise balls. Headphones provided personal tranquility, but is this really a safe way for children to use the gym? Does there need to be an accident before management would pay attention?|o Checkout Pressure (Day 5): Reminders at reception after breakfast and by phone to leave by midday—after a breakfast that felt like a gamble—when we thought we had a late checkout.|o. Overall, food options were limited, inconsistent, and highly variable in basic quality. Future guests should know the area has almost no Grab delivery options. The few available ones we used on the 4th day were the highlight of the trip in terms of quality, timeliness, and price.||3. Does Loyalty and Tier Service Commitments Even Matter?|Little recognition of loyalty in meaningful terms—just empty apologies and a half-hearted meal "bribe" that backfired. And the bullied checkout reminded us that Titanium status comes with no real commitment when management dictates the next conveyor belt of guests needs to be checked in. At least this gave me time to write a review, as my transportation was booked assuming I had a late checkout. Ultimately, this is a ludicrous first-world problem, and I would always be flexible on this (I see it as a commitment, not a right). But there was just something so off about being pushed out on top of everything else…||Final Thoughts:||A long-awaited family experience was spoiled, but we still tried to make the most of the time. The staff named above deserve better leadership, as I am not sure it would survive a Marriott brand standards audit. If not for them, this would be a 1-star disaster. The exceptional beachfront location and property seem to drive leadership complacency. My top tip for those wanting to experience the area: explore lower-star options like the Novotel further down the beach—they may align expectations better for what is a great beach location. For Bonvoy members, save the money or points for a Hua Hin or Pattaya...

Room First to start with the room, overall the room was brilliant. As a Marriott Member we were upgraded to a corner suite which was an awesome room with full panoramic view of the coast line. Even on the 4th floor it was a great view but with 12 floors in total I imagine that the top floors would be spectacular. The bed was king size and the bedding very comfortable. A few negatives for the room included no liquid soap which is always a bug bug bear of mine. We asked for another towel as they only provided 2 for 3 people. They don’t have anywhere to hang clothes that are wet which is a key annoyance particularly on a beach resort. They provided no pillow for the cot or bedding which again which a slight negative.

Breakfast Overall I would give the breakfast buffet a 4 out of 5 mainly because of the wait for the coffee machine and also on the last day the toaster machine broke. A little point of improvement would be to have 2 toasters so that there is a) not a queue but b) if it breaks then there is a 2nd one. The smoothie section also was a little repetitive with tomato smoothie option on 3 of the 5 days to which I don’t think I saw anyone drink it.

Staff Overall staff were pretty good. Most of them were friendly and engaged in our overall experience. At breakfast it felt a bit like we were a nuisance for them and at reception they were a little unhelpful particularly after we asked for a rack to dry the clothes to which they said yes but clearly did not understand. Later we found out they don’t have them but overall it should have been said at the time.

Parking Lots of parking and easily accessible. It is a must to have a car for this hotel so lots of parking is important.

Location

The location is completely in the middle of no where located about 15 minutes drive from Rayong so a car or form of transport required. Easily on the hidden part of Thailand which is why it is a must for anyone who wants to enjoy a beautiful get away but away from all the crowds.

Hotel Overall the hotel is a great recommendation for anyone wanting to stay in Rayong. Rooms are great, pool and beach brilliant and even a small football pitch on the grass for the children to play. Only reason for 4 stars is the staff and the breakfast where we had to wait quite a bit for coffee and also seating options were limited.

Pool / Beach Literally the best beach I have been on in Thailand in terms of tranquility, beauty and also water cleanliness. It is truly a picture perfect post card. The pool (2 of them) is also new and the main pool is huge with water slides and a water basketball area. There is plenty of deckchairs along the pool but limited a little bit on the sea. Option to hire a kayak...

😔Honest review 😔

We spent 4 days at this hotel. At first, everything seemed wonderful: upon check-in, we received a free upgrade to a Premier room — spacious, with a bathtub and a nice view. It felt like a great start. The hotel grounds are large and well-maintained, with several pools and places to walk. The staff were friendly and polite, and the cleaning service — for the most part — was excellent. Everything that depends on the hotel staff seemed to be at the highest level.

Except for the last day.

On our final cleaning, for some reason, they didn’t replace the water bottles and didn’t provide all the towels. Some were simply missing, which was strange and disappointing.

Breakfasts were another letdown. Every morning it was exactly the same: a Thai corner, a Chinese corner, and a Western corner. If you’re staying more than a couple of days, don’t expect any variety. The cheese served at breakfast was always dry and stale, as if it had been left out overnight — not covered, not wrapped, nothing. Definitely raises questions about food hygiene.

We also ordered room service food several times — sadly, it was very mediocre. Nothing close to what you would expect from a resort of this level.

And now to the main issue: cockroaches. We found five cockroaches in our room over the course of four days. Five. My husband had to remove one every day. We managed to take pictures and videos of two of them — the others we just didn’t want to even look at anymore. Completely unacceptable.

The rooms themselves are in a terrible condition. Everything is old and falling apart. The table we used for eating was covered in stains and had chipped edges. The chairs and cushions looked like they hadn’t been replaced in years. The toilet seat — honestly, one of the worst things — was yellowed, scratched and completely worn out. Can a hotel that claims to be premium not afford to replace toilet seats?

And the worst part: when I took the shower head off the wall, a sharp metal piece stuck out of the broken fitting and stabbed me in the finger. It was painful, shocking, and incredibly unsafe.

It’s truly a shame — because the location, the grounds, and the people working there have potential. But the state of the rooms and sanitation completely ruins the experience. This hotel urgently needs renovation. Or at least, they should replace the essential moving parts: furniture, cushions, chairs, toilet seats, shower fittings.

We won’t be...