Courtyard by Marriott Boston Brookline — Hotel in Brookline

My girlfriend and I stayed here last night, while visiting the area for the Hozier concert at Fenway Park; she wanted tickets to the show, and we’re from Upstate NY, a little over 3 hours away drive, one way, so staying overnight was the obvious choice. Booked this Marriott Bonvoy on Priceline, in February, in preparations for an overnight stay, heading home the next morning.

Before writing this review, we perused the previous reviews and we don’t see them to be as pertinent to our overnight stay experience, but there were some relevancies. When we arrived, we did have some difficulty finding the parking, as it’s under the facility in a parking garage that’s hidden in the back adjacent to dumpsters, with a very small parking sign. She was driving, I had to call the front desk to ask for directions to the garage as we passed it two times. Not that big of a deal, but a more obvious and well-lit parking sign than an 11”x13” metal parking sign laying on the ground would do the hotel good, along with making the parking included and only accessible to hotel guests instead of charging $50 a night for guests, $70 for non-hotel patrons, which is a bit obsurd.

Checking in, the staff were friendly but short, didn’t give us any navigation instructions around the property, “Elevators are behind you” that’s all we got after getting key cards. We noticed the pool wasn’t nearly as big or relative to the picture on Priceline or Marriott’s site; along with the elevators being more on the slow side. Our room, 223 (executive suite), was clean, but the refrigerator did not work and the built-in freezer was non operational. We also noticed a water leak after a shower that was pooling to the moulding of the bathroom doorway, along with the shower light not working. The outlets were a bit loose, but all these gripes are minor, as we only stayed one night.

The other point to mention was the Bistro/Breakfast Island. At this price point for hotel accommodations, this should be an all-inclusive rate, for $394 a night; parking, continental breakfast; should not be extra. For muffins, juices, coffees, no reason to charge. Especially at a Bonvoy location.

All in all, for a short stay; this is okay, but they nickel and dime you here. To stay over a week, it’ll cost you a couple hundred in parking alone, and the fees add up. But we were satisfied with the short time...

My reservation was for 9/12 - 9/15, 2022. Due to a flight delay from DC to Boston, I checked in around 2AM on 9/13/22. After I checked in, I let the staffers know that the air quality in my booked room 528 was bad and asked if I could switch rooms. After I was denied being able to switch rooms because they said the hotel was booked to capacity, I asked if they could open the window. I informed the hotel staff I suffer from indoor/outdoor allergies and asthma, but they also refused to open the window as well. I slept in the room (528) that night and woke up that morning feeling sick, coughing (throat irritation), difficulty breathing, sneezing with a major headache. I asked to be moved to another room 3 different times during my stay and the third time I asked the general manager Jen Paro to assist, and she said she could not move me into another room because they were booked to capacity and that there was nothing wrong with the room. Since I was not able to get another room or have the window open, I checked the AC unit and discovered there was microbial growth (Black Mold) all over and inside of the unit that is blowing air into the room. Jen Paro was upset that I decided to check out of the room that same day 9/13/22 around 4pm or 5pm because "She's not able to get housekeeping in there to sell the room". I was charged $960.69 for 2 nights, though I checked in on the 13th and checked out that same day. I contacted Marriott's Customer Care line and informed them of my stay, they responded "We are grateful for your support as a Silver Elite Member" but made no mention of the microbial growth in the AC unit which caused me to check out or even speak to my health concerns. However, Emilio Morales a Corporate Liaison from the Office of Consumer Affairs Marriott International did say after I emailed the pictures of the microbial growth (black mold) in and on the AC unit in room 528 "I do sincerely hope that you are feeling better." and "Kindly be aware that we (Marriott) would not be able to influence their decision", meaning that Jen Paro the general manager and Marriott will no longer look into this issue, and he closed the case. I got in contact with Brookline, MA Public Health Department to further look into this issue and as it stands now, they are currently going to do their own investigation, so that no one has to go through...

We found this wonderful hotel several years ago and each time we stay, it reinforces the fact that it is one of our all-time favorite Marriott properties.

Our loyalty is quite simply because all aspects of this Marriott are excellent from cleanliness, comfort, restaurant, staff, management, along with it's amazing "old fashion welcome home" atmosphere that greets the traveler. (The décor is dated but everything else is 5-star!)

And best of all, we always have quiet and restful nights which is the most important attribute when rating or evaluating a night spent away from home. (Requesting a room on the inside courtyard vs the street eliminates some of the minor early morning noise from service trucks.)

Where this hotel clearly exceeds all expectations is with their “World Class” customer service provided by the some of the very best employees and leadership that we have encountered in the hotel industry. At the front desk, the “Fab Five” of Alex, Michelle, Issac, Brian and Marquis will do everything possible to ensure your stay is just perfect and they are without a doubt, the #1 reason that this hotel is so popular and seemingly forever at or near capacity occupancy. Their “old fashion welcome” has been redefined and will raise your expectations of all future hotels that you stay at.

Head of Operations is Josh, who provides customer focused leadership along with setting and maintaining a stellar team environment for his elite hospitality ambassadors / front desk customer advocates mentioned above. From the Bisto restaurant, we have the “Terrific Trio” of Mae, Le, Hanifa who prepare and serve some interesting and delicious breakfast entrees made just the way you like it! And, Kudos to the housekeeping staff for their continuous effort to ensure each room is clean and orderly meeting all expectations.

Best of all, each of these employees mentioned above, love what they do, who they do it for, and each is a wonderful reflection of the Marriott's high standards for excellence along with a personal commitment to providing “the best ever” customer experience.

We sincerely hope that Marriott will recognize this very special group of employees and consider them for Marriott’s Team...