Aloft Dallas Downtown — Hotel in Dallas

Birthday trip gone bad!!! This story gets worse and was longer, but unfortunately we only have a 4,000 character limit. When we arrived the room was very chilly. We attempted to adjust the temperature, but it only blew cold air. My boyfriend went to the front desk and they sent a tech, but after he left, the room got very warm and only seemed to go to extremes. The front desk suggested we switch rooms so we did everything was 100% better. Unfortunately on Saturday our stay took a drastic and frightening turn. We left the hotel for a day of site seeing, but when we returned to our room around 8 pm we immediately noticed something was off. Sitting outside our door was a randomly thrown hand towel. We didn't think very much of it because the other rooms in the corner of the hotel are very close to one another so we figured it belonged to another guest as we knew we didn't leave it there. Once we entered our room I noticed the ironing board was knocked over. Our senses immediately heightened and we began to survey the room. Next to the bed on the nightstand was a dirty Pittsburgh Steelers hat and we realized somebody had been in our room! Thankfully, nothing of value was taken. We went to the front desk because this was not only unacceptable, it is unsafe and unsanitary. To know a complete stranger was given access to our room made me feel very uncomfortable. What if we were in the room when this person/people entered? What if I was in the room alone? The gentleman at the front desk immediately moved us to another room, but stated he was the only one there and could not check the cameras to investigate what happened. The next morning the woman at the front desk called our room to explain what she believed occurred. She alleged we left our door "ajar" or did not close it completely when we left the previous day. My boyfriend then asked them how she knew this? She said that they ran a report which showed the door did not lock. If this were true, why not notify us, or go and check the room to close the door since it had been left open for several hours? Of course we did not believe this and even tried to purposefully leave the door open to see if this was even possible, but as anyone who has ever stayed at a reputable hotel knows room doors are so heavy that they close on their own, EVERY time. To add insult to injury, the front desk attendant also said cameras showed that a man entered our room. She said he was inebriated and was able to get into our opened/unlocked room. She claimed he noticed that he was in the wrong room and immediately left. I do not believe this either. First, who stays at a hotel and returns to their room without even attempting to try their room key? Further, who would just enter an unlocked hotel room, even if they're drunk? I do not believe this person left in a hurry. The fact that they placed their hat on the nightstand shows they were comfortable and likely at minimum sat on our bed. Additionally, with the presence of the pandemic, we don't know where this person has been or what they may/may not have. But even with out the pandemic THIS IS NOT SAFE!! If I was alone in the room when someone entered I would be horrified.

So we are now in our 3rd room in 3 days. In this room the heat/AC works, but now we're super cautious and on alert. In this room the sink's water pressure was so low it was ridiculous, but instead of switching rooms again, we just toughed it out since we were leaving in less than 48 hours.

In conclusion, I wanted everything to be perfect for a special birthday trip during what we all know to be an unprecedented year of unfortunate events, but this experience has overshadowed our memories of his birthday. We love the Aloft brand and will continue to patronize the Marriott brand, but I cannot in good faith recommend the Dallas Aloft...

I stayed with my 2 teenage daughters last weekend for a volleyball tournament. The location is perfect for walking to the convention center.

PROS 2 free water bottles Room decor is very cool Beds and linens were comfy AC was awesome TV was good - both live and streaming Free coffee and basic things like bagels in lobby Simple hot food (for sale) in lobby in the mornings Super close to convention center Across the street from Pioneer Plaza - a very cool cattle drive sculpture Rooms are quiet Shower was hot with good water pressure Shampoo/conditioner in shower Ample counter space in bathroom Outlets and USB ports by bed Nice lobby with bar and seating Hair dryer provided Mini-fridge in bathroom (no microwave)

CONS Super sucky horrible in-room coffee Housekeeping just walked into our room 3xs on check-out day between 8 and 10am - didn't even knock?! Have to request housekeeping so for longer stays so we ran out of a lot of things like tissues and toilet paper Bathroom was wet - we must have had the handicap accessible bathroom which was one big open room with the shower on one side and the toilet on the other. The door was just a barn door that slide open/shut and had no lock and there were gaps on either side so you could see in/out. There was also no shower curtain or anything. So water went everywhere and was everywhere all night when we would use the toilet the floor was still all wet, and showering just out in the open like that was not very relaxing. I see why it would be that way for wheelchair accessibility but there should at least be a curtain that you CAN slide across to keep water from spritzing all over the whole room and so you don't feel like you're showering for an audience. Toilet wouldn’t flush - our toilet was very finicky and would either not flush or would not fill the tank in the back. We had to open the back of the tank constantly and jiggle something to get it to fill. Where are the stairs? I was only on the 2nd floor so I thought I may as well use the stairs but the signs for the stairs were not so easy to find and when I found where the stairs probably were it was kind of confusing because the sign on the door just said "roof access." I guess it's implied that those are the stairs but if I was panicking in a fire I would probably just die because I would be like, "But I don't want to go to the roof!?" :P

OVERALL This is a nice hotel. I would...

The location was Downtown. One night there seemed to be drag racing and noise late into the night that could be heard. The air was not on during an event in the evening which caused many people to get too hot to not enjoy themselves. By far the worst customer service I have encountered at any hotel. At a peak check in time (5pm) there was only one person to work check in, answer phones and check out customers with food items. This caused errors and no offer to fix. I asked for a mobile key but it never worked. I had to charge two different bank accounts to stay. Authorizations were held on both because the first authorization was shown as declined at hotel even though it was approved on card machine and bank. Later found out the hotel showed it as cancelled. I gave them another card to authorize. When I let the person at checkin know both accounts were charged he stated I would get both back. I went to room to utilize the chat feature but no response for 1.5 hours. The same response. At checkout I notified the attendant. He stated both would be returned. One of my accounts was promptly returned. The other account is still holding the authorization and so I’m unable to use the funds. I have called my bank to cancel the transaction and block. Meanwhile since I left, I have called 3 times. Results have been no answer, transfer to accounting department when I asked for manager and answer by an employee that couldn’t help but did confirm two cards with two authorizations, one of which was shown as cancelled. If you have a problem, good luck getting resolution. No one will let you talk to a manager and no one knows how to resolve issues. At the check in this should have been corrected. Instead I loss Availability of twice as many funds as the others and still cant use half of the funds. The rooms were not upgraded with usb ports for phones. Bring your steamer since the ironing board and iron are horrible. The bed was mediocre but at least I had my own pillow. My toilet would only flush if I held down the handle. My air unit I had to turn off and on. Otherwise it blowed fan and kepts same temp no matter what. I will not continue to use the Marriott chain. I have had better service at a less expensive hotels. I will cancel my Bon Voy Membership and continue as a Hilton honors...