Residence Inn by Marriott Amelia Island — Hotel in Fernandina Beach

I am sad to write this review, as I generally write positive ones. The highlight of our trip to this hotel was Dawn. She was so warm and welcoming upon arrival and always was smiling and ready to greet us. I truly liked talking with her and she made us feel welcome at the hotel and deserves a lot of positive recognition!! Also, the proximity to the beach was great!

That being said, there were unfortunately a lot of negatives as well. I am a Marriott Gold Elite member and have stayed at many Marriotts all over the world (including many Residence Inns). Unfortunately, the rooms at this Residence Inn were dirty and old looking (especially when comparing to other Residence Inns). The size was adequate, but the bathroom had the look of not being thoroughly cleaned at all.

Unfortunately, even with sun cancelling blinds, the bright streetlights outside made it very hard to sleep. As did the pillows. My husband and I couldn't place what it was, but the pillows made for two extremely bad nights of sleep. I honestly didn't sleep for more than a few hours per night during our two night stay.

After our first night, we went out for the day and returned at 5:00pm to find that our room had not been cleaned/been visited by housekeeping. I completely understand that some hotels have housekeeping change the sheets every other day for a multiple-day stay, but most will at least have housekeeping come in to make the beds and clean the bathroom. This stood out to us as this hotel is in close proximity to the beach/sand, and one would think that there would be at least a quick cleaning visit to the room. Upon flagging to a staff member (who I believe may have been the housekeeping manager but can't be sure) in the hall that our room had not been cleaned, she asked a housekeeper to bring us some towels. She apologized, but certainly with no warmth or explanation. The housekeeper herself was extremely kind and apologetic when she brought the towels to the room.

To raise the issue of why I never flagged any of this to management brings about a bigger issue. The hotel lobby was always PACKED with people checking in, in a very cluster-phobic way. I believe it is the layout of the lobby itself, but it makes for an uncomfortable place to stand in or "relax" with so many people crowding around and looking slightly uncomfortable. There were a couple of times where I wanted to flag things (but mostly, at the the time, ask for restaurant recommendations) but it was too crowded in the lobby. Therefore, my husband and I opted to quickly get in and out of there as quickly as possible (and then had to quickly hit the road for an early morning checkout).

As a Marriott member, I was really disappointed in this hotel (especially with so many other Marriotts to compare it to). Again, Dawn was amazing and the proximity to the beach is great, but we left this hotel feeling very unsatisfied (especially being that I had paid approximately $500+ for two nights). I hope that this hotel will make...

This hotel is located off of Sadler Road in Fernandina Beach. It's close to shopping, restaurants, and the beach. The check-in was non-eventful. We were met with a smile and the front desk lady was attentive. I think her name was Makayla. Zach was also there to ask about our bags and if any help was needed. The lobby was cool and clean. We made our way to room 310 by using the elevators. There are two on the main floor.

Entering the room the a/c was set at 68 and it looked pretty clean. To get some air I tried to open one of the two windows in the living room area. Not a smart move as they were both difficult to open, and I almost had to call maintenance just to close them. Some WD-40 might help that matter. I was looking for fresh air and the windows in the living space and bedroom have screens.

As most hotels, the bed is not the most comfortable. It's old. Change it out with a better system. The same for the pillows. No shape or form to them, and I think they were feathered pillows. No other options in the room. I went to put my shaving kit away and found a target bag with someone else's personal hygiene property in it to include hair spray, soap, nail clippers, a knife, and a few other items. I put them in a larger bag and walked them to housekeeping ladies on the floor who were working.

My wife and I used some Clorox wipes I had to tighten up a few areas that were dusty.

I was disappointed with the lack of bathroom hand soap, bodywash, and the condition of the area. The drawers in the vanity were warped. Probably from a water leak or just wear and tear. The glass shower doors were nasty, as well as the entire shower. Soap scum and mildew take time to build up. Cleaning these areas on the daily will prevent that. I used a Clorox wipe to briefly wipe one of the shower doors and the scum came right off, so it's not etched into the glass permanently. It's fixable.

Marriott has been one of the leading hotels in the hospitality area for many years, and typically strives to do so. Whoever manages this property needs to tighten it up a bit, and it could be much better.

We went to breakfast this morning. It's free and decent. Nothing to write home about. I had toast and hot tea. I got some hot water from a container and the water had a brown tint to it with a few things floating around. Not sure if the same container is used for tea/ coffee, which might help explain the color. Either way, I brought it to the attention of Latanya at the front desk and she immediately took care of the situation. Like I mentioned, very attentive staff and humble.

I did check the refrigerator, microwave, and kitchen area. Some of the utensils looked like they were used in World War 2, but I guess they are usable.

I will say the room and noise level were pretty quiet. Not sure if this place would turn into party central when it gets busy. Ten minutes away from many places. I wish the employees and management all the best.

This property could be and should be a 5 if they...

This was my and that of my wife’s first stay at this Marriott property in Amelia Island to celebrate our anniversary. We arrived just after 4pm and were greeted by Kyle at the front desk. She offered to send a complimentary bottle of champagne to our room to celebrate. Our requested room on an upper floor wasn’t ready so we were offered a room on a lower floor as an alternative. We opted to wait until a room on an upper floor was ready. While we waited we were offered a beverage and waited pool side for about an hour. We weren’t at all bothered by the wait. Once we got up to our room we took a look around to ensure all was well. As we looked under the kitchen sink we noticed a trashcan filled with trash, peanut shell on the floor in the bedroom, pet hair and stain on the couch, and a blown light bulb in the kitchen. While we realize this property is pet friendly we didn’t expect to see pet hair on the couch or anywhere in the room for that matter. And definitely didn’t expect to see a trashcan filled with trash upon entering our suite. Especially after waiting an hour for the room to be cleaned. After the first night, we specifically asked that the floor and couch be given special attention (vacuum) on the Marriott app. We actually had to lay a bed sheet across the couch so we wouldn’t have to sit on pet hair. After our room was serviced the sheet was left on the couch. So we have to ask... Was our room really cleaned? My wife and I are very clean and tidy people. And although we’re on vacation we actually think about those that have the task of cleaning guest rooms and make a conscious effort to ensure our room is not left in a messy state. These issues were brought to the attention of the front desk staff (Robin and Kyle). Robin apologized as she assured us this was not their standard and offered to credit our account with points for the inconvenience, which we appreciated. The trashcan was emptied later that evening and the lightbulb in the kitchen was eventually replaced after a couple calls. Another trashcan in the bathroom you could tell the liner was re-used. As remnants from the previous days trash was still in the trashcan liner. It just shows that some members of the housekeeping staff cut corners when it comes to cleaning and servicing guest rooms. We were put in contact with the housekeeping manager AJ and our concerns were explained. AJ apologized and offered to credit our account with points and said she would personally...