SpringHill Suites by Marriott Amelia Island — Hotel in Fernandina Beach

I don't think I've ever been as disappointed as my experience at this Springhill Suites. We stayed here in Oct 2021, just a few months after the place opened and in the thick of the pandemic and it was a wonderful escape. When my wife and I were planning a trip to WDW with our kids, we decided it was a perfect time to return to Amelia Island on our way back from Orlando. I figured the hotel may not be as shiny and new as it was in 2021, but it is still in a great location and is priced a cut above a standard SHS/CY so I assumed it was still a premium property. Couldn't have been more wrong, sadly.||Upon arrival, I was a bit taken aback that the Springhill Suites no longer operates a front desk, and that all guests check in at the Courtyard side of the property. There I was handed a Courtyard key card and directed to a first floor room on the SHS side. I was a little surprised since we booked several months in advance and I'd assume we would get something on a higher floor as a minor "upgrade." After unloading the car, our cranky kids (and cranky parents) entered the room to find it was a double queen rather than the king suite I had booked. We returned to the front desk (again a long trek over to the Courtyard side) and I had easily the most rude service I've ever experienced at a Marriott property. When I placed my key on the counter and informed the woman who had checked me in that there was a mistake, and we booked a king room not double queen, she just handed the key back to me and said they didn't have any king rooms available. No apology, no sorry, no effort whatsoever. She then told me they had oversold the king rooms and that they couldn't give me one. When I challenged her that I had booked 2 months prior and checked in via mobile so it seems really strange that I would not be able to get the actual room I had booked, she again was not apologetic in any way. I asked her "what are we going to do about this?" and offered to stay in the Courtyard side. At this point, she finally started looking at the computer. I took the time to check on my phone while waiting and sure enough, you could still book a king suite for the current date (for cheaper than the rate I paid), so clearly they are not reporting correctly that they are sold out. She then handed me the key card back and said she got me a king room. When I asked whether the courtyard side had sleeper sofas, she was bewildered and said it was still on the Springhill side - where she said they had no rooms available. ||As we walked away from the counter, the person behind me then asked the exact same question - booked a king suite and was given a double queen room. Clearly, the hotel has a serious problem with this most basic of functions.||Once we got into the correct room, we were even more disappointed. This is not a refuge from the real world. Every cushion on the sofa is stained in some way, and I mean both the seats and the backrests. The bathroom is not what I would consider "clean" - there is mold and mildew in several places and there is a weird white residue sprayed on the bathroom door and wall. The hair dryer doesn't lock open, it just flops about so you have to hold the barrel of the dryer up to use it on your hair. Given how bad the room is, I wish the front desk person had just said they didn't have any king rooms and sent me on my way - I would have been happier if we'd moved to another hotel. ||On the positive side, the pool and pool bar were operating (though crowded), the breakfast buffet was good (esp the turkey sausage - the best I've had at an SHS buffet), and a very sweet staff member offered my twins some free ice cream on our first night. The location is fantastic IMO, you can easily walk to the beach and along the way you can stop at Driftwood which is a great local surf shop. And there are onsite EV chargers (2 for J1772 and 3 NACS/Tesla). One of the EV spots was being used by a staff member for their non-EV Malibu, though. The J1772 chargers were free, not sure about the Tesla ones. You can also park under cover as they have a parking garage, so that's nice for the Florida heat. ||This used to be a really nice place. It's not "nice" anymore. I won't be hyperbolic and say it's the worst hotel I've stayed in recently - but it's the worst hotel I've stayed in when I was expecting it to be very good. Pretty sad, but not bad enough to ruin my trip. Hope they get...

We chose this hotel to be near the beach while we were in town for the Gator Bowl and Jaguars game. It is a new hotel - oddly combined as two hotels in one. It was an hour from downtown Jacksonville, which was a little too far, but that was our fault. The people at the front desk were always kind and helpful. Amelia Island is a nice area with everything you need nearby. We walked from the hotel the very short distance to the Main Beach area, which had several benches. There were tons of shells. You would not want to be without shoes, but lots of beautiful shells. Breakfast was available to the people staying on the Springhill side of the hotel until 9 a.m. on week days and 9:30 a.m. on the weekends. The staff in the breakfast area have to ask to see your hotel key to verify you aren’t from the other side of the hotel. It was pretty crowded in the food area around 9 a.m. on the weekend mornings. The food selection was a little different each day. They only had chocolate milk one of the three days that we were there. The people who cleaned the rooms did so later in the afternoons. I’m not sure if they were supposed to come in our room each day, but they did not. We had to ask for clean towels and wash clothes daily. Hotel towels never seem to get dry even if you hang them up. The room we were in had two queen beds and a pull out couch. The mattress on the pull out couch did not have a protective cover, which was a little disturbing. There were sheets available for the couch bed, but we had to ask for a blanket. The room also had a large closet, which was very nice to have a place for luggage or even just to have a private place to change. The placement of the bathroom was terrible. It faces the two beds and has a frosted glass barn door, which doesn’t provide any privacy. The light shines right in the eye of anyone in the bed. Unless you have heavy sleepers, no one is going to sleep until the last person is done in the bathroom. If someone turns on the light in the night in the bathroom, the whole room is bright. A solid door would really help. There were so many dogs. My daughter is allergic to dogs (not deathly allergic, but she definitely has a negative reaction). Before booking this hotel I called to ask if they have rooms where dogs are never allowed. We were told that dogs are only allowed on floor 1 and 2, so as long as we stayed on floor 3 or 4 there would be no issue. We saw and heard several dogs on the 4th floor where our room was (some not even on a leash). My daughter was fine because she didn’t get near any of them, but for someone who has a severe allergy, that could be a serious issue. It seemed almost every reasonably priced hotel that we looked at in the area were “pet-friendly”. The pool area was very nice. The pool is outside heated to 82 degrees and the hot tub is large enough for a lot of people… not the typical small round hot tub. Although it was quite chilly outside (late December), there were people swimming and using the hot tub. Parking is $15 per day. I wish they would just put that in the cost of the room. It’s just an added charge that feels unnecessary. You have to scan your room key to get into the parking area. There is a level down that is a parking garage with convenient elevators but you don’t see the garage unless you drive to the other side of the hotel after entering the gated area. We enjoyed our stay. I just wanted to share our experience in case it could...

recently stayed at this hotel with my family for a quick getaway, and while the location and cleanliness of the facility were great, my experience at check-in left a lot to be desired. I had booked two joint rooms for our family of 7, ensuring everyone would have ample space to enjoy our time together. However, what should have been a pleasant and relaxing stay was marred by what I can only describe as a discriminatory experience.

Upon arrival, I requested an early check-in, understanding that it would be subject to availability. After spending time on the beach, we returned to the hotel to check in. I was greeted by two staff members who asked for my check-in confirmation, and they were aware that I had reserved two rooms. I explained that I have a large family and was excited for our weekend trip. However, the problems began when I was only handed one key, which led me to believe that the two rooms were connected, as I had specifically booked joint rooms.

When I reached the rooms, I realized that they were not connected, and I could only access one. Confused, I went back downstairs and spoke to the front desk. I explained that I had booked two joint rooms and was only given one key. The representative informed me that another member of my party had already been given the key to the second room. I immediately clarified that no one else in my group had checked in or been handed a key, especially not for the second room. At this point, I started to feel uncomfortable, as it seemed the issue might have been due to a misunderstanding or, quite frankly, racial bias. I gathered this assumption based off their actions and being asked if I had two rooms as if it were a surprise.

The situation became even more confusing when the other representative chimed in, stating they had no other joint rooms available. This was hard to accept because I had confirmed the reservation the night before and had specifically requested two joint rooms with an ocean view. I even asked if there was any way they could accommodate my family—offering to downgrade to a regular room without a balcony to ensure we had enough space—but nothing was offered. The staff showed no empathy or urgency to find a solution, and their lack of resolution left me feeling helpless.

Instead, they offered me a room on another floor, which would have completely disrupted our ability to stay together as a family. After getting no resolution and realizing that I would have to spend the night in discomfort, I asked for a refund. Ultimately, they gave me a room at the opposite end of the hall, making it impossible for my family to share space together.

I left the hotel feeling disappointed and disrespected. The lack of proper communication, the refusal to accommodate my family’s needs, and the way I was treated left a negative impression on what should have been a joyful family vacation. The hotel’s location and cleanliness were great, but the hospitality and service did not meet expectations. I hope this review serves as feedback for future guests to be aware of potential service inconsistencies.

Ultimately, it’s not just about the amenities—it’s about how guests are treated, and in this case, my family and I did not...