Courtyard by Marriott San Mateo Foster City — Hotel in Foster City

Positive: An idea to give points for having no room cleaning service for a day is good. It really helps to save efforts and the environment.

Negative:

1. Pillows are really bad. I was told that this is a new policy at Courtyard to have only foam pillows of the same size. They do not match my needs at all, I felt really bad after sleeping a night on such a pillow, it gives an unpleasant feeling and it's too high for me. I had a pain in the neck and shoulder, and the only way I succeeded to stay in the hotel for a week was that I used a smaller sofa pillow as a workaround.

I think that it is essential for a hotel to have feather low-profile pillows. If you there are no such pillows in each room, they would better be available on demand.

2. Recent renowation looks really odd: gray carpet with painted spots is a great idea to hide real spots if someone spills a coffee on the carpet, but it makes me feeling that the carpet is dirty even if it is not. The whole design of the hotel is too darkish.

3. One washing machine and one dryer in a guest laundry room are absolutely not enough for a hotel of this size.

4. It's impossible to book a time slot in a guest laundry, and it's very annoying. Installing a tablet with simple booking application might help a lot. Also, it is essential to display which guest's laundry is currently in the machines, because next customer must have an ability to call a person who accidentally forgot to pickup their stuff from the machines in time.

I had quite a bad time waiting until someone picks up their laundry from the dryer for an hour at midnight, and finally nobody came, and I had to dry my laundry in my room manually, which was totally bad experience. The receptionist said they are unable to help.

5. There is a laundry bag in the room, and a piece of paper with prices of the laudnry service attached to it. However, if one asks a receptionist how one can give a bag of clothes to have them washed and ironed, it appears that this service is not available in the hotel, which is quite odd and misleading.

6. A single elevator located at the side opposite to the reception (instead of closer location) is also a disadvantage, unless you like walking your two heavy suitcases along the corridors at the time of checkin and checkout.

7. Walls between rooms are thin and absolutely NOT noise-proof. Listening to people having their adult entertainment in the room next to yours all the night is not what a regular guest...

I stayed here for two nights in mid-November 2023.

Overall, the hotel was wonderful and very nice. The location was also great for where I wanted to go. I would definitely want to stay here again if visiting Foster City another time.

My two criticisms are both related to architectural design. The entrance/exit I used the most was in the southern corner. To get to the front desk you have to travel across the entire length of the hotel and then the width.

To get to Foster City in the first place, I took the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) to the Hillside station and then the Foster City Community Shuttle (which is free but only runs on weekdays and not on weekends) to the Shell Blvd & Hillsdale Blvd stop. From there it's a short walk to the Courtyard by Marriott and the nearest entrance is the southern door (which was fortunately unlocked). I then had to travel across the entire length and width of the hotel with all my luggage. After checking in, it turns out that my room was on the second floor near to where I entered, so I had to travel the entire width and length of the hotel again, and then take the elevator up (other guests who checked in around the same time also had to make the lengthy trip to get to the elevator and to their rooms). On my final day, I decided to leave my luggage in my room initially and walk all the way to the front desk and check out (asking them to delay the checkout for 30 minutes). I then returned to my room and left from the southern exit (I think it would really help to have a key card drop off box at this exit). So basically the problem is that the lobby and front desk are inconveniently located and you may need to walk across most of the hotel back and forth.

The second issue is an architectural design flaw of the room. I didn't watch much TV but the TV is positioned so that you can really only get a good view when watching from the couch. I spent a lot of time at the desk (right below the TV) and you can't get a good view. If you want to sit on the bed, you can tilt the TV slightly but it doesn't rotate very much so you don't get a very good angle from the bed. Which basically means you can only get a good view of the TV if you are on the couch (and not at the desk or...

I recently had the pleasure of staying at the Courtyard Marriott in San Mateo, for an 8-day business trip arranged by my company. Accompanying me was my 12-year-old daughter, who attends school online. Our experience at this hotel was nothing short of exceptional.

From the moment we checked in, the staff displayed an outstanding level of attentiveness and care towards both of us. Their kindness and professionalism significantly enhanced our stay, making us feel welcomed and valued as guests.

One of my primary concerns during the trip was the safety and security of my work laptops, which I had to leave in the room while I was out. I am happy to report that the security measures in place at the Courtyard Marriott San Mateo are exemplary. Not once did I worry about the safety of my belongings; everything was exactly as I left it, providing me with great peace of mind.

Furthermore, the daily housekeeping services were remarkable. The cleanliness of our room was maintained to a high standard throughout our stay, contributing to a comfortable and hygienic environment. It's clear that the hotel takes great pride in its cleanliness and guest satisfaction.

Overall, our stay at the Courtyard Marriott San Mateo was incredibly positive. The hotel's attention to detail, from guest service to room security and cleanliness, made our trip both enjoyable and stress-free. I highly recommend this hotel to anyone traveling to the San Mateo area, whether for business or leisure. Their commitment to excellence and guest satisfaction is truly...