Residence Inn by Marriott Somerset — Hotel in Franklin Township

It's amazing how often I see something like this. First, the hotel was fine. Nothing spectacular, but it was clean, efficient, and got the job done.||||The housekeeping staff at this hotel was friendly and often were very forthcoming with the smiles and the "how are you" instead of hiding behind their work. It was genuinely appreciated.||||The front desk and management - this is what I have seen all too often - a very uncaring attitude as if the guest was a nuisance to them (please see my earlier review of the Residence Inn Denver Downtown to see the sharp contrast of how management can really make an impression on their property). I called a few days before our arrival with a request for a date change and what should have been a very simple task, turned out to be an "I can't do that unless my manager says OK" situation, so I had to wait about 48 hours to see if my request was processed or not. Then I get to the hotel and I have 2 rooms booked. Was given a room on one floor, the other room on another floor. I asked if I could at least get both rooms on the same floor, I didn't need them next door or connecting, but the same floor would be more convenient, just got a curt "no" - the agent checking me in didn't even bother to look at the computer for availability, just a "no" and that's it.||||Then I'm charged $100 for my small dog, it's a non-refundable fee that is just for the dog to be here, I signed a piece of paper that I'm still on the hook for all the cleaning fees if my dog soiled the room. Just another way the hotel is prying more cash out of your wallet. So the agent asks me if that's for both rooms. Huh? You want to charge me $200 because I have 2 rooms? I have ONE dog. So he kept the charge on just 1 room not 2. Fun fact: Guests spend $100 for having their dog there, but when you go out to the "pet relief area", we found for more than 1 day the waste bags empty and the trash container for the waste full and overflowing (see photo). I guess the dogs can't complain so it wasn't a big deal to take care of the relief area.||||Back to the management tone - although I never dealt with the manager directly, I'm assuming that everyone at the front desk was following his/her tone setting, not only the agent checking me in who couldn't be bothered to try to get me 2 rooms on the same floor, but for the balance of the stay, just about every time I passed by the front desk, the person working at the time couldn't be bothered to lift their head, smile, and say "good morning" or something similar to a guest walking by. In all fairness, there were 2 instances where a FD agent did acknowledge me (in quite a friendly way by the way), but probably a dozen or so instances where I got crickets as I walked by the front desk.||||I would suggest to this property's general manager to reach out to the general manager of the Residence Inn Denver Downtown about how she runs her hotel and how her staff is just incredible in welcoming...

I arrived for a two night stay on the 9th. Reception person was very friendly and quick to get us checked in after a long travel day. I originally reserved for the 10th-11th but needed to also reserve a room for the 9th. I mentioned this when I checked in and he said that he would make sure the 2 reservations would be handled as if only 1 reservation were made and would leave a note for morning reception. ||When my wife and I arrived for breakfast the next morning at around 8:45, I stopped by the desk and asked if we could check out and check in for our Saturday stay, The receptionist said she had already done so and we were all set. I gave her my room keys which she re-swiped and off to breakfast I went.||I was a little confused at the breakfast. It was almost like they were still trying to address Covid protocols and employee shortages at the same time. Anyway, there was an employee handing out breakfast sandwiches, I think they were Jimmy Dean brand but really can't remember. They were microwaved but all in all were actually pretty good. There was packaged orange juice, a very good variety of boxed cereals, coffee, tea, breads for toasting and pastries, fresh fruit and yogurt. It was more than enough to get us ready for the day ahead.||The room was great with all the items normally found at a Residence Inn property. The only thing I didn't care for was the vanity is set outside the bathroom, so lights go on instead of allowing a few extra minutes of sleep if the vanity and shower were in the same area. ||The hotel is showing its age and hopefully scheduled for some furniture and rug replacements especially rugs in the hallways which were worn out.||I would definitely stay here again should my travels take me to the area. There are many restaurants and take-outs located within a mile of the hotel which is an added convenience, and the Interstate is located a mile away offering connections to anywhere...

stayed here for 2 months while working in the area. overall my stay went well.

flora was extremely helpful from the start of my stay and throughout my stay. christine* was the most amazing employee. she was extremely thoughtful, helpful, and was able to resolve nearly every issue that i had.

the rooms are very nice, clean, and spacious. the area worked well for me.

breakfast in the mornings was the best hotel breakfast i’ve ever had. the oatmeal bar is a must and range of options was awesome!

ALL of the housekeeping staff was AMAZING. they were quick, efficient, and extremely personable.

i ran into some issues with my ac unit and although it took a long time to correct (multiple days at 80 degrees in the room)…when it was resolved, the two gentleman who fixed it were amazing.

only cons:

the coin laundry is pretty expensive $3 per load and the dryers don’t work super great.

also, the assistant manager kelly was very unprofessional and even rude during my stay. when addressing the ac issue, she stated that engineering said it was “fixed as best it could be” when it was still 80 degrees in the room…

in addition to that, I travel with a service animal and she nearly harassed me about it after offering to provide proper documentation on multiple occasions. even going as far as asking me to disclose my disability, what task my animal performs, and sending me an emailing stating “not to ask the front desk about the issue anymore”.

besides the above issues, i do recommend...