Fullerton Marriott at California State University — Hotel in Fullerton

Very typical Marriott experience in mediocrity, although on the higher end of that spectrum. Staff very friendly, greeted us whenever we passed the front desk, but there is still this feeling that guests are somehow privileged by being allowed to stay there. There is no resort fee, but they charge you for every other extra. This is another example of Marriott's unspoken signature attitude: 'we've provided all the basics, what more do you want?'

This property's post-mid century design is aging, although rooms have been refreshed to a near-upscale standard. Hall carpets faded. Rooms were generously sized but soundproofing lacked, we could hear our neighbor softly strumming his guitar. Marriott does mattresses and light blocking window treatments well; we got a good night's sleep. One elevator was out of service part of our stay, leading to wait times for the other one. We often just used the stairs to get to our 3rd floor room. Even after they repaired the lift, the doors didn't completely close, so you get a view of the floors going by.

The room TV was another matter. Big screen, but the remote was balky and if you exceeded 30 minutes of watching, the TV would turn itself off after a countdown. No way to override it with the remote, either. Turn it back on and it defaults to the Marriott home page, so if you were in the middle of a YouTube vid, good luck finding it and returning to where you left off.

The other irritant was Marriott's frosted glass bathroom door, partially robbing the occupant of real privacy. Water pressures good but sink and shower temperature control was erratic, requiring constant regulating to adjust for lukewarm or scalding.

Grounds well kept and reasonably secure, location near Cal State Fullerton and the 57 freeway make this a good central spot, although downtown Fullerton is still a fifteen-minute drive to the north.

Speaking of food, a restaurant is supposed to exist on the lobby level, but a short search only turned up meeting rooms and a bar. No worries, across the street was a small food court-type center with pizza, sandwiches, coffee, burgers and one with a decent middle east/Mongolian style barbecue. Down the road is my favorite, Japan's version of McDonalds, a beef rice bowl chain called Yoshinoya, with great prices and their strange but delicious spicy pickled ginger.

Breakfast at the hotel costs extra. A $20 breakfast "buffet" opens at 6a, but a buffet it is not. Your Jackson only gets you bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs and home fried potatoes, with cold breads, fruits and one juice choice. That's it, nothing remotely Vegas-like: no omelet cooking station, no pancakes, no waffles, no salmon for bagels, no real choice, actually. Hours are good, 6a to 10a and longer on weekends, but that sawbuck will buy a top rated traditional breakfast at Shorty'z and go farther at Denny's, both nearby.

Snacks and necessities are available at the "pantry" near the front desk. Items are premium priced, (hey, I thought a pantry was free, because it is in your house!)

Pool and hot spa open until 10 PM, but the hot pool was coolish, a lukewarm quality that best describes this property and Marriott in general.

We paid $165/night with tax, discounted from the $180 - $200 typically charged. Fee for overnight unsecured parking. This facility is actually better and cheaper than Marriott's new Spring Hill hotel a short distance away, but $135/night would be the correct price point for a hotel that charges you extra for breakfast, especially since this property has to compete with a better hospitality vibe from nearby Hampton Inn, where you get more of a breakfast,...

The desk clerk this morning was very friendly and quickly resolved our towel issue. To start our stay at this hotel, we were booked in a group, however booked for 2 doubles vs a king room. I called the evening prior to arrival and the desk assured me that there were a large number of king rooms available if we decided to change, I did explain to her that we were in the large group and if it would be a problem, she assured me that it was not. I also explained that we were waiting on notice from another party to see if this was an option for us, depending on number of people and sleeping arrangements. She told me that if we gave up our double room, we would not likely be able to go back to a double, however, changing to a king was not going to be a problem. She was very friendly and explained everything well, she also checked to see if a suite was available. She took her time to answer my questions and check the status of the rooms in the hotel. Upon arrival, I asked the front desk person checking us in if there were any king beds available, I was very quickly told no, there are no king beds available. She did not even check to see. She told me that we were in a block and no kings available. I told her about the discussion I had with the clerk the evening before about a change and she quickly asked who I spoke with. I did not have the name as I trusted the information provided was accurate. She dismissed me with “I don’t see any notes on your reservation”. At this point I was tired and just said fine and we checked in to the room. I felt dismissed and had seen that this conversation was not going to give me any resolution. The change in arrangements to allow us to have a king is no longer an option other than an upgrade to a suite, to which there are no suites available. I understand that on very short notice it is difficult to get a suite at best. Upon entering the room, it was clean and tidy presented appropriately for new guests, as is always the case with the Marriott brand. The room has 1 very small drawer and 2 med/small shelves and a single bedside table drawer in which to place your clothing. There is a small bench in the closet, I am assuming it is so we can live out of our bags, one of which currently rests on the floor. This is a 5 day stay for us and I have never had a hotel with no way to unpack unless you hang everything on the 6 hangers available and try to fit the rest in the space available. There is 1 single hook in the bathroom for towels and no towel bar so we can dry and reuse our towels. The beds are very hard and uncomfortable. I understand that the management likely has no control over these specific location/room issues, however, with the standards of Marriott worldwide, I think corporate should address these issues. The beds have recently been a problem with...

I was attending a conference at CSU Fullerton and this was the conference hotel. For the price, I expected far, far more than I received. This is the third hotel I've stayed in in the past month, and it is by far the most "average." The rooms at a three-star I stayed in last month were nearly twice the size and provided more amenities.

Due to airline delays, we checked in around 9:30. The "restaurant" was closed and there was no room service. How does this hotel merit 4 stars? We made do with a couple of over-priced cold, dry chicken sandwiches from their "convenience store." We were told that the bar was open, but -- after I asked -- informed it does not serve food.

The "restaurant" is nothing more than a lot of tables and chairs set in what would be a lobby in any other hotel. When they were serving food, it was extremely noisy. We couldn't imagine eating in full view of everyone entering and leaving the hotel.

The good : it was clean. Pristine, almost (except for the desk chair). Vinyl-plank flooring. New wall paper.

The average : room was small, the size of your average mid-priced chain hotel, with just enough space for the king-size bed, two night stands, and a desk at the foot of the bed. The usual flat screen t.v. There was a love seat under the window, about two feet from the bed. There was a mini-fridge but no dresser, just a couple of drawers in the night stands. A one-cup coffee maker with exactly two packs of coffee and two tubs of creamer.

The bed had one blanket (sheets, too, of course). No extras in the closet. The linens were of average quality.

The furniture is hotel-standard -- the headboard and nightstands are all one piece. The closet has no doors and no shelf. There was no luggage rack, just a bench inside the closet. No in-room safe. The desk chair had a huge stain on it -- hopefully, from coffee.

The bathroom was about the size of a standard home bath, with a tub/shower, toilet, and sink with counter. There were no towel bars. We had to drape the towels over the chair and the shower door handles.

Toiletries were fine, but there was only one set. We had to call down for more. Only two towels and two hand towels. Tissues of both kinds were thin. At first, I thought only one ply, but on examination there were two, just extremely thin.

The air conditioner is a unit set under the windows. I could not see any option for "heat." The windows were filthy. Our room faced the freeway, which made it somewhat...