Courtyard by Marriott Gainesville FL — Hotel in Gainesville

We are Marriott Gold Elite members and have been uniformly thrilled for years at the service and kindness we receive when staying with Marriott...until this stay. I will never visit this particular Marriott again. Crummy surroundings, BRUTALLY uncomfortable beds, mold in the bathroom, no lighted clock...I could go on here, but I want to cite some specifics. First...At one time this room apparently had a wall mounted television which has been replaced by an on-stand model. Fine...except for the fact that the wall mount for the old TV was still there with its frame and plug and wires. I felt like I was staying at a construction site! The television itself was on the side wall instead of in front of the bed and VERY difficult to watch. We had hoped to catch a March Madness game or two, but it was just too awkward!||I was also deeply concerned about security. The front desk is abandoned at night, and access through the front door is by key card only. What if someone is followed in? What if a guest arrives very late and has no way to register? What if you wish to order food or drink delivery after hours? What if...? | |Next...We were there to visit family, and as is frequently the case, plans changed a bit during our visit. We needed a late checkout. The hotel was deserted so we thought there would be no problem. We seldom need a late checkout, but in the past at other Marriott properties we've been permitted to check out as late as 4:00 pm. We did not need it this late this time, but the best we could get was 1:00 pm. When I asked if it could be a bit later (2:00 pm would have been fine) The person at the front desk said that it would not be possible because the hotel was full. The place was, as near as I could tell, deserted. No one in the lobby, no one in the corridors, no one outside at the torn-up pool deck even though it was a hot and dry day. When we checked out about 1:00 pm I took a picture of the nearly empty parking lot of this "full" hotel so that I could include it in this review.||This was an unpleasant stay. I would not stay here again if it were free. Take my advice.||Oh...and a note to the General Manager. Save the platitudes and do not bother replying to this review. According to your name tag, YOU were the extremely unpleasant person at the front desk who turned down my request. So unlike the norm for the...

First, upon my arrival there were maybe 10-15 rooms (max) occupied, due to the coronavirus issues. I handed the front desk agent my drivers license, my Marriott credit card, and my Titanium Elite For Life. At no point did the agent acknowledge my status or thank me for my loyalty to Marriott. Additionally, I was never offered a welcome gift, or an item from the market. I asked if there was a room upgrade and told they only had three suites...one was not working; one had an extended guest; and one was already issued to another guest. I even mentioned to the agent how it would be nice if Marriott offered front row parking to its most elite guests. His reply was, ‘Well, the hotel is nearly empty, do you can pretty much have your choice of parking.’ Still no acknowledgement of my status. He asked if I wanted a room on the 1st or 2nd floor, and I told him it didn’t matter, and I would simply like a quiet room not near the elevator nor facing the interstate. He issued me room #220. I went outside to park my car; when I stepped out of my car, I was approached by someone who definitely appeared to be homeless. I didn’t understand what they said, however, another voice yelled something from the edge of the parking lot from a person who knew this individual and also appeared to be homeless. At this point, I did not feel comfortable leaving my vehicle (a convertible)...especially noticing the posted signs indicating the hotel was not responsible if anything was stolen or if my car incurred any damaged. Anyway, I went to my room, took a shower, then immediately went to bed. Within minutes, I realized there was a guest in room #222 (directly next to my room) who was listening to their TV with the volume up very high. This continued past midnight. So, in a hotel with an extremely low level of occupancy; and after I specifically asked for a quiet room; the front desk agent placed me in a room connected to a loud guest!! REALLY? I mentioned all of this to the agent at the desk in the morning when I checked out, and she told me the male agent from the night before was apparently leaving his employment with the hotel soon. Anyway, overall, this was not a good experience at this...

From the initial contact with Austin, up to the time my Daughter and Grandson left the hotel, they had a phenomenal experience.

I booked the room, unexpectedly because my daughter and Grandson were too tire to continue their trip to Orlando. I called to add my daughter to the reservation, and Austin was just delightful. Once they arrived, because they'd been driving for so long, my grandson was running around, playing loudly. My daughter apologized for the noise and explained that he is on the spectrum and needed to release that energy that had been bottled up all day during the car ride. Austin was very empathetic and assured her there was no reason to apologize.

They went to the room, rested for their upcoming journey and all was great. My daughter said the property was well maintained and the room was beautiful. The next day, as she was preparing to depart, my grandson became agitated & fussy when he realized they were getting back into the car. There was a middle-aged African American female (my daughter did not get to ask her name) who tried consoling my daughter who was upset because of my Grandson's reaction. This nice lady also spoke to my daughter so calmly, lovingly and assured her that she's experienced similar challenges with her grandson and that everything would be ok.

I know you usually get complaints, but I had to humbly thank your staff for going that extra mile to be kind to my family! This has really...