Gaithersburg Marriott Washingtonian Center — Hotel in Gaithersburg

It’s a bit of mixed bag. |Better than a 3-star, but not really a 4-star.|But options in the area are really limited, and I suspect their pricing and willingness to improve is based on this reality.||What was once a proud and above average business & conference destination, is now resting and vesting in its sunset year, apparently willing to rest on its laurels and the gracious reviews from years gone by…||Yes, the lake area makes for a serene setting|Yes, the proximity of a shopping area with numerous (albeit touristy/chain-style) restaurants is appealing|Yes, they do a good (but not perfect) job of sound reduction from the freeway|Yes, the staff were warm and friendly||However:||PARKING IS NO LONGER FREE. $10/DAY now| (Older reviews credit with free - even a recent review from May 2025, so this started very recently)|Although they have a huge parking lot with no need to restrict/limit parking by outsiders, they now impose $10 fee each day to milk your wallet a little more.|This is now disclosed on their website page.||EVERYTHING IS NICE BUT FEELS A LITTLE OLD|Good - Style is early 20-teens,(Americana lots of wood) - which I actually appreciate because it comes with a full closet instead of a tiny wardrobe with a good size desk and mini-fridge (which I had to unplug due to the loud whirring of it’s cheap and old compressor). HVAC worked well and at a nice sound level.|Bad - Either the bed, comforter or maybe the pillows smells old and rancid; like the smell of hundreds of guests inseminating their sweaty filth into the fabric, over the last decade without a change or refresh by the hotel. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t pleasant either|Ugly - nothing really||ROOMS HAVE ADJOINING DOORS| As I write this, a guest just checked in to the adjacent room. I know this because almost every sound carries through the adjoining doors.|I can totally hear her TV and her talking on the phone, laughing and unknown to her, voices are quite clear through the door and I can understand most of her conversation. She’s not particularly loud person - it’s just that adjoining doors are inevitably poor at blocking sound between rooms.||Woe’s me — and to you — if you get a night owl who enjoys late night TV, telephone calls, or in room get-togethers after meetings, wedding, reception, etc.||B) WINDOWS ARE GOOD|As many reviewers said, the hotel did a good job installing sound-resistant windows (looks like 1/4” double glaze, possibly laminated) - which eliminates 90% of the freeway traffic (on the lake-facing side). I’m a notoriously finicky person when it comes to noise and light pollution - and was very hesitant to stay based on proximity to the freeway. IT WAS GOOD. The noise on the lake side was very minimal; BUT you can still hear the faint din of the freeway when everything else is quiet - and you will hear the faint whine of a semi-truck powering by…this is especially true in the morning. Not enough to keep you awake or wake you up, but always. there in the background if you’re someone who tends to lay awake at night.|C) DOOR SEALS NOT ADEQUATE||One more item in the PLUS column | - near elimination of lights and appliance LEDs in the room. (Maybe due to older decor) and thankfully no under-the-bed motion-sensing night lights blasting me awake during a trip the bathroom. | - great job on the blackout shades/curtains. Almost zero light leakage on the tops sides and where the curtains meet. (again - on the lake side which faces west, so not getting the morning sunrise)| - The only small knock was the thermostat, which randomly decided to change its display from dim to bright for no apparent reason. As it faces the bed, this did wake me up just minutes after...

I've stayed at MORE THAN 20 Marriott properties this year alone, so when I say this is the WORST Marriott I've stayed at, that's saying something.

Let's start with the good: Location/view - I got a room on the 10th floor with a view of the Rio. Shops/restaurants/theater are right outside. Also a short drive to other restaurants/Target.

Staff - Front desk staff were friendly.

Now the bad: Air conditioner - I stayed here for over a week and had issues with the air conditioner/heater not warming up even when set to 95 degrees. So when they sent someone from Engineering (who by the way didn't fix the heater), he has the audacity to say, "it feels fine to me." Well I don't care what it feels like to you because you're not the one staying in this room! So I turned off the air conditioner because it was colder with it on than off.

Shower - The shower drained the water sooooooooo slowly that every time I took a shower, the water went up to my ankles. At this point, I didn't bother having someone come and check it out.

Housekeeping - They barged into my room while I was inside without waiting for me to say anything. They mistakenly thought they had to clean my bathroom, when all I requested was a clean robe to be brought to me after finding a bug on the one I had.

The room - Although I said a good thing about my room was that it had a nice view of the river, I was also right next to the lounge so I could hear EVERYTHING, especially the dishes clinking. It was the worst. So if they give you room 1016, immediately request another room. Also, the hotel overall is nice, but the room felt outdated. Definitely could use some renovation.

The only reason I chose this hotel was because it provided a free shuttle to/from my customer's site. If it wasn't for business reasons, I would definitely have chosen to stay at a...

Location: Very nice location. We stayed in a room with a view of the lake. Definitely a beautiful scene.

Upon check in, person was nice for the most part. However, as a GOLD member, it would be nice if the team catered to your needs a little more. I didn't feel any more special or appreciated for being a loyal returning customer. Thanks for being a GOLD member. You will get 'x' amount of points as a welcome package.

In the app, I requested extra pillows but I didn't get it.

On day 2 of my trip, I went to rhe party because I needed a Ginger Ale. Entering the pantry, there was only one gentleman working at the desk on Saturday, September 6, 2025. He was with a customer and i know he heard the chime going off. It would have been nice for him to look up, acknowledge me and say, I will be right with you after I am done with this customer." Instead, he ignored me for a few minutes. I walked out and walked back in to check on my husband and daughter who were waiting for me...which meana the chimer went off AGAIN. He never once looked up. By the time I for tired of waiting, he was done with the customer and another lady came from the back. She came out asking if they guy needed help. He told her, "No." Next you would expect him to say, "My apologies for the wait, can I help you with something." But no, he tomd her he was good and he never once looked up. The mere fact that I even entered the pantry, prepared to spend $4.00 on a 16oz soda, should have been a good enough reason to acknowledge me.

Overall, my experience wasn't too bad. And that is because the location was great and there were alot of things to do and see. Great restaurants and plenty of family filled...