Residence Inn by Marriott Jekyll Island — Hotel in Jekyll Island

From day ONE both Hotels.Com & RI by Marriott JI blamed each other for screwing up our reservations & neither took responsibility for their errors. It became blatantly clear that these 2 companies have an extremely adversarial relationship. Rick Norman The General Manager stated multiple times to me that "Since we booked through Hotels.Com- a Third party Co. that he didn't have any responsibility to compensate us for the multiple problems we experienced at the hotel" despite being longtime Marriott/ Bonvoy members.First we lost our 1st night reservation because the hotel did not correct THEIR ERROR until the second day. (Hotels.Com was cleared & the negligence was on the hotels end.) When we finally checked in on the second night we experienced loud electrical buzzing sounds coming through our walls & the night auditor told us that she was literally the ONLY staff member on site that evening (NO security, maintenance, manager, etc) & that we would have to endure the loud buzzing until the next day! We were moved into another room the following day & the 65 yo plus couple in the next room smoked MASSIVE amounts of weed 24/7 in their room as well as the balcony that WE SHARED with them! They never left the room & had huge bongs & other drug paraphrenalia sitting in public view on our open balcony facing the pool & we could not even enjoy a cup of coffee or a glass of wine on the balcony for one single minute without getting smoked out. Complained to Rick Norman (GM) again & he incredulously told me "I really don't know what to do!" He was more concerned about not upsetting the old stoners & "protecting their privacy!" I reminded him that the hotel has a "ZERO" tolerance policy for ANY guest smoking in the hotel rooms & requested that he send his staff to the room to confirm my report & also requested that he call them & inform them that other quests were complaining about the excessive amount of Marijuana smoke coming from their room & that they would be subjected to a hefty financial penalty for violating Hotel policy. Rick Norman DECLINED to take either of these actions & repeated to me "That he just didn't know what to do in this situation" & NOTHING WAS ADDRESSED & NO ACTIONS WERE TAKEN!! He was MORE irritated with ME for reporting my complaint!! Well I KNOW what to do!! Hire a new GM who is NOT intimidated by a couple of disrespectful old hippy stoners, is FAMILIAR with Hotel policies & violations & has the expertise & confidence to follow through & carry out hotel policy protocol!! HE PASSIVELY ALLOWED this couple to ruin our stay, was more annoyed AT ME for complaining & asking him to take action & more concerned about "Not impinging upon the stoner couple's privacy!" Rick Norman's (GM) focus should have been on accommodating ALL the other guests that were negatively impacted by this couple's complete absence of respect & consideration & complete disregard for Hotel policy & the Law! On the flip side weed is NOT legal in SC however if you have a serious Marijuana dependency & smoke excessive amounts of weed 24/7 - THIS IS THE HOTEL OF YOUR DREAMS!!

RESPONSE TO OWNER'S RESPONSE ON 8/6/25-

It is obvious in your response that you clearly did not read through my entire review by sending me a placating & dismissive response. To be reporting "that your management team goes out of their way to enforce the hotels No Smoking policy" is a joke based on the DETAILS that I provided in my review. I suggest that you re-read it again so that you get your facts straight. Your GM "went out of his way " NOT TO ENFORCE ANY POLICY despite multiple requests from me. Sending me a canned CYA response is nothing short of insulting & the more appropriate response would have been to apologize, make some effort at compensation & following up with me that you were taking our experience seriously & correcting & training your GM how to deal with & implement hotel policies...

We stayed here for a long weekend in a king room with sofa bed, oceanfront with 1 adult and 3 kids. We were hoping for a balcony but ended up on the first floor which was disappointing. However, room 103 was right by the pool and we had a patio where we could sit and see the kids and have a short walk to change to dry clothes. It was convenient but not the great ocean view we hoped for-- though we could see a bit of ocean over the dunes. The hotel was new and very clean. It felt more like a Marriott vacation club property than residence inn which was very nice!

Our room was a nice size and the sofa bed was full size and easily slept 2 kids. We loved the kitchenette especially the fridge. There is a cook top but no oven and a microwave. Plates, cups, and silverware are provided. The room was very clean and well laid out.. The only negative in the room was the AC which turned off frequently at night and the room would get hot.

We enjoyed eating at the on-site restaurant for lunch twice. The menu was large and had something for everyone, but service was slow. However it was very convenient and we enjoyed outdoor dining in our bathing suits and playing corn hole and jenga while we waited for our food. The free breakfast was nice, with hot items like egg and sausage as well as 2 waffle irons for making mini waffles, cereal, oatmeal, and yogurt. Juice and coffee were also available, along with various toppings for oatmeal/waffles. You had to have an armband and use the room key to get in the breakfast area to show you are with residence inn instead of courtyard (half the hotel is courtyard and half residence inn).

While we were here the ocean was very muddy. We all came out of the water with dirt and mud on our skin and suits. Mud was swirling in the surf and the waves were brown and full of sediment. I'm not sure if this is typical, but we found further down the beach away from the hotel it was much clearer. The muddy water was the biggest disapointment. Most people were not willing to swim in it and it took awhile at the outdoor showers to clean off. Kids suits were very dingy. There were a lot of sand dollars on the beach though! A company rents beach chairs for $15/day as well as umbrellas; you arrange it on the beach itself.

There is ample parking and no charge to park. There are electric vehicle charging stations. The workout room is a pretty good size. There is a small comvenience type store in the front with small tube of sunblock, meds, frozen meals, and snacks. The amenity fee is $20 but gives you a $10 credit here and at the restaurant if you charge to the room. There is also a Starbucks.

Overall, the hotel was great and Residence inn at the beach is perfect for families. The pool was great with a large 3 ft area my younger son loved since he could touch the bottom. There is also a splash pad and hot tub, and it is steps from the beach. The only negative for us was the beach itself due to the condition of the water. I'm not sure if its always this way or not, and at a beach front restaurant less than a mile away the beach was clear and nice so maybe its just due to...

I’m a very loyal Marriott member having the worst experience I’ve ever had at a hotel. I’m in a room with a blocked shower drain. I haven’t been able to shower properly in two days because of the unsanitary water coming from the drain. I’m also concerned the tub is going to overflow. I’ve let the front desk know multiple times. Instead of apologizing and fixing the problem, they are treating me like I’m the problem. Extremely defensive and rude staff. Was initially told there is no manager or supervisor on site. After multiple phone calls begging to have maintenance come to my room, a young man came up and said he would make a note to bring Draino. Then I learn from someone else there is no Draino (which I was appalled they use in the first place) and no fix for the shower. I was told the shower drain is not fixable. The front desk keeps giving different stories to us. One woman told us multiple maintenance people have been in the room and the problem cannot be fixed. Another man told us no one has been in the room. I’m so confused. We talked to another woman claiming to be supervisor who told us the only solution is to change rooms right now. I told this supervisor we’ve been out all day and would like to go to dinner first. The young man named Anthony I think at the front desk when we got back to dinner was so angry and sarcastic when I arrived at the front desk and wouldn’t look at me or acknowledge me. I asked if there’s a manager. He said the GM’s name is on the wall and that I already spoke to a “supervisor” and there’s no supervisor on-site right now. I tried again to explain I’m worried the tub will overflow when I shower because it’s over one foot of water. He gave me a key to a lower floor next to the elevator in a handicap room. That room is having the same problem. I now think it’s a larger hotel plumbing problem. When I go back to my original room where my belongings are they locked us out of our room. Our keys and mobile key didn’t work. I’m so uncomfortable and quite frankly feel unsafe because the kids at the front desk are messing with us at this point. There’s also an extremely aggressive young woman working at the front desk. I’m so baffled with how this whole situation is being handled. I requested to stay in my room and that I’ll just deal with the unsanitary blocked shower drain. I’ve never written a poor review before. I’m shocked that Marriott would allow a hotel to not have a manager onsite. I’m writing this review here because I don’t know what else to do. I thought the hotel would be glad to know they have this maintenance issue so they can quickly address it, but instead I’ve been treated horribly for simply raising an issue.

Edit: The kids running the front desk congregate with bar stools from the bar at the front desk and eating while on duty with their friends. Each night they sit outside in front on the ground smoking cigarettes. Very unprofessional and in poor taste - not a good look...