Beachside Resort & Residences — Hotel in Key West

I have been a Marriott rewards member for over 20 years and have accumulated over 250K points staying in their hotels over the years. Keep in mind this is time in their hotels not points from a credit card. I am sure I lost some points due to lighter travel some years but for the most part I have pretty much been a loyal Marriott customer.

This brings me to my most recent experience.

My wife and I stayed at the Key West Marriott Beachside Hotel for our 20th wedding anniversary so for our 25th wedding anniversary I could not think of a better place to stay.

I booked the presidential suite and called Marriott to request the same room we had on our 20th anniversary. The person I spoke with was pleasant and took the notes to request room number 536. This is an end unit on the top / 3rd floor.

Upon arriving at the hotel I had mentioned that we were early for check in and asked if they could hold our bags. We were told that would not be a problem. I then asked about our reservation and asked about the notes I was told would be entered in my reservation when booking and about being able to have the same room as last time.

I was told they didn't have a high floor at the moment and asked if I they would be able to move us to that room after the weekend.

The girl basically blew me off and had a bit of an attitude.

I then called central booking and was told that they could not call the actual hotel on my behalf. They then said they would see if the Help Desk could call. After about a 20 minute wait the customer service rep cam back on and told me that the Help Desk would not be able to call on my behalf either.

I asked to speak with a supervisor and was put on hold for 45 minutes. While on hold one of the ladies behind the front desk asked if she could help me and I told her I was on hold for a manager at Central Booking. She told me that they "The Hotel" were central booking and had Monet come and speak with me. I explained to Manet my issue and she basically looked at my reservation and told me that It was my fault because I did not have "High Floor" in my Marriott Rewards profile. I asked why take the notes and she pretty much told me that they don't really take notes and blew me off and went into the back office.

FOR THE REST OF MY REVIEW PLEASE SEE MY...

My two teenage daughters and I took a spring break vacation using money we saved for two years. We are not wealthy and cannot afford to travel to expensive hotels on a regular basis. This was our first time to Key west. After researching all of the hotel options in Key West, and wanting to stay somewhere safe and clean, I decided to pay the extra money, figuring I could count on the Marriott brand. And have a super nice room with a view of the water. But, I’ve never paid so much for a room while also being so disappointed. This hotel is very expensive, way overpriced, and I will not stay there again, nor recommend it. Here is a list of things that went wrong. A 4pm check in time turned into a 4 hour wait; the room wasn’t ready until 8pm.
There were two cans of beer left in the shower (one empty, one full), and some else’s hair in the shower drain. A used Toothbrush from a prior guest was still on the bathroom floor by the counter. There were old dirty dishes in cupboard with hard crusty food stains on them. We couldn’t walk barefoot because our feet would be black and we could feel the dirt on the floor. I don’t think this room’s furniture has ever been dusted. We complained everyday about the patio sliding door being extremely hard to open and close but was not fixed. Under the toilet seats not cleaned from prior guests. It was dirty under the bed and nightstands . I wonder if it has ever been cleaned as you could see things under the bed left by past guests. We had a full kitchen but there was only one kitchen towel, and no cleaning sponge or extra kitchen towels. There was a dirty styrofoam plate on the patio with melted food. I stopped calling to report things that were wrong with the room and just decided to try to make the best of it for our vacation. The hotel manager offered me $200 off the first night and took off the daily destination fees. That was it. Hotel front office staff apologized many times, but it doesn’t remove the disappointment for what we were hoping to be a once in a lifetime experience for a mother daughter trip...

I booked this hotel through a third-party service. When I arrived, it was already past 10 pm. I found the room to have a washing machine and it was spacious, so I decided to extend for another night. I approached the front desk to inquire about the extension fee. They advised me to book online and they would handle the extension. Due to poor internet, I couldn't find the option for children while booking, so I only selected two adults, assuming all rooms had a similar layout.

On the first day when I went to extend, the front desk told me I couldn't. They asked me to contact the third-party service or pay an additional $150 for my child. I agreed to pay this fee. Upon checking out, I didn't see any bill, but my credit card was charged an additional $242.86 + $75.11, totaling $317.97. While I acknowledge the $150 for my child's stay and the mandatory resort fee (despite not availing any resort services), I can't figure out how the total became $317.97. I will be lodging a complaint with my credit card company.

Furthermore, the front desk looked down upon guests who booked through third-party services, as if we got the room at a cheap rate and were taking advantage of the hotel. Given the subpar service I received, I feel I paid a premium. If you dislike third-party bookings, then don't list your rooms there instead of complaining to the guests. When charging a credit card, it's standard to provide a bill.

Additionally, the so-called "private beach" was not enjoyable. Jet skis kept coming ashore, and staff would shoo people away. My family spent only five minutes there before we drove to a public beach. It's ironic that we stayed in a "four-star hotel with a private beach" and still had to drive to a public beach in Key West. The most valuable amenities in this hotel were the washing machine and dryer; they were the only things that made our vacation more...