TownePlace Suites by Marriott Outer Banks Kill Devil Hills — Hotel in Kill Devil Hills

We have been coming to the TownPlace Suites Outer Banks every summer since 2021. It has been a solid place for us to take our annual family beach vacation, with good service, good rooms, easy beach access, and a standard breakfast. Absent some minor issues, we never had any problems there and enjoyed our annual trip there. However, this year was different and, frankly, unacceptable: |There is a lovely outdoor pool on property. We have thoroughly enjoyed it in the past. It's a great place to stop before going to the beach. It used to have a door which required an access code to get in; this way the hotel ensured that guests only would use it. This year, the door was gone, and we noticed that the pool was much more crowded than in years past. People were even bringing dogs and letting them swim in the pool. Not wanting to cause a stir, I initially let it be. Then, one day in particular, the pool was overcrowded, as was the food stand. It took over an hour to get service from the food stand because a family of 20 individuals was monopolizing the area. All the sudden, one member of the family shouted "THE HOUSE IS READY! WE CAN GO!" and they all departed quickly. No single member of that family was staying at the hotel; they were just using the pool until their rental house was ready. I mentioned this to the food stand attendant who said that ever since the access door was removed "the locals and renters treat this as a community pool." I was flabbergasted. A paid benefit for hotel customers was unregulated and was being used by countless other people for free and without the right to do so. AND they were bringing their animals into the pool as well! When we informed the front-desk agent, she shrugged her shoulders and said "Yeah, we've been informed about this." When I asked her if anything was being done, she sat silent. |We were told room service/housekeeping would occur every 2-days. We were told of NO OTHER restrictions on housekeeping. On our 3rd day there we left our hotel room at approximately 10:45 AM, and arrived back at approximately 5:30 PM, expecting to have new towels, our beds made, etc. Unfortunately, it was clear housekeeping had not come in at all. We spoke to the front desk attendant, who seemed uninterested in helping us, and she just said, "you left your room too late." I was a bit stunned, as we were never informed of housekeeping stopping after a certain time, and 10:45 AM is hardly a "late" time for housekeeping. She could not tell me a specific time for "too late." She gave us new towels, and said she'd put in a note for our room to be cleaned the next day; this did not happen. We made sure to leave our room BEFORE 10:00 AM, and housekeeping was still in the hallways. I confirmed with one of the housekeepers that we were on the list to be cleaned that day. We came back to a stack of 4 new towels sitting on our stovetop, and NOTHING else done. After going to the front-desk 3 separate times, they finally cleaned the room after 6 PM. |On our last full day, we left our room and made sure to check with the housekeeping staff on the floor that we could still have our room serviced. They said "of course." We arrived back that evening to see that ONE bed was made, and the other was left disheveled. I called the front desk attendant who said it was hotel policy to not make a bed that had an item left on it. I looked over and there was ONE small stuffed animal of my son's (roughly 6 inches in length) left on the bed. This "policy" was never conveyed to us at ANY POINT during check-in, during our stay, or even on the other occasion when our sheets were changed (note: on that day, my son's pajamas were left on the bed, and they made the bed). It should be noted that the bed they did make/change sheets for also had a personal item (neck-pillow) left on it, but they made that bed anyway. I have also NEVER experienced this excuse at any other hotel. Overall, this was an extremely subpar visit and has us wondering whether we need to change our annual tradition and perhaps look into a rental home next...

CLEANLINESS: We were satisfied with the cleanliness of our room, however, I can see how dog smell could be an issue under certain circumstances. We do not have dogs but we knew this was a pet friendly hotel. There is no carpeting in the rooms but the hallways are carpeted. Bedding, towels, curtains could also pose a wet dog smell problem I suppose. I can also see how a lack of common sense amongst guests could be an issue in the breakfast area with allowing their dogs noses and mouths to get too close to the buffet. ROOM FEATURES: we were in a suite with 2 queen beds (2 adults, 2 teens). Nice amount of floor space so you didn’t feel like you were stepping all over each other, but we just always struggle with where to put everyone’s suitcases in this type of situation. Kitchenette area is sufficient….smaller full sized frig, 2 burner electric cooktop, small dishwasher, full sized microwave, Keurig (but looked a little crusty—we didn’t use because coffee is available in the lobby), supply of paper towels/dish soap/kitchen scour sponge/dishwasher detergent, a few dinner plates, coffee cups, juice glasses, silverware, basic cooking utensils were present. AMENITIES: Parking is plentiful. Several spots under the building in the shade but TONS of spaces overall if parking a big van or trailer would be a concern. Breakfast was sufficient and main course varies slightly each day (scrambled eggs vs omelette, bacon vs sausage, waffles vs none). The waffles are NOT make your own…the teens were kind of disappointed about that. Toast, bagels, English muffins, yogurt, cereal, instant oatmeal cups, apples/bananas, milk, juice. Hot coffee and hot tea are available all day in the lobby….but no creamers or milk are available other than breakfast time (plan accordingly). The lobby/breakfast space is also nice for a dinner ordered in or game night with plenty of table space/seating. There is also an outdoor seating area with a couple grills. Supposedly grilling tools were available upon request but I cannot personally confirm. Gym has several treadmills and ellipticals, 2 weight benches, a small rack of standard weights, open floor space, water dispenser, clean towels, disinfecting wipes. Laundry area has 4 front load washers and 4 dryers. Washers and dryers are both $3 each payable with card (add $0.25 service fee) or Apple Pay…I will say that the seals in the front load washing machines needed a good cleaning. I had to wipe out some coins, shells, sand and gunk in the one I used before starting it. Indoor pool and outdoor pools are both small….especially if the hotel is busy. The outdoor pool area (although small/narrow) across the street has a nice pool house with men’s and women’s bathrooms and a nice tiki bar area that has a small menu of drinks (alcohol, kids drinks, etc) and beach snacks. Beyond the tiki bar is the walkway to the beach.

My 3 biggest complaints: The walkway to the beach is very narrow and has no ramp down to the sand. Be prepared for the stairs if you have a stroller, beach buggy heavy cooler or canopy to lug🥵. The hotel room bathrooms do not have an exhaust fan. This is just a personal pet peeve of mine especially when traveling as a family where leaving the door cracked for shower steam ventilation is not an option. There is no lock box in the room. Hubby’s suitcase has a combination lock so we resorted to locking valuables in there when we went...

TownePlace Suites by Marriott on the Outer Banks in Kill Devil Hills, NC has a number of Pros and Cons. I'll lay them out for you.

We spent a fun week on the Outer Banks in early June 2020 during "Phase 2" of NC's CoronaVirus reopening. We stayed in a studio with a king bed on the first floor (which is really the second floor).

As this was during Phase 2, they did not offer the advertised buffet breakfast nor provided any other breakfast accommodations.

Pros: TownePlace Suites by Marriott is in a GREAT location approximately halfway between two National Parks: Jockey Ridge and Wright Brothers National Monument. It is central to the Outer Banks for sightseeing from Corolla to Hatteras and for good restaurants. Very pleasant check-in staff. One took me aside during check-in to give me a map, help orient me to the island, and suggest attractions. The bathroom has lots of room and features a walk-in shower with good water pressure and instant hot water. This hotel is pet-friendly. (Also a con). Hotel is just 2 blocks from the beach access. Lots of covered parking. While lots of folks apparently opted for uncovered parking, we never had a problem finding covered parking.

Cons: The walls and ceilings are thin. You could hear conversations, water when it's running, and I'm pretty sure a herd of elephants rented the room above us since our room shook when they stomped around EVERY night. My wife is not a fan of K-Cups. A K-Cup coffee maker and K-cups are provided in the room. She prefers to brew her own and make larger batches of coffee. Obviously this would be a "Pro" for many folks. The hotel is pet-friendly. Dogs would often bark at night for up to 30 minutes. Not enough staffing to police the buildup of trash and cigarette butts. This really says more about my fellow travelers who leave their empty cups, cans and bottles on tables, don't clean up after themselves, and smoke in non-smoking areas --- littering the front entry area on the ground floor with cigarette butts. Garbage cans overflowed on the BBQ patio. Nonetheless, for a good experience they need staffing to address these areas. And smokers need a designated area, like a gazebo, away from the building. Studios are a bit too small for 2 people for a week when preparing several meals. Studios also do not include a conventional oven, a washing machine, or a dryer. (The hotel does offer a washers and dryers on the ground floor for $2/load).

Overall rating: 4-stars on the strength of the location, clean rooms, and...