Courtyard by Marriott Lincoln Downtown/Haymarket — Hotel in Lincoln

I’m in the middle of a stay now at this hotel, my first. It is just me on this stay, which is for seven nights. I will likely make reference to the Hyatt Place where I stayed for a week earlier this month. ||The room type I booked is a 1 Bedroom Suite; it has a king bed and a sofa bed. I checked in after 8:00 PM. The check in was efficient and friendly. Ther rate I booked included either self or valet parking; I decided to try the valet option for a few nights. The garage is across the street from the hotel. I was given some coupons for $10 worth of food for each day thanks to my Titanium status with Marriott. Of course, this isn't enough to buy a breakfast entree let alone add a coffee and juice. | That’s Marriott for you; you need an advanced degree to understand their benefits.||First impression was that it was pretty much like I expected. It was a corner hotel room with an adjoining additional room which did not have a bathroom. There was a sink, microwave and refrigerator in the extra room along with a sofa bed, two chairs, a desk and another TV. The bedroom was average sized. The bathroom has a nice sized walk in shower, sink, toilet. The bedroom was cool; the thermostat was set to 67 and it was 0 degrees outside. I set the temp up to 70. The units are those under window units but are controlled by a thermostat; not crazy about the window units. The door separating the two rooms would not stay open so I blocked it open with my suitcase.||When I returned from dinner, the bedroom was still not any warmer but the other room was. The thermostat in the bedroom said 75; it was not 75. I had a good night sleep, only being awaken a few times by the trucks at the post office outside my window. I had stopped at the Bistro to get a glass of wine around 9:45, but the lady said she closed it down early.||The valet parking was fast and efficient. Very nice when it is cold outside.||I used the workout room in the morning. It had modern, nice equipment including treadmills, ellipticals, stair machines and free weights. I grabbed my breakfast coupons and headed to the Bistro. I ordered a breakfast sandwich, bottle of water and a coffee and surrendered two of my breakfast coupons which didn’t cover what I had selected. When the sandwich was rung up, it rang at $1.50 more than the menu and menu board stated. I mentioned that and got a "oh, I don't know." Later, the manager of the bistro came to me and acknowledged it was wrong and offered to remove the tip that I had left. Told her 'no', leave the tip. The sandwich was delivered, no side or anything, on a fancy plastic plate with plastic silverware. It was ok.||The lobby area of the Courtyard is nice, and they have some seating outside that looks like it would be nice in the warmer months. The lobby is fairly large, has a few TV’s and lots of places to plug in. It's really nice to do work in. ||So as of now, if I were to need a hotel for a stay for either myself or with my family, I’m probably going with the Hyatt Place. The room at the Courtyard is a bit nicer, but the inability to control the temperature negates that. Valet parking as an option at the Courtyard is nice and is not an option at the Hyatt Place. I tend to not use valet in hotels like this though because I’m too impatient to wait. The lobby area of the Courtyard is nicer than the Hyatt Place. The workout rooms are a push for what I need. Sleep quality was better for me at the Hyatt Place due to no semi-trucks hauling mail (need better sound proofing for the windows) and being able to control the temperature at the Courtyard. Breakfast at the Hyatt Place was easier, better and didn’t feel as cheap. Easier because it was included and didn’t require me to have coupons that don’t cover the cost of the most basic of breakfasts. Better because the food was better and there were more options. Didn’t feel as cheap because while I know it was mass produced food, there was silverware and glasses used, not paper cups and plastic wrapped plastic.||That's not to say the CY is bad; not at all. The whole breakfast coupon thing is frustrating; that's not this CY's fault at all. Getting a bottle or two of water each day is nice as well; Hyatt Place does that, CY does not.||I haven’t ever stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn; maybe that will be my next stay...

Pros: Breakfast was amazing, our bed was insanely comfortable, plus it was really quiet here. Cons: Our view was of scaffolding but I realize that's a one-time thing. The shower control is in a terrible place. Location: So many restaurants, bars, coffee shops and shops. Movies are close by as well. Any sporting event or concert you can imagine. We have stayed in the Haymarket a number of times but this was our first visit to the Courtyard by Marriott. Most of the hotels in the area are new so the hotel is in fantastic condition (there's even still some construction going on on the outside of the hotel). But it's the little things we noticed that make this hotel stand out. 1) The outdoor patio. It seems to sit lower than street level a bit so it's quiet and secluded. It's cooled by water misters so you're comfortable even when it's hot. The lounge seating and ambient lighting are really great, especially after dark. There's also a fire place which is nice as well, though we didn't sit near it. This is a great spot for relaxing after dinner with a drink. 2) I LOVE the fruit-infused water in the lobby. I have visited other cities where this has become a "thing" and it's just a really great first impression. 3) The bathroom was spacious AND it sparkled! 4) The breakfast was fantastic. When you're given your breakfast pass upon check-in it seems like it won't be that great, but this was what put the Courtyard by Marriott over the top for me. My husband had a breakfast scramble and I had the ham/egg/cheese croissant. There was thought and effort put into our meal AND we didn't have to make it ourselves. Not to mention the man working in the Bistro checked on us more than once. No more waiting in line to make your own waffles or fight over what's left of the scrambled eggs! Choose this hotel, I doubt...

Everything about staying at the Courtyard by Marriott was a great and pleasant experience. My husband and I hadn't made plans to celebrate our anniversary and Valentine's day so I made us a reservation and bought tickets to a play. The Marriott sent me an email about their mobile app and I knew immediately that I had booked the right hotel. Everything was simple and convenient. From checking in on the app so that our room was ready when we got there, to leaving our key in the drop box while exiting their parking garage. The location was perfect as we could easily walk to both the theater and any number of bars and restaurants. The rooms were clean and upscale. The shower and beds especially were a dream. Though I didn't utilize them they offered hot tubs and an option on their mobile app which allowed you to request items like towels and toiletries without calling or going downstairs which I loved even though I didn't end up needing it. We had to leave early the next morning and I found our bill waiting for us under the door when I woke up which was very convenient. I checked out on the app and we were on our way quickly. Though we didn't use it they had a valet service for only a dollar more than using their parking garage. With parking so scarce (downtown) I really appreciated that their parking options were convenient and affordable. They had an on site bistro with a Starbucks as well as a small convenience store type place which I definitely would have used if we had stayed longer. I normally don't write reviews and I've never been a rewards member to a hotel before but the Marriott convinced me with their ease of use, beautiful clean rooms, and affordable price. Though I usually don't have a preference which hotel I stay in I'll be making an effort to choose Marriott...