Residence Inn by Marriott Little Rock Downtown — Hotel in Little Rock

Brace yourself here! It’s a detailed review! I would like to start back a few months ago when the general Manager Amber had to make what I would think … a nerve wracking call. It happened. They over booked on the night of Harry Styles!!! However! What did she do? Refunded our money, made reservations at another hotel and the room was as free! What did that enable us to do ?? Buy a few more awesome things at the concert! Now, let’s move onto the present. There are not to many things worse than when you are in an unfamiliar area and nervous about pending doctors visits. Emotional wife here in 100% advocating mode .. I contact the hotel. I had some specific questions regarding certain accommodations. If one did not know the answer it was quickly escalated to someone who would. The last person we spoke to on the phone and the first person to great us that late evening when we arrived was Ms. Amber. Where to start… Amber was simply and genuinely so so kind. We initially laughed at the phone call she anxiously had to make regarding the reservations having to be changed for the night of the concert but quickly reminded her as to why we came back to this hotel. It was because she went above and beyond to simply fix the problem. Ahhh sweet ownership and integrity! Our hotel room is fabulous. We could not ask for a nicer room. Clean and had everything we needed to lessen the anxiety we already have because of why we are even here. After a very very long day and many of emotions later we arrive back to the hotel. My husband went to rest and I went downstairs to grab some items. Once in a while I feel folks come across individuals that can immediately Make you feel so comfortable around them that your guard goes down and without judgment enables you to be emotionally vulnerable. Amber did just that. My eyes teared up from exhaustion and fear and she said. “You have been on my mind and I am so glad you came down. What can I do to help you feel Just a bit better?” Her words were not profound they were just considerate and genuine. She is the best example of not only customer service but truly caring about the folks staying here . It is EVIDENT she takes pride in being here. So, Amber, thank you. Thank you for the kindness you showed a stranger. Thank You for easing the anxiety already associated to this damn trip in the first place. I realize this isn’t necessarily the platform to express so many emotions , however, (being a therapist myself) and when faced with times when you are grasping at straws to find grace in the first place, when you have to be away from home. There isn’t much that can compare but when you stay here st this hotel and you are greeted with kindness and grace it certainly can make it just a little bit better. So! Thank you to house cleaning , our room is so well kept and clean . Thank you to the gentleman who initially took my call on 1/16 , then Alana the next morning when it was suggested I call back and Amber Thank you. My husband and I are grateful for your kindness. He and I are both in the community serving field. Like so many others we are emotionally exhausted by seeing so many people in so much pain related to COVID. So, having to be away from our children and riddled in worry, we appreciate the The Residence Inn and everyone who works so hard to make the stay here safe, clean, and as close to home as it can be.

-Mary...

Front desk representative unfamiliar with check-in process. 10 minutes standing waiting for him to check me in. Booked room unavailable and stated would upgrade me to suite. This suite was directly next to an active construction site adjacent to the property. When returned to desk, clerk was MIA for around 15 minutes - another guest sitting next to the desk advised me he would be back in awhile and asked if he could help me instead. Upon return, clerk pretended to not be aware of active all night construction zone even though he had left his post to get something to eat at a restaurant across the street crossing the construction. Agreed to re-book me on other side of hotel - another 15 minutes of fighting with the booking system the clerk offers a different room one floor above and same side of hotel. No offer was made to re-book at any of the other 3 Marriott branded hotels in the city that do not have all day/night construction next to them. I'm a Gold member and this was the last straw. Flood lights and heavy earth movers which shook the hotel (even on the 3rd floor) so severely the appliances and dishes rattled all night. Absolutely inexcusable that the hotel had that wing open at all. They should've negotiated with the construction company to compensate directly instead of putting guests in the middle of that mess. I don't know if it was COVID or just a general lack of accountability toward franchise owners but Marriott quality has suffered significantly since I have traveled frequently for work. It's obviously time to find a more discerning hotel chain.

Halls were not kept clean, stained floors in multiple areas of 1st floor guest common area behind lobby, second floor hallway, third floor hallways. Stairs were full of dirt and rocks. In first room in second floor suite, stained kitchen floor secondary to leaking refrigeration unit and 3rd floor room had candy wrappers, dog food and gum wrappers on floor.

Parking lot entrance door handle broken, leaving facility unsecured. In third floor room, refrigerator rear cooling grate rattled continuously. Blinds would not shut all the way. Beds seemed beyond useful life with lumps, stains, and severely stressed coiled springs. To these and other issues clerk mentioned that he has been having difficulty getting maintenance to repair work orders and there are many open across the hotel.

If previous recent reviews are any indication, the hotel manager will respond to this review and state that construction is all around the city - that is not true - it is only directly next to the hotel. Additionally, if you look through recent reviews on google and other sites you will see that these are ongoing issues with this hotel specifically. I was a fool and trusted the 4.5 stars on google. Perhaps in the past is is true but they have serious work to accomplish to get back there if those ratings weren't paid for by ratings bots in the first place. If you must stay here, do not allow them to place you in any even numbered room, after discussion with the construction crew it will be a few more weeks of all day/night construction. Good...

I typically have great experiences when booking a Marriott property through my Bonvoy app. But this time, we were not as lucky. As we closed our spring break vacation, a family of 5 wanted to stay somewhere, we could spread out a little before continuing the 7-hour drive home. We only book hotels with higher ratings; this one was the most expensive, costing $381 per night. When we pay nearly $400 a night for a place, we have a certain level of expectation. You want it to be nice, clean, with friendly staff, I mean at the very least, right? The Residence Inn offered my family none of those things. I walk inside to check in because they are not accepting my Mobil check-in. I find the desk clerk sitting back in the break room, hesitating even to get up and assist me; when she finally gets to the counter, she looks at me like what do you want, I said I was checking in, and she bluntly said name? I gave her my name, giving me a sarcastic look. How do you spell it? I told her as she groaned that I was disrupting her break. Then, abruptly asked are you parking? Yes, we will park our vehicle in the hotel parking lot; what is it? I tell her, she says color? I tell her, as she's making our key cards, I'm looking around at trash on the floor; the place looks run down. She says breakfast is 7-9:30, and there's your keys. I asked if they had luggage carts, and she said you didn't see them there? Oh, I'm sorry I was too distracted by your overwhelming customer service. We load up and proceed to the elevators to be greeted by more filth. We get to our floor, and I smell mildew in the hallway. I opened the door to our room to a more foul mildew smell; all the furniture was beaten up, hotel phones were missing cords so unusable, the fridge made a loud ticking noise, the drawers were hanging open, and the place looked disgusting. I searched high and low for extra bedding for my 14-year-old son on the pullout sofa; there wasn't any, so I called downstairs for additional bedding; she said to get it. I said I'm sorry. Did you say someone is bringing it? She said no, you can send someone down to get more bedding if needed. Oh, I thought that's what you said; I just wanted to ensure I heard you correctly. As it was time to get ready for bed, I went to wash my face to find dirty rags folded on the shelf with long strands of gray hairs on them; needless to say, I had to dry my face with my clothing. After seeing dirty towels, I refused to shower as I didn't pack any towels to dry off with. The paper-thin down comfortable was stained yellow; I decided I had no choice but to sleep with my entire body armed from head to toe, as I did not want bed bugs. The bed was so awful I could feel every metal coil beneath me; every time I turned, the squeaking woke my husband up. We finally couldn't stand it anymore and were out by 6 am. I can't believe we fell for the trap of more space and a high price tag, thinking it would be too par. Steer clear of the Residence Inn in downtown...