Residence Inn by Marriott Memphis Downtown — Hotel in Memphis

Great hotel if you enjoy the ceiling falling on you in bed and the smell of mold. I stayed in three different rooms during my three-month stay on insurance, and all showed signs of water damage. Front desk attendant Ima acted as if this is commonplace, with no offer of assistance in changing rooms to a long-term guest with many belongings. Yes, there’s a rooftop patio (no bar, no tv anymore) and yes, the hotel is well-located as far as downtown Memphis with some of the staff being friendlier than usual, but the hotel falls absolutely flat on value, service, and amenities.

Rooms are clean enough but noisy with soft, worn mattresses (the smallest “queen” size I’ve ever encountered) and poor design choices. Unless you’re a child, don’t expect to be comfortable using the sofa beds. Closets are useless, bathroom lighting is terrible, bathroom vents are inoperable, and the showers are very narrow, even for a slim person.

Breakfast is on par with that of bad public schools—everything is prepackaged, even the waffles. Perhaps if they didn’t allow every city employee in off the street to partake, they might save enough money to offer a suitable breakfast for this price point.

Housekeeping is good, if you can get it. The hotel operates on a 24-hour notice for housekeeping. Even when given the notice, it’s iffy whether or not you’ll receive it when scheduled. You’re more likely to receive a written note under your door from the housekeeping manager rather than any offer of assistance.

Valet (at a whopping $29/night) is inefficient to say the least. The ramping area holds about four vehicles (for a nearly 100 room hotel) and is often clogged with people parking for the Starbucks or anywhere else really—there is zero management of this area. In fact my first experience at the hotel was of a full valet area, and, finding no other option than to double park, received a gruff “you in a bad spot” from valet Elmo, who I would come to learn is the most miserable and unhelpful employee at the hotel. Later, upon receiving my car from valet plastered with a booting notice sticker and paper ticket, Elmo’s only response was, “don’t ask me. I just get the car.” Most helpful. With the number of transient individuals hanging around the exterior of the hotel panhandling, you’d expect at the very least an outdoor valet stand to exert some measure of control and safety at the entrance of the hotel.

In the end, the hotel is way overpriced at $200+/night total but if you must stay, my best recommendations as a local are to schedule housekeeping before your arrival if you’re staying for a short period, enjoy any of the fantastic local restaurants within walking distance for breakfast, request upper floor rooms ending in “03” as these are the only rooms that face north (away from street noise) and have no adjacent rooms, and to find alternate parking than the hotel valet. Pro tip: valet cars are parked in the First Place garage around the corner where you can self park for cheaper. Or better yet, take your chances on the street, where parking is free north of Monroe Ave. 6pm-8am Mon.-Sat. and all day Sunday, and where there is very little enforcement anytime—a very rare expired meter ticket being a...

We chose the Residence Inn based on reviews as well as the fact that we are Bonvoy members and like to stay at Marriotts. They have a consistency and quality that we like. The Residence Inns all have a kitchenette and separate seating area in the rooms, which we also like. We booked two rooms as we are a family of four attending a wedding. The second room was for my son and daughter who are both young adults. It was disappointing that we were unable to get a room with two queen beds, even reserving it fairly far in advance. It seems that rooms with two queens at this hotel are much more expensive; even more so than a King corner room. So we went with the single queen plus a sofa bed for my adult kids. Not ideal but it worked ok for my son and daughter to share a room. Rooms are very nice, clean, and sanitized. Remotes all come with a fresh plastic cover so you don't have to touch the last person's germs. Kitchen was a full kitchen with stove, microwave, and full size refrigerator. Also has a Keurig coffee maker which is nice. Our room was a corner king that fronted on Monroe and Main, with a nice view of the Mississippi River. There is also a lovely rooftop terrace with incredible views as well. A few things about the room that were a disappointment: 1) only one small bar of soap was supplied, so we had to keep moving it back and forth between the shower stall and sink. 2) No supplies like cotton balls, q-tips, shower cap, etc. were available. 3) Housekeeping only cleans once a week, so if you are there for a few days, there are no changes of sheets or towels. I think a week is way too long to go without cleaning, but for our weekend stay it was not an issue. 4) there was dirt and dust bunnies under the bed 5) No one to help with luggage at front door. Front door is locked and you have to have a key or ring bell to get in. 6) the free breakfast was in a very tiny room and much more limited in food than most Residence Inns. 7) Fitness room was very tiny and sign outside said only one person at a time or one family group could use it. On the plus side, I will say, the staff was very nice, very pleasant and professional. Everyone always said hello and good morning. The rooms are very nice and spacious with two TV's, and nice sitting area. Location is excellent, although if you need to park a car you will have to park in a nearby garage. No onsite parking. We would recommend this place and would definitely stay there again despite some minor...

I was traveling on business and even discussed with the manager the possibility of being a host hotel in the future as I was enjoying my stay.

Prior to checking out, I checked with valet the night before to ensure someone would be available at 3AM as I had an early flight to catch. I was endured that I only needed to call downstairs and my vehicle would be ready in 10 mins. At 3AM the next morning, I was unable to reach anyone at valet or the front desk. I went downstairs and no one was available. The front desk person appeared and I was told her name was Jennifer. She said she couldn’t find the valet person. I expressed my dissatisfaction and concern since I had a flight to catch and let her know I would be sharing my experience with the manager. She responded “that’s fine. I’m going to call my Supervisor.” After speaking with the Supervisor, she stated they would refund my valet charge for the night and I could go find my own car.” I let her know that wasn’t my responsibility and as a guest, I wasn’t sure where the car was located since valet parked it. Not once did she offer to go get my vehicle.

I’m the interim, a young lady came in the hotel from outside and said she was looking for her cousin who was a guest as well. The front desk employee asked the name of the guest and gave the room number to the lady and told her she could go to the room. Imagine my concern for my safety when they are giving strangers guest information.

At this point not only did I want to hurry and catch my flight but I anxiously wanted to get to safety.

The front desk representative proceeded to tell me her Supervisor would come to the hotel to find my car but it would take 30 minutes.

After one hour of waiting and attempting to get my car, the valet person appeared. The front desk employee handed him my keys and advised me they would comp me for one night. I asked what Eva you she was comping, as I only wanted clarity on if it was the valet fee or room. She rolled her eyes and was still holding the phone to her ear as if she was still in the phone with the Supervisor. I asked her “mam why are you rolling your eyes,” as I couldn’t believe I was the guest being inconvenienced yet she was the one showing unprofessionalism. I barely made my flight. I would not recommend this hotel. As a rewards member, this was one of the worst experiences I had...