New York LaGuardia Airport Marriott — Hotel in New York

On October 1, 2022, I had just completed a long car ride to New York City for a series of business meetings there and in Boston. My first event was for a civil rights dinner at the LaGuardia Marriott, so I went there first. I went early for another reason. About a week prior, I had called the Ditmars Bar and Grill, located in the hotel, to confirm that I could watch a football game I was interested in. A polite guy said it would be no problem, since they used DirectTV and definitely carried the game. I have made similar arrangements dozens of times--buy some food, watch the game, and carry on.

I entered the hotel at around 8 or 8:30 am. It could've been as late as 9. I went to the restroom, then spoke to a lady I would later know is named Zadonna, who is the manager. I did not know her prior to this brief conversation. I asked her if I could get the wifi password for the banquet facility,  since I was helping at the civil rights event at 4 pm. It was many hours before the banquet,  so she directed me to the public wifi (which requires a room number). And that was the entirety of our interaction.

Our conversation was professional. She handled my (honestly, not-so-smart) question politely,  and there were no issues. I slipped on my backpack,  checked out the menu at the Ditmars Bar and Grill, went to see if they had an ice maker that most hotels do, and returned to my car to take some calls.

Around 10 minutes before the noon game, I returned to the restaurant and asked a young lady working there where I could sit and watch. The bar-side of the restaurant had exactly one couple. At some point, Zadonna had come from the front desk behind us and asked what was going on before the young lady could make arrangements. I told her that I wanted to watch the game, which wasn't currently on any of the televisions in the bar area. Zadonna then told me that they would not change the channel. I turned to the young lady, but she said that Zadonna was in charge. I explained to Zadonna that I called about a week ago and confirmed that I could watch the game. I also told her my intention to pay for a meal. Just before she could answer, the barman said it would be no problem to change the channel, but Zadonna cut him off to say it couldn't be done. When I asked why, she just repeated that they could not change the channel. Finally,  I asked for alternatives,  and Zadonna directed me into the rain to another hotel. At no point did anyone involved raise their voice or use course language, but by the end, I was clearly exasperated.

I find it hard to believe that this is the actual policy of the restaurant or the LaGuardia Marriott. It is plainly silly to not fulfill a pedestrian request like mine so long as seated patrons aren't inconvenienced, and there were virtually no patrons. But Zadonna's insistence on this likely fictitious policy was even more odd. Instead of cutting into her employer's overhead and having me gladly buy an overpriced Caesar salad or whatever, she decided to stick by a plainly ridiculous idea and send me into the rain to a competitor.

It's not just that Zadonna failed in her hospitality. It's that she acted cruelly, to her employer's detriment, and without provocation. It was surreal to see someone go out of their way to screw someone else like that.

The only thing I can think of is that she made some assumptions about me when I identified myself as a participant at the civil rights event. That was literally her only source of information. But I don't know Zadonna, and our interactions were limited to that point. Bigotry is a very serious accusation, one I have never put into a review before. But I am hard-pressed to find an alternative explanation.

Zadonna was right about one thing. The Element Restaurant at the LaGuardia Plaza is wonderful. I can't recommend...

The location of the hotel is five star because it is so close to the airport. When my mom and I arrived at the hotel, they gave us a room that we did not book. I booked two queen size beds with wheelchair accessible a week in advance. They gave us a one queen size bed wheelchair accessible. The staff was attentive and quickly resolved this issue. It was just annoyed because we were both exhausted and was anxious to get to the room. The restaurant setup was weird. The seating of the restaurant was in the lobby of the hotel. The food was excellent. I had buffalo wings, onion soup and po boy shrimp sandwich. My mom had vegetable soup and basmati rice. We both enjoyed our meals. The buffalo chicken wings were perfectly made crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The servers were pleasant and attentive. My only criticism was if you're serving a beverage and food please bring napkins and straws. Also at dinner I requested a diet Pepsi and it was served in a very small glass I had to ask for four refills. Breakfast was ok. I loved their bacon it was very crispy but the eggs appear watery. For lunch I received a large glass of soda which was shocking because I was thinking why wasn't I offered this before. The menu was the same for both lunch and dinner. No breakfast options like an omelette.I couldn't imagine staying here multiple nights with the same menu. To make the hotel a little more interesting they should offer cocktail night. Overall the hotel experience was good but don't expect a five star experience. By the way I was told to come down to the front desk to pick up a travel toothbrush. They were unable to deliver this to my room. The housekeeping staff and servers spoke very little English which was frustrating when you...

The Marriott La Guardia provided a wonderful opportunity for participants in the TCS New York City Marathon to have shuttle service to the expo and start of the race. The automated wake up call was really nice and the bed was really comfortable. The lobby area is also well kept and all the participants running the race were super friendly and nice. I really like NYC and Queens, so these services just made the entire experience much better.

The things not so great about the hotel were really unfortunate though. Prior to arriving in NY, the hotel did not provide a confirmation number. They kept saying it would be provided upon check-in arrival, which was stressful because I never really had written confirmation from the hotel that I was staying there. Only Anthony Travel provided e-mail confirmation. Upon arrival, the front desk and manager told me I would not have complimentary internet access as a Marriott Rewards Member because I booked through a travel agency rather than directly through the hotel. The hotel does not provide complimentary breakfast, and even usually charges for tea. There was no refrigerator in the room, so I could not store food. The hotel charged $50 each day for incidentals and pulled it from my account ahead of time, only to reimburse about 4 days later.

Friday when I checked in, one of their cleaning service men came into my room while I was in it and after the room was already cleaned. It was very uncomfortable. It showed a lack of order on the hotels part.

If the items that were not so great could be improved upon, especially as a hotel provided by the race, then the entire experience will be that much...