Residence Inn by Marriott New York Manhattan/Times Square — Hotel in New York

We stayed at the Residence Inn Marriott Downtown Manhattan for two nights in June 2023, and while there were some positive aspects of our stay, we encountered several issues that hindered our overall experience at the hotel.

Parking was easy. The garage is adjacent to the hotel, you drive up, unload, and the parking attendant gives you a ticket to take to the front desk. When you checkout, take the ticket to the front desk, and they'll call for your car to be brought out front. It was a really smooth process.

When we got in to check in, there was no one at the front desk. However, the staff member who eventually arrived was friendly and accommodating. We were upgraded to a king suite from our originally booked queen suite, which was a nice surprise.

However, once we settled into the room, we discovered a few issues. We needed more towels and linens for the sofa bed, but our attempts to reach the front desk using the room phone were unsuccessful as the button on the menu connected us to another guest room. We then tried calling housekeeping but received no answer. Eventually, we had to contact the hotel operator to resolve our request.

The following day, we experienced issues with the toilet's slow flushing. Again, our attempts to contact the front desk were unsuccessful. The voicemail of housekeeping was our only option, forcing us to involve the operator once more. While housekeeping eventually arrived to clean the room, they seemed unaware of the toilet issue despite our previous report.

Upon returning to the room later, we discovered that it had been only partially cleaned, and we still did not have an adequate supply of towels for our party, BUT the toilet was fixed and we didn't have anymore issues with it.

The most bothersome thing was that later that evening, we encountered small crawling bugs in the kitchenette. We didn't have any food out, so it was a bit strange. We wiped the counters down with our own disinfectant wipes and called the hotel operator to send someone up. A maintenance worker arrived with Clorox wipes and wiped down the counters (even though we already did that. He identified the bugs as fruit flies. But...they weren't flies at all (which was obvious because they weren't flying). A quick Google search suggests they were actually a type of ant.

At checkout, we made sure to share our concerns about the bugs and the ongoing phone communication issues with the staff at the front desk, so hopefully they address those issues before the next guest checks into that room.

The elevators in the hotel were notably slow, which is somewhat expected in a tall building. But it definitely resulted in very long waits for the elevator.

During breakfast hours, the continental breakfast area was extremely crowded when we visited at 9:30 AM. I recommend arriving earlier to avoid the chaos. Furthermore, there was an incident where a non-guest managed to enter the buffet area on the 3rd floor. It was clear that proper access control and monitoring were lacking, as the man had apparently been previously removed from the premises a few weeks before. The breakfast staff did ask him to leave and called security, but it was odd that he was able to make it all the way to the 3rd floor when the exterior entrances are supposedly controlled access.

The sofa bed was very uncomfortable. It lacked support, and the springs could be felt. Providing access to a mattress topper would greatly enhance the comfort and quality of sleep for guests utilizing the sofa bed.

As loyal Marriott customers, this was our first experience staying at a Marriott hotel in Manhattan. I hope that the management takes these concerns seriously and addresses them promptly to ensure a better experience for...

Unsanitary, Poor Service, Broken AC, No Running Water

I would give zero stars, but I have to give at least one to post this review.

I have only written a review once, and that was for exceptional service, but I am incredibly angry by how my mom and I were treated this weekend when staying at the Residence Inn New York Manhattan/Times Square. I am in my 50s and my mom is in her 70s. Upon arrival my mom's need for help with her luggage was ignored. It was 95 degrees outside and when we got to our room the heat was on and it was 78 degrees inside the space. We adjusted the thermostat, assumed that would fix it, and went out for the evening. When we returned for the night, the temperature was 77 degrees. It was brutally hot all evening even though the AC was running. I could not sleep. We had secured a room at the rate of $470 for two people for one night with a bed and a sleeper sofa. When we opened the sofa it was full of food from past residents and the "mattress" was basically some woven wire with a sheet sewn over it. This would be bad enough, but the worst was yet to come. Upon awakening at 7:00 am, we found there was no running water - we could not shower, brush our teeth, or use the restroom. When we called the staff informed us that there was a "situation" and they would let us know when water was restored. We waited an hour and called again. We were told to go to the third floor where breakfast was being served and that "there had not yet been complaints from that floor." When we got to the third floor the breakfast room was full of people being served food prepared on site, even though the host told us "we can't wash dishes as there is no running water," and "please feel free to continue to use the restrooms on this floor just realize they can't be flushed.” At this point we decided to check out early and assumed we would find some compassion. When I noted that I assumed I would not have to pay full price for the room, the staff member looked surprised and said "why?" I explained all of the above. He got the manager. She noted that we had only checked in the day before so our inconvenience could not have been that great, suggested that we were lying about the hot room, and noted that "I realize we all want to shower in the morning when we get up," but suggested it was not a big deal. My mom and I have enjoyed our visits to NY for the past 20 years and one reason we love having a hotel room in the thick of the action is so that we have easy access to a restroom - anyone who has been in NYC for more than a few hours understands that need. It is absurd that I was explaining that I had a right to the service I had paid for. When we expressed concern that individuals were being served food from a facility in which there was no running water to cook and serve food, she chuckled a bit and said, "of course they can wash their hands," while also explaining that the hotel shares a water tank with the apartment complex next door and that the whole building had no water. Customers were trying to walk to stores nearby to purchase clean water and use the bathroom. This manager suggested she could take $40 off of my total bill of $470 or give me some points. Insulting. A Google search during this nightmare made me aware of a new campaign unveiled by Marriott a few months ago. They are working to cut costs and conserve water and have begun what they call the "If it's Yellow Let it Mellow, If it's Brown Flush It Down" campaign in which they encourage customers not to flush the toilets - interesting. I'm thoroughly disgusted and will continue to work to get...

We typically love Marriott and are spoiled with great customer service - the executive lounges, early check-in, welcome baskets, free upgrades, bedside water bottles ... For the record, we typically have ambassador service that will make all arrangements and it's important to note that it is due to frequent stays and the money spent that we are at this level. As a result of our frequent usage, this stay was on points, but it shouldn't matter as this is one of the perks of frequently using Marriott. Typically service is spectacular so I feel I need to ask ... Why is NYC so different?

Called the day prior to arrival to arrange for early check in and, typical to our Marriott stays, we would be granted an upgrade, have a welcome basket left for us, etc. Not here. Arrived at 1pm and was told to come back at 4pm. This is odd because they typically were cleaning rooms between 10am-noon so why wouldn't a room be available?

The room was dated. Paint in the bathroom and the condition of the mirror was actually quite funny. The couch cushions sank in so deep the frame cut the circulation off your thighs after a few minutes but worked well to keep our opened luggage secure. The deadbolt lock didn't work. There were three switches by the door - one turned on a light the other two - no idea. There were no sanitizer wipes in our room which I thought were in all hotels, everywhere. All that said, the room was clean and the bed was comfortable and that was all we needed for our five night stay. Did we need the free beers, snacks, fridge magnets, typical of our welcome basket? No, but some bottled water would have been nice. (PSA: Be careful where you buy your bottled water - street vendor try to sell opened water bottles nearby!)

The elevators were super slow, I get it, there are 34 floors, that's a lot of people, while better than doing the stairs, it took a long time and was often packed by the time you reached the lobby. Not many people wear masks.

The gentleman in charge of the breakfast lounge was very attentive and seemed proud - as he should be. He was quick to run for peanut butter for some sweet children searching for it and quick to grab our dirty plates to clean up. The food was typical of free breakfast. You had to go early as it gets chaotic around 8am but the view was nice if you managed to get a window seat.

The gentlemen in charge of storing your luggage if you arrived early was very kind. The lady dishing out popcorn in the evening was super sweet. The lady that cleaned our room equally as lovely.

The location of this hotel is awesome. Right across from Bryant Park, NYC library, quick walk to Times Square, Central Park and the theatres. Lots of great places for a coffee and pastry and nice restaurants. The subway is close by. Ubers right there.

Would I be upset spending $500 per night for our five night stay for said room? ...