Residence Inn by Marriott Ocean City — Hotel in Ocean City

Totally unprofessional staff and an extremely disappointing experience, especially considering the cost of the rooms. This hotel simply fails to meet the Marriott brand.

We were greeted by two people eating at the front desk, one speaking with food in his mouth. The guy eating the greasy bag of food was also very disrespectful with his attitude and tone, when confronted with our observations. He seemed to have a dismal demeanor and an excuse for everything. Seems like a failure in training, but I doubt training can fix his disposition.

Our room wasn't ready either, even though we had checked in online, so we went to the bar to wait. We passed by a handful of staff members as we walked to the bar. They were sitting around, talking and joking, in the common area. These staff members watched as we walked past and observed us as we sat down to the bar. We waited at the bar for a few minutes and, after no service or acknowledgement, went back to the front desk to ask if anyone was working - at which point the group of staff members dispersed. We then asked to speak with a manager.

The daytime manager (Maria) gave us the run around and made it clear this is the most unprofessional staff we have encountered in our travels. "Sorry" is a sorry word, and there is no excuse for the behaviors we observed, or the terrible service, considering we are staying at this place for $600+ per night. The daytime manager offered us $50 off our bill, but we paid in advance, so I am wondering how that will work - but I am not going to hold my breath. After attempting to follow-up on the issue, Maria is avoiding my calls and hasn't called back. Another example of the poor customer service that one wouldn't expect from a Marriott hotel.

My wife and I have been to many hotels in our travels, but none with a staff this bad. I have never been to a hotel where someone was eating a greasy bag of food at the front desk either, which was both unbelievable and unbecoming. The staff at this hotel act as if they are the ones on vacation, and it's hard to fathom they are getting paid by Marriott to carry on this way. This all comes down to a failure in management and a total lack of oversight.

The one bright spot amongst the hotel staff was Zina. We also really enjoyed the brand ambassador from Wine Water, who had set up a tasting table in the lobby. Ben, at the front desk, was also good. If only the rest of the staff we encountered were half as decent as them, our feelings about this place would be vastly different.

Sadly, once we were finally able to check into our room, the bathroom wasn't clean. It looks like they hadn't cleaned it at all, probably because they were downstairs fraternizing instead of working. There were smudges on the mirror and dirt on the floor. The washcloth had a long strand of hair on it. There are also stains on the walls and the bedroom had dirt on the floor. The toilet hardly flushes and the AC doesn't seem to work either. This hotel is in extremely poor condition, even though it looks nice on the surface and has great views of the bay. Maintenance is severely lacking.

Breakfast is decent and the crew running it does a great job, under the current circumstances with Covid. You are served food in a buffet-style line. Selections are as expected with a hotel breakfast, so it's not a real reason to stay.

In short - this place is not worth your time or your hard earned money. There are much nicer hotel and rental options in the area, with much better staff and clean rooms. Do yourself a favor and avoid this place!

It is also evident, from the "owners" response to other guests with poor experiences, that they do not care about fixing the issues at this hotel. A stock response about 'striving to provide a clean atmosphere' or 'good service' is...

The hotel has many great amenities, but they were never available.

We asked to turn the fire pit on (gas line connected), and they said no.

What's the point of the kayaks if no one can use them?

The tiki bar wasn't open because someone didn't show up for their shift most of our stay! Would have loved to utilize this more as it was right on the bay and had a gorgeous view! Kermit made the WORST orange crush I ever had in OCMD or anywhere. This was all after he boasted that he's known for his fantastic crushes. The man used Florida Natural OJ! That is NOT how you make a crush!!

Moving on. I had stopped housekeeping to ask to borrow a broom to clean up some sand from the floor, as I would be happy to sweep up the mess. She told me she would take care of it when we left. I showed her the dog was locked in his crate, and she said okay I'll be right back. We left, and when we returned, the mess was still there. She never came back, so the mess remained for our entire stay.

2 elevators is not enough to move people sufficiently through the building. There is a long wait time for an elevator, especially during high traffic times! The staff/freight elevator is shared with staff, not a deal breaker, but it makes it harder to get an elevator when you are trying to get somewhere quickly.

Having the option of a free breakfast buffet is a money saver! It's not the best as options never changed day-to-day!

Outdoor Grills were NEVER clean. GROSS!

The grounds were a mess! There was no one patrolling the grounds for litter. The same garbage remained outside around the grounds for our entire stay. The grass was super high, which made it harder to pick up after the dog. Learned quickly too that most guests don't pick up after their dogs (shame on them), but if the hotel already knows this is a common complaint they should have someone inspecting the grounds daily especially at a dog friendly hotel. Some guests allowed their dogs to pee on the main entrance walk ways (again shame on them), but hotel staff should have power washed or dumbed a bucket of water over it especially when it was under a covered area of the walkway where the rain did not reach! It seemed like the grounds/landscaping were not considered at all.

All of our dishes, pots, pans, glasses, and silverware were disgusting, so we had to run in dishwasher. Someone in housekeeping should check the cabinets to ensure these items are clean prior to new guests checking in. We did not use half of what they provided us with, but we did ensure to load everything in the dishwasher and ran a cycle as we walked out to checkout.

Positives: Views are great by pool/tiki bar and from rooms! Loved the extended walkway/pier off the pool area! Room was clean when we arrived minus dishes, etc. Staff was friendly Location was great Was quiet at night, which was great Breakfast was okay Was cool that they had 2 pools as the indoor pool was great...

What a lovely Marriott! The staff here are all absolutely wonderful to interact with, and are all very well trained. One complaint that is mainly the fault of Marriott itself and not the hotel is the confusing app. We were promised an early check in and a late check out by the app, but we learned that we got neither when we got there. Not the fault of the hotel, but I felt as if I should include it in this review for those who might come across the same problem. Make sure to call the hotel to double check! While we were waiting to check in, we went to the outdoor pool area. The Tiki Bar was delightful, the food and drink were both of high quality. The only big complaint I have about the tiki bar is its close proximity to the pool. I would constantly get splashed by children jumping and splashing in the pool, and by adults throwing a football. This isn't all the hotel's fault, but either an adults only section, a splash barrier, or a larger distance from the pool itself could have prevented this issue. The pool itself is also pathetically small considering the size of the hotel. This is somewhat understandable given the location, but it still doesn't fully excuse how small the pool is. I ended up going to the indoor pool on the 8th floor, and I was underwhelmed there as well. The pool was around the size of a hot tub in most other hotels, and it would've been a lot less enjoyable if it weren't for the fact that nobody else was using the indoor pool at the time. I can only imagine what it's like up there on a rainy day. The hours for the pools are good (indoor 10AM-10PM, outdoor 9AM-10PM). I'd love to comment on the quality of the chairs, but there are barely any down at the outdoor area on any given day, so there were no seats available by the time I got there. The rooms are of very high quality. The shower's water pressure was divine, the bayside view from the little balconies connected to the rooms are gorgeous, and the tap water had no issues. Ice is readily available on multiple floors which is always a plus. The only complaint I have regarding the rooms is the fact that two of my family members woke up extremely sore all over after sleeping in the beds. This might just be a coincidence, but I felt like it was still worth noting. The breakfast staff were absolutely lovely, but the food was just okay. The complementary coffee is easy to access and use, and it's of decent quality. There are only two elevators in the entire place which makes using them an absolute nightmare during busy hours of the day. Use of the elevators was pretty necessary for me considering the fact that I was staying on the eighth floor. Other than the areas that are a bit small for the size of the hotel, the place is great for a quick stay...