Residence Inn by Marriott Fort Lauderdale Pompano Beach Central — Hotel in Pompano Beach

Booked the hotel through Priceline to stay three nights over Thanksgiving weekend.

Hotel is clean, but upon checking in at 1 AM, we weren’t really given much information about the hotel (we were given our room number and the location of the elevators…) I asked if we should stay parked up in the front or if we should go around back. (Again, it was 1 AM, we arrived in the dark, and I didn’t know that there was no parking in the back.) That’s when we were told that parking was only in the front (not true, there is a small side lot, as well) and that it was $4.14 per day. WTF? This is not a city hotel by any stretch of the imagination. I have no idea why they’re charging anything for parking. (Just add it to the price of the room, and leave me alone! It’s not like there’s any mass transit around here, so the only two ways to get here would be by your own car or using a ride service like Uber or Lyft.)

Next piece of information we were NOT given: housekeeping only comes every other day… Which would’ve been nice to know when we checked in, or when I went downstairs the next morning to get change to be able to tip the housekeeper… (But they’re cash free here, so they couldn’t break a 20… So I asked, “how am I supposed to tip a housekeeper, then?” The guy just looked at me and shrugged, and said, “Sorry about that”. So I walked away. Again, though, he could’ve told me that housekeeping wouldn’t be coming anyway since it only came every other day.) So it wasn’t until we got back to the hotel after being out all day to find the bed unmade and dirty towels on the floor - that we found out about the housekeeping.

So, item number three… If housekeeping only comes every other day then why are there only three towels in the room? There should be at least two days worth if nobody’s going to come up.

And about that… The room phone was broken, so we couldn’t even call down to ask for additional towels, and had to go down ourselves. (Again, total first world issue… But why didn’t we know?) Just now got back from our second day out, to find towels on the floor, still, and the bed still unmade. Had to use my cell phone to call down to the front desk, because even though we had maintenance come up to repair the toilet that stopped working in the middle of the night, tell us that the light by the bedside could not be fixed (as the fixtures don’t allow for bulbs to be replaced) and that he had to go to another room to check the phone… But I guess it just still doesn’t work… So… Too bad?

When I called down to the front desk, the receptionist was very kind, and said that there was still one housekeeper on staff, as it is 3:30 in the afternoon, and said that she would send her over for a refresh. Thankfully, I’m headed back out, and was able to tell her not to send her immediately… But I have no idea why the room wasn’t cleaned in the first place. (I saw a cart down the hall when we left this morning and we never had our DND sign on the door, which she asked about.)

Lastly, the bed is hard as a rock. Thankfully, we’re so exhausted that it doesn’t really matter. And we’re only here one...

I have stayed in many Marriott properties over the past few years, and in my lifetime. The difference now is that I am a Bonvoy member.

Of all of the properties I’ve stayed at, this one was by far the worst.

The staff were nice. They just weren’t around. When you have 1 front desk staff working a sold out weekend, I guess I shouldn’t really expect much…and that’s exactly what we got. NOT MUCH.

Checked in on a Friday afternoon. Noticed there were 0 linens / pillows for the pull out sofa. We were given just a thin blanket and top sheet, and told pillows would be dropped off to the room. That never happened. I had even gone back to the front desk on Saturday morning AND put the request in on the app. Nobody ever brought anything to us. Also, that mattress on the sleep sofa was absolutely disgusting, so my friend slept on the sofa (not the sofa-bed) with just that sheet, the thin blanket, and a pillow I gave from my bed.

I want to also point out that the room was clearly not “tidied” up before our arrive or they would’ve 1) seen that there’s was hardly any toilet paper on the roll, and 2) put a spare roll. It was only by pure coincidence that I brought 2 rolls from home. They never cleaned our room once…and we didn’t even have a “do not disturb” sign to hang on the door.

I think my friend and I cleaned the room better than any employee there. We took out the trash and ran the dishwasher.

The location of the hotel was ok. It’s nothing scenic but it’s just because it’s in an industrial park.

The pool was cold and the bbq grill was out of service. Pretty sure the fire pit was out of service too.

One other issue I had with this location was the parking lot is too small to handle the load when the hotel is busy. They had me park next to the dumpster.

They were very happy to tell us that free breakfast was included. Don’t get too excited. It’s fairly lacking and there’s an IHOP a few minutes away. At least the manager who was there on Sunday was super nice. My friend and I were waiting for a large group to leave and she cleared / cleaned a table for us personally, and then even offered to make / bring me a coffee so I didn’t have to get up again. That was nice.

So, to recap:

Pros - Good Size Room. Quiet location. Friendly manager / staff. Not too far from some attractions / parks. Close to Tri-Rail station (and since they don’t sound horns at that crossing, you’re not disturbed).

Cons - Staff mostly absent. Lack of linens after multiple requests. Sofa mattress filthy. Too many items out of service (ie: bbq grill / fire pit). Small parking lot. Less than impressive...

First and foremost this is a three star hotel as listed but it is ran like it is a Five Star property all day all night. I have spent time in many Marriott residence, Inn, as well as other facilities that they have. This facility is centrally located in to all the major areas of South Florida. Almost everything that you need is within 15 minutes from the facility, including the beach, shopping food, dining, and entertainment. First, let me shout out to a gentleman named Grey works nights at the front desk here. How lucky this company is to have such a personable person working from 9 o’clock till six or seven in the morning. Always friendly always greeting you with a smile and asking you about your day. While talking about the Philadelphia eagles on Sunday night football he offered to put it on the big screen for me in the lobby so My Wife could watch what she wanted upstairs. A true gem employee.

The rest of the staff here is absolutely awesome as well. Everyone that works here has a smile on their face and is always ready to help serve or be available. Repainting curbs and keeping the outside protected from the Florida harsh weather is constantly maintained. Within seconds of any kind of spill or emergency, staff is eager to rush to get it, cleaned up and repaired. Not one thing was out of place our entire trip for nine days. The continental breakfast every day is perfect for on the go, or sit down breakfasts. Fresh bagels, pastries, and hot meals. Served every morning. Awesome bold coffee, and just about everything you need to be satisfied. Daily changes as well Beautiful lobby area with sit down tables and counter style areas with computer areas, plugs and pop-up outlets. Easily connect to the Wi-Fi.

Not one moment will you find some thing out of place they are constantly keeping this place clean and sanitized. One of the best aspects I have found about this particular hotel is how much staff they have available throughout the entire 24 hour cycle. I have been in much bigger hotels, with half of the amount of friendly faces, and being on a vacation to me that is one of the most important things about a hotel. The rooms here are extremely spacious and kept nice and modern. tThe maid services are impeccable. Always around always available throughout the day and will actually ask you if you need anything if they pass you by in the hallway.

There is a nice court yard style, pool, and a beautiful lake out front. I would highly recommend staying here for vacation business, or just about any other reason. I highly recommend this hotel and wish more were like...