Marker 8 Hotel & Marina — Hotel in Saint Augustine

I had been staying at this property since the mid 1980's when it was known as the Anchorage Motor Inn. So, it always held a special place in my heart with lots of memories! Since the new owners took it over in 2016, they have done wonders with it! First off, the property...It was extremely clean and well kept! The design and decor from the rooms to the lobby and social areas including the back patio are very nice! The views from the back social/patio areas are spectacular, especially at night! The social hour at 1700 daily has exceptional hors d'oeuvres made fresh by the Chef! They are very tasty and well presented! The beer and wine prices are reasonable. The daily free breakfast is in the second floor dining area with a stellar view! The Chef does a fabulous job on the two menu items for each day! The attitude and responsiveness of the staff from GM to desk people and housekeeping is top notch! It appears they actually "do" like working there! Any of them will jump through whatever hoops are necessary to address any question or concern you may have. I noticed a review that mentioned "critters" in the rooms. Yes, you might find a few native ones, but what would you expect being 50 feet from the water and on the ground floor. An occasional centipede/millipede never hurt anyone and they are actually effective at controlling other less desirable critters! If that bothers you, then go stay at the bigger chain hotels across the water and be treated like a peasant as opposed to a king or queen like they treat you here! And, let's be real here. I saw maybe two in our entire seven day/night stay. Regarding the staff...They were super! Victoria at the front desk interacted with me numerous times as I planned this trip for me and my wife. She was unbelievably helpful! Her personality and attitude were fantastic at all times! She was NEVER too busy to take care of any of my calls or questions! John who I guess is the "Jack of Everything and Anything" was such a pleasure to deal with! He went out of his way a number of times to assist us! He and Victoria represent the Marker 8 exactly the way they would want! Tammy and Claire on the front desk were equally helpful, personable, welcoming and efficient! I would not hesitate to have any one or all of them representing my business! The GM Kevin was also exceptional! I could go on and on. Our actual stay far exceeded our expectations! We WILL BE BACK! The owners should give an immediate raise to every person I just mentioned! Oh and by the way, in case it just seems like I am a agreeable, novice sort of customer... Before, I retired in 2014, I spent the years from 1994 to 2014 traveling and living in hotels around the country and the world 240+ nights per year. I will end this with one suggestion, that they should put at least small microwaves in the rooms. Anyone that stays here will NOT be disappointed! I guarantee that! I offer up a huge pat on the back to all the staff and management of the Marker...

I picked this place for the location and the view, which was absolutely stunning. It's a quick walk over the lions gate bridge to the historic district so getting around was easy for us. Nearby are plenty of little bars and restaurants - most of which are adjusting to COVID quite well. The hotel itself was recently redone and so everything's brand spanking new. Every single detail is marine themed which was a nice touch. Comfortable beds, great pillows, every single room has a view so you just can't go wrong here. The pool area was surprisingly empty most of the time. They have a pool spa (sp?) which is like a hot tub that is sized like a small pool. The room included some free drinks and breakfast. I was pleasantly surprised to be able to pick from any beer in the bar and drank Stellas while watching sunset. To our surprise the service here was impeccable - as you'll read about later - and during sunset with our free drinks we were greeted with frozen grapes and fresh cold towels. The breakfast was probably worth a review in and of itself - I normally skip the "free breakfast" at hotels but this was actually unique, freshly cooked, delicious and once more the service impeccable. So let's talk about the service - every single contact we made with hotel staff was excellent. From the first call to get a feel for what we can expect due to COVID we were greeted with Ritz style helpfulness and friendliness. The checkin process was perfect. The time spent in common areas were pleasantly enhanced by the staff. The breakfast service was on point. Even the house keeping crew was extra friendly and polite. The highlight in service of our stay was John, who worked tirelessly to make sure every single element of our stay was perfect. He even pulled us a full place setting (cloth napkin, plate and silverware) from the restaurant when we asked for some plastic ware due to a grub hub order that failed to deliver any. Long story short this place was amazing and a top choice for when we visit...

This was a important visit for my wife and myself, it was our first anniversary. When we arrived our room was not ready, we ran to a few stores while waiting. When we returned and got our room, we unpacked and went out. We returned and went to the 5 oclock social hour for the free hors d’oeuvres and to have a drink. The food was gross, the Hummus was fermented and the vegetables looked as though they were old, and possibly reserved from the previous day.

After leaving social hour, we went into town. We got back and got ready for bed, I pulled back the sheets. There were hairs, and crumbs and it looked like the sheets were used.

The office had a sign on the door, they were on the property. We could not find anyone, my wife slept in her cloths on top of the bed. This is not something you would expect on your first night for a Generous amount of money for a room. To make it matters worse the next day we learned there was no general manager or anyone willing to take accountability.

I expressed my concerns in writing to the front desk, and was informed the owner would personally get it and they would be in touch with me. Nothing happened. I also expressed that we were there for two more days, on the third day we were paying a solid $100 more because it was a weekend. Which upset us due to the fact that we would receive the same room and service we had already been through, less the dirty sheets.

We tried the social hour once more, and please consider not reserving left overs. Its not acceptable.

We paid alot of money to form amazing memories, that was not the case here. I recommend the Hilton, there prices are compatible and they have appropriate management and staffing. I cant imagine something like this happening to another unsuspecting guest.

I would tighten up!

I have worked in hospitality and retail for years, this is a reflection of...