Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina — Hotel in San Diego

Stay away if you're booking this hotel by choice. I had the misfortune of being invited to this hotel by a third party for a conference in November 2024. Upon check-in, I was asked to pay a $400 deposit and was later called by the front desk claiming that there was an additional $130 I needed to pay. I go to pay it and lo and behold, I am charged over 3x this amount ($487) without my consent. I only discovered this through the text message receipt from my bank. When I raised this issue with the front desk, I was offhandedly told these were "pre-authorizations" that would be refunded 3 business days after my checkout regardless.

At early checkout (2-3 days early), I carefully reviewed my final statement since I stopped trusting that my billing would be managed properly at this hotel, and I was right: I noticed incorrect charges from the Exchange Marketplace, which I had to point out to get corrected, as they should have been covered under my $15 daily credit. After I left the hotel, I began to receive multiple notifications from my bank about charges Marriott was attempting to make without my knowledge.

Things only got worse when I called on 11/22 to resolve these issues. I was informed that my early checkout hadn’t been processed properly, so I was still registered as staying until 11/21 and was being charged the destination fee (which no one at the front desk even mentioned at check-in, ha) AND nightly parking fees for the entire stay, even though I only used complimentary parking for one night at the hotel's discretion. Imagine offering a customer "free parking" and then charging them not only for that night but every other subsequent night, INCLUDING nights they're not even at the establishment?! And then being so casual about it too, like "whoops, we've been charging you $75 a night by accident", no apology, no accountability, nothing. I asked for a detailed statement of charges, and was told I would receive it via email immediately after the call but of course, I received nothing.

Anyway, despite assurances that my deposits would be refunded within 3 days of that call, by 11/30, I still hadn’t received my money--of course. After multiple calls, I finally spoke to the manager, Josh, who was dismissive and unhelpful and barked at me that the funds had been released on the Marriott's end. Refunds are usually swift with my bank, but I still waited 20 business days for any potential funds to be refunded to my bank before writing a complaint on the 4th of January. According to Marriott policy, I was meant to receive a response after 5 business days. I followed up after 7, but still no response until today, 14 business days later.

I called this morning, 21st of Jan, and was told that "well, you would have to pay for at least one night if you checked out early" when I'm not asking for the additional nightly room costs to be refunded?! Just. the. security. deposit. 800 dollars in security deposit for a stay I was invited to is a huge amount of money for Marriot to be so blasé about. To be made to feel, after weeks of ME taking the initiative to resolve this issue with 0 initiative shown in return from Marriott, that somehow something I did is the issue--is just unprofessional and greatly offensive. No resolution after this call either--I'm asked to call in 7 hours when the manager will be in. At this point, I'm just sick of having to deal with this establishment.

Marriot is so poorly managed, this experience is shocking for a 4 star hotel. All I have received so far is repeated billing errors, unresponsive customer service, and a complete lack of accountability or even ACKNOWLEDGMENT that this company has taken EIGHT HUNDRED dollars from me. The stay itself had no issues, but on the occasion that this hotel messes up with your billing (which, given their track record with just my stay, isn't very rare), you are well and truly done for and will be dealing with the headache of their customer...

I am very surprised that we are having this kind of experience at the Marriott Marquis in San Diego. I travel a great deal for business and have titanium elite status with Marriott. I never use my points, or take advantage of that status, because my hotel stays are always for business, but I decided to for the first time, for one special night. This wasn’t very special. Since we are residents of San Diego, and are very familiar with downtown, we know that this hotel is located on the waterfront and has great views. My husband is retiring from the military after two decades so we thought this was a nice way to say goodbye to a city we love very much, and treat ourselves to a luxurious night at a great waterfront hotel. Guess again. The front desk was busy, backed up and we waited a long time in line to get a room key, even though I was checked in on the app. So I would just say this, if you are staying here for business, or coming for a convention, and it’s either a tax write off for you, or your company is footing the bill, you will be very happy. If you are coming here with family, you will probably love the swimming pools which were packed with families. But be aware, compared to a Hilton or an IHG property, or actually any other Marriott I’ve ever stayed at, this place will nickel and dime you to death. Fortunately, with my status, I don’t have to pay $17.95 per day for high speed Internet, but that’s what somebody else will have to pay. The self Park was $40. The M club, which is their elite club and the equivalent to a Hilton executive lounge, had a very slim selection of hors d’oeuvres, and charges $11 for a glass of wine. (If you have Hilton status and are in an executive club, which is the equivalent of this, everything is FREE and it’s plentiful.) There is Absolutely no comparison. I understand that people reading this review may not have status at Hilton or Marriott, may not be business travelers, and may not understand why somebody like me is comparing the two, but because I stay in both, it was extremely interesting to me to see how little you get at a property like this, despite having spent so much money with their brand. There is a resort fee of $35 a night, which includes two free glasses of wine, (barely and not in any of the restaurants), a $15 food credit and a one hour bike ride. We watched a line of people queued up at the one place where you could get a 3 ounce pour of wine in a plastic glass as your free glass of Wine at there express market before they closed at 6:00 pm. I was using a free Marriott night, but had to pay all the additional fees. The room they upgraded us to has an outstanding view. No complaints there. We’re in the north tower on the 20th floor in what they call a hospitality suite. If they upgrade you to a hospitality suite, be aware, it’s a queen size Murphy bed that pulls down from the wall like a studio bed. There are no nightstands, no bathtub or romantic feel to it. There is a tiny bathroom, and it’s really set up to host a business meet and greet. It’s not a real hotel room in that sense. But, again, great views. So to summarize this review, we learned a lot because we stay in many hotels, are residents of San Diego, and I travel a lot for business. If you are coming here with your family, or for a romantic getaway, be prepared for a lot of additional fees, and a minimal amount of value for those fees because it’s very expensive here with little wow factor. Yes it’s a great location right on the water, and the swimming pool is huge and very popular with families. But there are a lot of places in San Diego on the water, that will not charge you $40 a day for self parking, $17.95 a day for a high-speed Internet and a $35 a day resort fee to swim in their pool. If none of that matters to you, come here for the views, let your kids splash in the pool, and eat somewhere else. The M club sucks. We...

Parking was pure chaos.

I had free in-and-out parking included in my hotel rate. When I showed up to check in, the circular driveway up to the front door, where you should be able to park temporarily to check in, was blocked by a barrier. So, I had to park in the garage. The thing is, I was not technically a hotel guest at that minute because I had not checked in yet, thanks to the driveway being blocked. So, I took a paper ticket, worried I would have to pay for parking because I held the ticket. When I checked in, the lady at the front desk took the paper ticket from me and said parking was covered, just use my hotel keys to get in and out.

When I left the next day, I did not see where to use my hotel key at the parking exit. And since I did not have the paper ticket, I was considered a "lost ticket" and had to pay $50 with a credit card to get out.

When I returned, I noticed two adjacent driveways leading to parking structures. They were poorly signed, so I did not know which to choose. So, I went to the one on the left. It turned out to be the "overflow" parking, not the regular parking. The lady at the gate said I could not use my hotel key to go in as I was told to do. She said I had to get a special barcode card from the Marriott (not the same as a room key) so I would not be charged. When I tried to exit this parking structure on foot, the elevator smelled like urine, and the marked path to the Marriott was strange, taking me along a zig-zag route past dumpsters, up a steep incline, etc.

The next day, I went to the front desk at the Marriott to ask questions about parking. She said the Marriott doesn't handle parking and that there is a separate Ace parking desk where I could go. I went there and explained all the issues. They gave me a special barcode card. I asked them to waive the $50 I had paid because parking was supposed to be included. The guy at the desk said he would have his manager call me. He did not call me all day. So, when I returned in the evening, I went to the Ace parking desk again. The new guy checked the computer and said it was not on my account, so it had been waived. However, the charge was still there when I checked my bank statement.

On another day, I returned and tried to enter the parking adjacent to the Marriott, not the overflow parking. However, after entering, I saw a sign saying the structure was full and arrows were taking me to some outdoor parking. The outdoor parking had posted "Marina Parking" and signs saying I would be towed if I did not have a marina parking permit. There was no indication that this outdoor area was Marriott parking. I parked anyway and went inside and up to the Ace desk. He assured me that I would not be towed. We'll see.

The next day, I went to the Ace Parking desk again. This time, I brought a screenshot of the $50 charge. The guy there could not credit me, so I had to wait for the Ace manager. When the manager finally came, he said he would credit me, and it would take 8-10 (!) days to see reimbursement. Why? I can return a shirt to Macy's and be credited immediately.

I was able to get out of the garage that day. When returning, the Marriott parking garage was closed entirely. The attendant directed me to the overflow garage again. He gave me another barcode card. I parked, but I climbed two flights to avoid the smell of the urine-soaked elevator. Then, I crossed a road and climbed another flight in a different building. Then, up the steep incline again to the hotel's front door. Sineage sucked.

I plan to check out early tomorrow because I can't handle all this chaos and dismal service. Not a fan. I recommend that you...