Residence Inn by Marriott St. Paul Woodbury — Hotel in Woodbury

We stayed here for a couple days so we could visit my husband's mom who lives in the area. When we first arrived in the parking lot, it was hard to tell which door was the front door and it was snowing and my husband was in a wheelchair so we took a chance on one and fortunately, it happened to be the right one, otherwise I would have had to load my husband back up into the car and drive around. A sign that indicates that it's the front door would be helpful as it's not obvious from the outside. |Once inside, there was a sign at the front desk stating that they were helping another guest and would be back soon. That was strange because I could see a woman at a computer in the back room. We waited for a while because I thought that maybe she didn't work at the front desk. Finally I decided to call "Hello" into the back room and she came out. She was very friendly and gave us keys to our room. |When we arrived at our room, the first thing my husband noticed was no grab bar near the toilet. We have never stayed at a hotel that didn't have a grab bar near the toilet. We choose not to stay in "handicapped accessible rooms" when we travel because we have yet to find one that was actually designed with a disabled individual in mind and they are more often than not, harder to navigate than a regular room. |I called the desk about this and the woman offered to move us to a handicapped accessible room. We packed up and headed back downstairs. Got the key to the new room and went back up. The room key didn't work so we have to go back down to the desk (mind you at this point, I've driven for over 5 hours, I'm tired and I have to push my husband in his wheelchair). The woman does whatever magic they do with keys and hands it back, so we head back upstairs for the third time. Try the key in the door and again it won't work. The woman at the desk decides she's going to try with a master key so we head back up with her and again the room will not unlock. So now, we're stuck and have to stay in the original suite. So we grab our things and head back up. |Having been a hotel housekeep many, many years ago, I am very picky about the cleanliness of a hotel room and this one was clean. The glasses in the cabinet looked like they had just been wiped since the last use so I immediately washed all the dishes just to make sure they were clean. |As I was unloading the car, the front desk clerk went up to the room and gave my husband a toilet riser with handles which was very helpful and a nice surprise. What wasn't such a nice surprise was when I turned it over and saw that it hadn't been cleaned since it's previous use and it had some pretty heavy use. There was dried urine and feces on it. I went down to the front deskk to request some cleaning and disinfecting supplies so that I could properly clean the toilet riser as there was no way we could use it as it was. She told me that they didn't have anything except dish soap. That was NOT going to cut it so I went back upstairs and got my coat so I could go out and buy some sanitizing cleaner. While I was on my way out the door, the maintenance man told me he had some sanitizing wipes and offered them to me. I was very appreciative because it meant I didn't have to try to navigate an unfamiliar area in the dark while it was snowing. |The other thing I noticed was the lack of a luggage rack in the suite. There was no where to place a suitcase in the bedroom. The dresser in the room had a TV on it so that would not work. I called the desk again and was told that if there wasn't on in the room then there wasn't one available. Once again, the maintenance man came to the rescue. He heard that we were missing a luggage rack and told me he'd find me one, if he had to take one from an empty room. Hooray for him! I wish I'd gotten his name. He got me a luggage rack as promised. |Throughout our stay, I found the staff to be very friendly and as helpful as they could be. I felt that the desk clerk really went out of her way to provide the toilet riser for us and the maintenance man was my hero for getting me a luggage rack. |Our room was clean and well kept (other than the toilet riser which most people would never use anyway and questionable glassware, which was an easy fix). |We didn't have any problems getting what we needed. The front desk staff was happy to get us extra towels and the housekeeping staff emptied our garbage daily if we set it outside our door. The housekeeping staff also gave me some hand lotion as there was none in the room and it was very dry in the room. The housekeep was also very helpful when I asked her how to get the room warm. She told me the corner rooms are hard to heat and told me what settings to use to warm us up. She was very friendly and seemed genuinely eager to help. |The shower was very nice and had good pressure. There were bottles of body wash, shampoo and conditioner in a hanger on the shower wall. One thing I would recommend is to provide bottles that are easier to read, especially for us older guests who need reading glasses. The font is in a light green on a sage background. I had to squint to read them and make sure I was using the right stuff (still not as bad as the time I mistook the tube of shaving cream for toothpaste in an Italian hotel though-the tubes were identical and of course written in Italian). |Breakfast was typical hotel fare. Powdered eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits with sausage gravy, pancakes in a warmer and mini waffles in a cellophane package, boiled eggs, etc. Pretty much the same hotel breakfast that you get nation wide. Nothing to write home about but not bad and pretty much what I expected. |We chose a Residence Inn so we could cook in our suite and not have to go to restaurants because of the pandemic (a bonus, it saves us money too). The kitchen was outfitted with adequate pots, pans and dishes to whip up a simple meal. We were in a corner suite so had a full stove/oven, full sized refrigerator with ice maker (make sure to turn the ice maker on when you arrive as it takes a while to get going), full sized microwave small sink, dish cloth and towel, dish soap, pots and pans with pot holders, etc. I was glad to see that with the exception of a skillet, the pots and pans were stainless steel and didn't have that awful non-stick coating. It was nice to be able to whip up a simple dinner and then just relax in our suite and not have to go out in the snow and cold to find a restaurant. |I have a few recommendations for areas of improvement: |1. Put grab bars around the toilets in all rooms. They can increase safety and can also be used to hang damp towels if the guest chooses not to have the towels switched each day as the small towel bar in the room isn't quite adequate for that. |2. Use bottles in the shower that are easier to read. |3. Our room needed new blackout drapes as they were out of shape and needed to be clipped together with a hanger that has clips to keep them closed. Some hotels have drapes that overlap which is helpful to keep the sun out in the morning and lights from the parking lot out at night. |4. Equip the front desk staff with supplies that can be used to clean something should be need arise after housekeeping has left. Don't make your guests go out at night in bad weather to purchase it. |5. I wish I knew the name of the maintenance man but he deserves a bonus for going out of his way for us. |6. Same for the front desk lady who gave us the toilet riser. I felt like that was really above and beyond, but just wish it had been clean. Still it was better than nothing and helped to make our stay more...

My husband and I stayed here this past weekend. First off the hotel is 2 months brand new and just gorgeous. We rented a 1 bedroom suite because we have a toddler who needs darkness and her own room for naps. Not only was it the most spacious hotel room we have ever stayed it but the fanciest for the price. But Through the beautiful finishes, there were flaws that could be fixed.

First off there was no discount for people staying for medical reasons. The price was already low due to the time of year but still. I was there unexpected for medical tests. It wasn't a vacation for me at all, I wish there would have been some budging on the price.

The hotel lady checking us in seemed incredibly nervous for some reason. I suppose it's because it's a brand new hotel and maybe most employees are kind of new? The kitchen was not stocked enough. I've stayed in many hotels with kitchenettes and never one this bare. It needed a steamer option. Like a pan that had a steamer section on it. Also it would have been nice to have glass mixing bowls instead of just plastic. There was nothing for baking purposes. There was No cookie sheet or pans you could bake with so I called the front desk 2 times and no one answered. When they finally answered the girl said that "people don't normally bake here". I tried to get her to clarify what she meant but all she said is "if people want baked stuff they call and order it." I guess the oven is just for looks. Lol!! I also dropped something by accident behind the couch and saw candy corn candy and a Halloween toy. I guess those have been there for a while!

The dishes also were dirty. Coffee cup with pink lipstick on it and food fragments in the bowls and cups. There was a sign saying that dishes may be dirty out of the dishwasher and that you can just ask someone to come up and clean them. I don't think guests should have to ask for someone to come clean dirty dishes. First its awkward and secondly they shouldn't be dirty in the first place.

The third thing was the pillows on the bed. They were massive and we are not picky people at all!!! A option for a flatter pillow would have been nice. We ended up just taking the couch pillows and putting pillow cases over them. We had asked for a late check out and had two different staff members practically walk in on us before 1pm.

The things we did like were the finishes and how everything worked perfectly. The TVs were on and turned down prior to arrival. They were on a menu screen. The shower was clean and amazing. The heat was touch screen and worked fast. The curtains blocked out the light and the couch was comfortable.

We were in room 202 and it was very noisy. Kids were running up and down the stairs next to our room. Also someone was smoking in the stairwell at one point and we could smell it in our room. Ick. Those things can't be helped by the hotel though. Just be aware of you rent a room by the stairwell!

I would stay at this hotel again but I would bring my own pillows and baking stuff. I think this has potential to be a 5 star hotel with tweaks...

This is not the place to stay if you are looking for a nice place to stay, be comfortable and experience the amenities that are touted on their website such as "Unwind after exploring Woodbury/St. Paul in our indoor pool and hot tub area". We walked down to experience the pool and most especially the hot tub and were surprised to see them both drained for "repairs". This is a very new hotel and to have the pool and hot tub not working as well as many other flaws such as the carpeting on the 4th floor which is not adhering to the floor.....it is unacceptable for the price.||And the room and room service....don't even get me started! When I first entered the room I walked into the bathroom only to be met with "something" floating in the toilet. Once I flushed it, there was long black hairs stuck on the side of the toilet as well as in the shower. I have to wonder how well this room was cleaned! We found out after the first night that there was not going to be room service so if you want clean towels, more shampoo, a bed made, the garbage removed, etc., you have to do it all yourself (despite paying full price for the hotel). The only way we got our room cleaned after the 2nd day was that room service accidently knocked on our door and my husband said "well as long as you are here..." ||Breakfast is not served until 6:30 so in my case as well as many others who were staying, I had to leave for work at 6:00 a.m. I could get a cup of coffee. ||The staff were friendly but with all of the restrictions and repairs going on (the side door going out by our room was for exit only because the key reader needed to be repaired) it would have been nice to know these things beforehand. ||I read that Marriott said that they were now only going to give daily room service to their luxury and premium hotels because according a spokesman from Mariott, people were less comfortable with room service coming into their room during the pandemic. I say this is not true! David Flueck, Senior Vice President of Marriott Bonvoy said in an email at the end of May 2021 that "they remain committed to making sure you enjoy what you love and miss about traveling." Well, thank you David, but I enjoy a clean room, working amenities, and clean towels while I stay at a hotel that cost us over 75,000 Bonvoy Points. If I wanted to clean myself, I would have...