Courtyard by Marriott Regina Downtown

The staff were extremely welcoming, and the restaurant next door was pleasant. The hotel is also very walkable to everything, but my stay was unfortunately not great. My room wasn’t very clean, with grime along the small ridge by the desk. The bed was okay, but the pillows were a lumpy mess and I could barely sleep on them by the last night. The deadbolt was broken, and the peephole stayed open. There were bright LEDs everywhere. An extension cord under the nightstand lit up the room, and the fire alarm flashed randomly all night. The TV was stuck on the LG logo and its remote didn’t work, so I had to unplug it. The heating and AC were too hot and extremely noisy. The area had a lot of sketchy people. A few times, people were by the front door blowing smoke in my face as I went in, and there was shouting and screaming behind the hotel at all hours. I ran into one of them in the elevator, so I assume people get into the building sometimes. As a result, you have to swipe your card to enter all day, which is frustrating because the sensor is unreliable. If you collect Bonvoy points, this is one of those hotels that doesn’t report and confirm your stay. You have to go through the annoying manual process to get the points you’re owed.

The entrance and room had a beautiful feel, and check-in was easy. I liked the shower and the bathroom’s barn door, the lighting was lovely, and the TV was decent. There’s a Starbucks and a good restaurant option too. The hotel is downtown but doesn’t have extras like a pool. The standard queen room was cramped compared with other Marriott hotels, which made it tight to set up a playpen for our toddler. Parking isn’t secured and costs $15 a day.

It’s a decent option for a short stay, and the rooms have modern features, streaming on the TVs, and fast internet. It seems to have been renovated in the past few years. Still, I’ll book somewhere else next trip because I want a decent night’s sleep. The beds were uncomfortable and the pillows paper-thin. When I asked for better ones, I was told there weren’t any. Housekeeping came every day during my first week, then didn’t touch my room at all the second week. The windows and walls seem thin. If you’re on the parking lot side, at 5 a.m. you’ll hear a garbage truck or someone screaming. Every door slam, toilet flush, and loud upstairs neighbor carries through.

I was trying to make my husband’s birthday feel special, so I asked whether the hotel could arrange anything. The answer was no, even if I paid for something like a basket, chocolates, pretzels, or beer. That was really disappointing. Lots of hotels go out of their way to make guests feel welcome, but this one wouldn’t do anything for a special occasion. So if you’re celebrating or hoping to surprise someone, be warned, it won’t happen here. Courtyard by Marriott Regina downtown, do better.