Milan Marriott Hotel

Guests deserve an honest answer about Marriott's promise to go fully cage-free. I've tried to get a response, but no one has got back to me. That's unacceptable. When is Marriott going to follow through?

Update: When I explained what had happened at checkout, the hotel reversed the points payment for the room. At check-in, I stood waiting for over 10 minutes while staff chatted. The check-in itself took at least another 20 minutes, then I was told our rooms weren't ready and they'd call when they were. No call ever came. When I got back at 6pm, I was told breakfast was included and a late checkout could be arranged. The next morning, the story changed: breakfast wasn't included and late checkout wasn't possible. I booked an extra night with points so we could stay until 6:30pm, called reception to ask to keep the room, and stopped by in person to make sure they'd understood. When we returned at 5:30pm, our key no longer worked. Reception seemed confused, and I had to explain everything for a third time. Getting access to the room we'd paid for, for just one hour, took 20 minutes of explaining and then another 40 minutes because the front desk was so confused. The room hadn't been serviced. The bed was still unmade, the complimentary water hadn't been replaced, and the towels were gone, so we had to dry ourselves with hand towels. I know the hotel is being renovated, but that doesn't excuse service this appalling.

The breakfast and dinner were the worst part. Breakfast was miserably poor in both quality and choice, and even the cheese looked old and dry. Dinner was just as bad. For Milan, I've never had worse food at a Marriott, and I'm a lifetime top tier member. The place had potential, but it's badly managed. There’s no gym and no M club. In my room, the AC kept switching on and off in auto mode, and when it stopped, there was an irritating ticking noise from the ceiling.

The rooms are fairly spacious for a city hotel, but that was the only real plus for us. Half the property seems to be under construction, and the location is inconvenient: at least a 10-minute walk to the nearest train stations and far from the city center. Check-in was a mess. The receptionist kept chatting with colleagues while half attending to us, so it took forever and left us confused. She said breakfast was included, then the next morning a different receptionist, who was even ruder, said it wasn't. I wouldn't have minded paying, but the dismissive way they handled it was unpleasant. I've stayed at Marriott hotels all over the world, and this may be one of my worst experiences. The service and property don't meet Marriott standards. I won't return, and I'd spend holiday money elsewhere.