Element by Marriott Albuquerque Uptown

The hotel itself is beautiful, but a problem with the night desk employee ruined my Saturday stay. Around 2-3 a.m., on a snowy night with a storm coming, my boyfriend had forgotten our room key while I was upstairs. His phone had died, so he politely asked the employee to call our room. The employee refused. He then respectfully asked to borrow a charger for just a couple of minutes to reach me, and was refused again. With no help from the desk, he had to go out into the snow and ask strangers parked across the street for a charger. Thankfully, they helped him. The employee, David, was extremely rude and unhelpful. Lending a charger briefly or helping a guest in need would have cost nothing. I hope management addresses this with him. Guests shouldn't be treated this way, especially late at night in unsafe weather.

Both times I stopped here while driving through Albuquerque on the way to DFW, my room was pristine and the service was great. It's in a quiet corporate park with plenty of parking, and the facilities are great. Ari helped me at the desk on each visit and was phenomenal. When she heard I'd been driving for 12 hours, she even moved my room to a quieter spot. I really appreciated that. This will be my go-to when I'm back in the area.

We stayed for NYE and had a blast. The place felt like home and was comfortable. From the Uptown location, it's near Coronado mall, Winrock shopping center, Target, the IMAX theater, and restaurants like Chili's, Longhorn steakhouse, and Seasons 52. The heated pool stays open all year, there's plenty of equipment in the gym, and the rooftop bar has awesome views of Sandia and the sunset. We'd definitely come back.

Our first time at Element Albuquerque was a pleasant surprise. It was modern, clean, and really comfortable. I especially liked the welcome happy hour on weeknights, and the herbal teas were my favorite. Breakfast had just the kind of variety I like, and the coffee was delicious. I'll recommend it and come back!