TownePlace Suites by Marriott Albuquerque Old Town

The staff were kind and helpful, and booking with points made the price a good deal. There’s also a clean, friendly, safe bar and restaurant about 100 steps from the side entrance. I’d stay here again on points. If paying cash, I’d go with the nearby Best Western Plus Rio Grande instead. I’ve stayed at both, and it’s the same quality for less money. Some of the complaints I read beforehand made sense, and others didn’t. The shower spray was too strong unless I picked the widest fan setting, but that was easy to adjust. The walls are thin enough that I heard every word from next door. I wouldn’t feel safe walking around the neighborhood at night, though that seems true of much of Albuquerque.

Check-in took forever, and about half the hot breakfast dishes were gone. The AC unit right beside the bed was loud enough to ruin my sleep. The shower curtain was too short, so water sprayed across the bathroom floor. The lobby, elevators, and halls were 78-80 degrees. There was a terrible smell in both the room and hallways, like body odor mixed with a strong curry smell. The place gave me a very penny-pinching impression.

We wanted to support a hotel franchised by Indian tribes, but the stay was disappointing. We didn’t feel welcome, and as we came in we heard that some TVs weren’t working, though ours was fine. One elevator was already out when we arrived, and both were out of service on departure day. We’ve been traveling for a while, and other Marriott properties have made us feel appreciated as elite members, often with water or little treats. That didn’t happen here. Maybe the hotel gets enough business that service and upkeep aren’t a priority. We’ll look somewhere else next time we’re in the area.

We’d booked this for an in-town staycation, and had stayed here as recently as February 26. At 3:16 pm on the day of our visit, after check-in, we got a call saying locals weren’t allowed to stay. They should update their booking system to block local reservations instead of letting us book and confirming us, then canceling while we were already on our way. We’d ordered and picked up food to eat when we arrived, and it was no longer fresh by then. The whole situation was handled very poorly.