Residence Inn By Marriott Annapolis

The worst surprise came at checkout: a $30 parking fee for each night. After the towels were missing from the room, I had to call the front desk. The fold-out couch touched the bed when opened, leaving no room to walk around it. The place felt like a fake, hostile version of an 18th-century merchant ship. There were imitation carved-bone soap dishes, tissue boxes, and wastebaskets, faux wood deck boards, and fake sails over the window. Even the square toilet seat made the room feel like a punishment. The whole stay had the disorienting feel of Benjamin Britten's atonal Billy Budd, the bleak one, not the Morrissey or Peter Ustanov versions. You might arrive in high spirits, but even getting a room by check-in time won't make you feel welcome. The desk attendant can turn on you quicker than the Master-at-Arms. By the end, being flogged might seem preferable to sitting on that square toilet.

Breakfast was the bright spot. The woman serving it was friendly, worked incredibly hard, kept the food available, and made sure the area stayed clean. The other staff could learn from her. I took off a star for the unfriendly staff, a star for the thin walls, and one for where the TV was placed. Light sleepers should book somewhere else. We heard conversations from both neighboring rooms, including people on one side talking until 3 AM as if they were in our room. We arrived at noon and asked to leave our bags before check-in. Our room wasn't ready, so we went downtown for lunch and shopping. Around 1 PM, they texted to ask if they could do anything for us. We asked them to let us know when the room would be ready. They said they would, then never replied. At 3 PM, the official check-in time, our room still wasn't ready. We waited in the lobby for an hour while several other guests checked in and got keys. Staff kept saying no other rooms were ready, even though I saw other room options available and they weren't sold out. When I asked to switch to a room that was ready, the desk attendant said I had to take the assigned room. This was a Wednesday, with no weekend or football game to explain the delay. Also, the TV sits beside the bed instead of near its foot. See photo.

My wife and I are waiting in the lobby, watching other guests check in early, while we're being told we can't. The front desk woman said our room should be ready, but couldn't promise because the previous guests might not have checked out yet. Checkout is at noon. We've already paid, and this feels like direct discrimination. Karen, the Black woman at the desk, was rude and nasty to us for no reason.

The service made our stay memorable. Darius and Rio went out of their way to host us, and Wilfred gave us a warm welcome at check-in. I stay at many Marriott properties as a platinum member, and this one really impressed me. The Residence Inn Annapolis arranged our temporary housing after water damage at home, through our insurance company. The property is new and well appointed, and our room was impeccably clean. The bed and pillows were comfortable, and the shower had strong pressure and hot water. The service was awesome.