The Westin Arlington

The restaurant staff were very nice, and the bar staff offered a discount after I was served a raw hamburger. I appreciated the offer, but the full meal price was charged at checkout. Another guest at the restaurant chose to leave and eat elsewhere. I usually have a much better experience at Westin properties. There were plenty of other problems. The bathroom was abysmal, with a tub P-trap that wasn’t working and let sewer gas vent into the room. The tub and toilet layout made it nearly impossible to move around. The main part of the room was nice, but the fitness center was lacking. Phones didn’t work, and I never got the Wi-Fi access code at check-in. I wanted to share feedback with a manager, but none was available until the next afternoon, after I’d already be on my way to the airport. Maybe they’ll review this and make some positive changes. This definitely didn’t feel like a four-star hotel.

Housekeeping was the best part. We needed extra towels, and they came right away. The pillows were comfortable, but the beds were small, two full-size beds rather than queens. A few other things made the stay just okay, and left me unsure about coming back. I’m a Platinum member and asked for a 4 p.m. checkout. The desk attendant said 3 p.m. was the latest, which I accepted, but then they couldn’t rekey my cards. On Saturday the restaurant was listed as open until 11 p.m., yet food and drink last call had already happened at 10:38. When I asked for a map or recommendations, the staff member said there wasn’t a map and told me to Google options.

At checkout, they still charged me the full resort fees, even though I cut my trip short by a day after a stressful stay. The security problems started at nearly midnight, when a system outage led the front desk to give me a key to an occupied room. I walked in on a sleeping couple, and one of the occupants chased me out in a panic until I could explain the front desk’s mistake. The next room they tried was occupied too. The third was empty but had broken AC. Then, at 1:30 a.m., someone else tried to enter my room. I was glad I’d engaged the physical deadbolt. I spent the rest of the trip anxious, unable to sleep, and worried about leaving my belongings there during the day. Tech problems happen, but sending strangers into occupied rooms is a serious security failure. I checked out a day early because the experience was so stressful.

During my October stay, the TV wasn’t working. I told the front desk that morning, but when I came back from a full day of work, nothing had been done. Maintenance eventually had to replace the whole TV that evening. I travel to Arlington monthly for work, and my December visit was my third stay at this Westin in three months. That stay brought a string of other problems. My room was on the ninth floor, right off the elevator and beside the ice machine, so it was extremely loud. Guests leaving the elevator woke me several times, and neither room phone worked when I tried calling the front desk. The shower floor was visibly dirty, with hair left by a previous guest. Heat wouldn’t go above 68 degrees, and black residue covered one of the vents, which raised concerns about cleanliness and air quality. I reported everything at checkout and was told it would be addressed. There’s been no follow-up, and no extra points were added to my account. My husband and I stay across Marriott’s brands, including lower-tier properties, and this has been one of our worst Marriott experiences. The lack of service and attention to detail is incredibly disappointing.