Element by Marriott Asheville Downtown

The only thing I wasn’t happy about was the $12 daily parking fee. I didn’t find out about it until I got there. Apart from that, this was a superb stay. The hotel is modern, clean, and right downtown, close to everything. The rooms are thoughtfully laid out and the furniture and design are excellent. The 5-6:30 reception was a nice surprise, with wine, beer, and snacks. Breakfast was tasty too, with good choices and none of that usual bland, boring stuff.

The staff are great and helpful if you need anything, and breakfast is really good. If you’re phat n lazy like me, though, there aren’t any restaurants within a two-minute walk. Sleeping during the day could be tough here. There’s an interstate nearby, and people on the highway tunnel road rev motorcycles and backfire their vehicles so you can hear them for miles. It’s not the hotel’s fault, but they could’ve soundproofed better.

We were there January 1-4, 2026, in what I think was a king suite. Having glass glasses instead of the plastic cups many economy hotels use was a nice touch. The room had a microwave, refrigerator, and wet bar, and we liked the downtown location. The facility was lovely, with spacious rooms and nice towels and linens. Sleep was another matter. The place is between a highway and another busy road, and traffic noise went on all night. The room doors were loud too, sounding like gunshots even when people tried to close them carefully, so there was no sleeping in once others started leaving early. They say they’re environmentally conscious and clean rooms only every three days. That would’ve been fine if there were enough glasses and dishes, but we had only two glasses, plates, cups, and sets of silverware, with nothing to wash them except paper towels. I don’t want to do dishes when I’m paying to stay somewhere. One night my husband had to hunt down extra glasses for wine and came back with two random ones he’d scrounged up. We’ll choose somewhere else next time we’re in Asheville if we want a full night’s sleep.

Our room didn’t get cleaned at all during our four-day stay. We had to leave trash in the hallway to be collected and ask for clean towels. The breakfast area was always chaotic, with no plates or utensils out, and seemed to need more staff. There were way too many dogs in the hotel, including in the food area. My dog allergy bothered me the whole time I was in the room, and I could tell it hadn’t been cleaned properly. If they allow dogs, rooms should get a more thorough cleaning, or they should offer rooms where pets haven’t stayed. The hotel itself was nice and well located.