The Westin Peachtree Plaza, Atlanta

The Sundial Bar was fun and not crowded, even while the rest of the hotel was busy. The pool area is nice, though almost comically hard to find. The shower pressure was strong, but the drain was clogged, the room often smelled like sewer gas, and the top sheets weren’t large enough for the beds. The windows were fogged for most of our stay, so we couldn’t enjoy the nice views very well. This place could be great after a major update. I like the late-1970s architecture and wish the hotel would lean into it, but the rooms and common areas are extremely worn and dated, more like the early 2000s. I’ve stayed in 2-star motels in better condition. Housekeeping took a personal pillow during our stay, which was disappointing. Anything sent to the hotel goes through the on-site FedEx location, with extra fees of $10-$30. Service and location were nice, but don’t expect a 4-star experience.

The stay felt unsettling, especially when I woke around 2:30 AM to what sounded like multiple gunshots, followed by police and ambulance sirens. I didn’t notice any visible security presence, which added to my concern. Parking costs $65 per day, yet getting the car parked and retrieved took an excessive amount of time. The property was in poor condition throughout. Carpets were torn, walls heavily scratched and needed paint, and the room chairs were damaged. The pool area concerned me most: the lighting was so dim that I couldn’t clearly see the bottom, used towels were scattered around, and I didn’t see staff attending to the area. The on-site Starbucks was also a problem. I ordered plain coffee twice, and both times it tasted unpleasant, as though the creamer or equipment might not have been fresh or maintained properly. I expected more from the Westin brand, but the hotel’s condition was far below that, more like a budget motel. It didn’t match how it looked online, and I wouldn’t recommend staying here.

The view was the only real plus. The room was spacious, but not clean: the carpet felt sticky, there was dust in almost every corner, and the floor decor looked dark and muggy. Breakfast was better than at most hotels in the US, though nothing to get excited about. This wasn’t what I expected from a Marriot hotel.

We went four days without hot water. I called or spoke to the front desk every day and kept hearing that maintenance was on the way. Maybe the crew was coming from Marriott headquarters in Maryland to ATL. Management was supposedly unavailable for all four days, and the hotel was full, so Westin said there were no rooms to move us into. The sheets were dirty and stained, the bathroom sink was cracked, and the refrigerator was broken and wouldn’t get cold, which housekeeping confirmed. The front desk couldn’t offer money back because management wasn’t available to approve it. Another disappointing stay from an $80 billion company. Thank you, Marriott, for a horrible stay in ATL. The room was cramped, and the bathroom was so tiny that you could touch the sink, shower, and door while sitting on the toilet. Both the room and hotel need renovation. They’re dated and expensive for what you don’t get to enjoy. The observatory viewing floor on 72 was closed, with no timeframe for reopening, another letdown.