Residence Inn by Marriott Seattle Northeast-Bothell

The rooms are darling, but the service from management was horribly unprofessional. I left personal items worth $100 in my room and called within an hour of checkout to collect them. Hotel manager Tova Reed said the housekeeping manager wasn't available and that I'd get a call the next day. No one called. When I followed up, housekeeping manager Ximoa Andrews said the items had either been discarded or never returned. I asked what the lost-and-found policy was. According to the housekeeping manager, Marriott's policy is to hold personal items in lost and found for 30 days and for housekeeping to bring anything found there for safekeeping. When I asked for the corporate office number to make a formal complaint, she said she didn't know it. That seemed odd for a manager, and I felt she'd lied again. Both managers should have handled this better, tried to resolve the issue, and spoken to the employee who cleaned my room. If housekeeping providers don't follow company policy, they're a liability. Find another place to stay.

The nature trails nearby were a nice place to walk, and breakfast was basic with consistently good coffee. Our group of five fit well in a two-bed suite with two bathrooms. The kitchen was useful, though it needed a better supply of things: we found only three knives and no wine glasses. The kids loved the pool, gym, and sport court.

The front desk team made our extended stay much easier. They accommodated our weekly requests to extend and let us keep the same room, a big help with two young kids. We wound up staying almost four weeks after contractors flooded our home and the ceiling fell onto our bed in the middle of the night. We'd initially booked the Residence Inn in Bothell for just two weeks, based on the construction company's estimate. The daily breakfast was small but good, and one less thing for me to handle each day. My only reason for taking off a star is the parking fee, which honestly makes little sense here.

The studio has plenty of room for three of us, and it's convenient to park right in front of each building. The guest house is nearby for free breakfast, and the freeway entrance is just off to the side.