Courtyard by Marriott Denver Downtown West

That hot water was something else, strong, steady, and seemingly endless. I took a shower long enough to rethink my life choices and came out feeling renewed, refreshed, and a little reborn. The room was actually clean, the kind of clean that lets you relax as soon as you walk in. From the second-floor terrace, we got a little peek at the mountains and a gorgeous view of Downtown Denver and the Broncos Stadium. I stood out there breathing the fresh air and minding other folks' business from a distance like I owned the place. The hotel itself was beautiful, and the staff were sweet as pie, welcoming and easy to deal with from check-in to checkout. We didn't try the restaurant, but I liked having the option there for when hunger strikes and Auntie wants choices. Peaceful vibes and a lovely stay. Auntie Loren approved. I'd definitely come back.

I stayed four nights in a regular room while in Denver to work the Patriots Broncos AFC Championship game. Check-in was easy, and Melinie was polite and made sure I had a good experience. My first-floor room was nice for one person. I checked out the second-floor fitness center and outdoor patio, and the bar area was great for hanging out, watching TV, or getting some work done. There's also a rooftop bar on the sixth floor, but I didn't get a chance to visit it. I had breakfast and dinner at the bar. Jackie, the bartender, was amazing. I didn't care for the breakfast burrito or flatbread pizza, but the chicken sandwich with fries was my favorite. When I needed to print a document, the staff were helpful after the printer didn't work properly. There were some issues. My room didn't have a TV remote, and the first replacement didn't work, so I had to call again before getting one that did. The heater was noisy. A worker came to look at it and unplugged it, saying it's a known issue that hasn't been fixed yet. Shower pressure was weak, and noise from other rooms' doors closing or people moving around was bothersome.

After paying about $796 for my stay and completing check-in late at night, I found the room smelled of Marijuna and looked like a dungeon. I was very uncomfortable even standing in it. I asked to move to another room, which I feel was reasonable, and was willing to pay extra for an upgrade. The receptionist was very rude, refused to change the room, and told me to leave the property altogether. This happened around 4:00 AM, leaving me stranded in the middle of the night. I was already under significant stress, and my health wasn't good at the time. Being refused accommodation after paying in full was unacceptable and deeply unprofessional. I expect a full refund and a proper explanation. This experience doesn't meet the standard I expect from the Marriott brand.

The employees were amazing, helpful, and outstanding. The problems were with the hotel itself. I can't remember sleeping in many beds as uncomfortable as this one, and the pillows were so flat they might as well have been five sheets of paper in a case. The room had only weak lamps and no overhead lighting, and the facing towers blocked out sunlight. The TV was broken, and although there was an option to connect our own streaming device, it had been disabled. We never got hot water, only lukewarm showers at best. The location felt sketchy too. One block in one direction seemed fine, while a block the other way seemed dangerous. It's well placed for tailgating and a Broncos game, with the stadium an easy walk away and tailgating across the street. But the room was so uncomfortable that we cut our vacation short by a day and went home.