Residence Inn by Marriott Denver Airport/Convention Center

Our room felt so welcoming after a long day and late night, and the hotel was spotless. We were in Denver overnight before heading to Breckenridge after a last-minute change of plans, and I'm glad we picked this place. The staff were wonderful: they accommodated my late checkout request, sent a shuttle when we reached the airport, and helped us get toiletries after our luggage was lost. They knew our bags would be delivered and called us around 2am as we'd asked, no matter the time. Everyone was friendly throughout, and breakfast the next morning was wonderful. I have no complaints. The area felt very safe, and the hotel has better curb appeal than the others. We'd absolutely stay again.

After 12 hours of travel, trying to figure out which airport shuttle to take was really difficult. We were told to wait at the 505 door by the 3rd island for a shuttle coming in about 20ish minutes. Two arrived together: one clearly had the Residence Inn by Marriott logo, while the other displayed Hyatt and a couple other logos. We boarded the second one. The driver asked our hotel, we said “residence inn,” and she replied “uh-huh, gateway.” We're not from the area, and where we live, “gateway” could mean a whole area of hotels, shops, and apartments. After about 40 minutes, at the last stop, another passenger headed to our hotel spoke up. They'd realized before we did that the driver was taking us to the wrong place. She got defensive, saying she wasn't from the area either and thought “gateway” was enough. Apparently there are two hotels with the same name within 15 minutes of each other, with the same 505/3rd island pickup and identical arrival times. We finally reached the hotel an hour after leaving the airport. I told the check-in clerk, who I'm 90% certain was the woman I'd spoken to by phone, and she brushed it off. I don't know whether she cared, but she could at least have acknowledged the problem, apologized for the confusion, and thanked me for raising it. I work retail, and that's standard. I wasn't asking to get the hour back; I just wanted to help prevent it happening to someone else. Please train staff to communicate better and label the shuttles so passengers can tell which one is right. The wrong shuttle didn't have our hotel's name on it, while the one that did was the wrong one. In 7 degree weather, with a real feel of -5 degrees, being shuttled around Denver after a long travel day was miserable.

I stayed in a spacious king suite and the breakfast was good, but it felt more like a budget stay at Days Inn than a Marriott. The silverware in the drawer was dirty, the bathroom faucet was loose and unsecured, and the pillows were flat as pancakes. Being close to the airport is useful, but paying extra for parking when I was there less than 8 hours was absurd. I'd park on the street for free if I came back, and I'd lower my expectations for a “Residence Inn.” I give it three stars for the late evening service I got and the general lack of perks for a Marriott Elite Member. I'd tried to book online through my Amex after midnight, but it was booking me for the previous day's check-in. The front desk said the rate I saw was online only and couldn't help, and my Marriott membership did nothing to bring the price down. At $230/night, this wasn't worth it. The good breakfast was sadly the highlight.

We were especially disappointed that the breakfast room was closed early to paying guests, who were there before a flight, while several staff went in and out making breakfast and waffles for themselves. Even Evelyn at the front desk made sure she got breakfast and left the desk. Fine, but they shouldn't shut the room to guests who specifically needed breakfast before flying. I raised it with the manager, who sent a generic apology and told me to contact him directly. I did, but he's avoided me and never responded. Since we couldn't get breakfast, we feel our Marriott points should be returned.