Courtyard Grand Rapids Airport

They moved us to a balcony room after the first one turned out rough. It was better, but still had a booger on the bathroom wall, and the door was off its hinges and wouldn't close all the way. In the first room, the bathroom smelled strongly bad, there was no cold water, and the sink was steaming hot enough to burn my hand. The fridge was broken, and the couch had stains and pet hair. The layout is awkward, with the sink outside the bathroom and nowhere to set things in the shower. The body wash dispenser was broken too, and we didn't get housekeeping or fresh towels during our stay. The whole place feels run-down and uncared for. I wouldn't stay here again. It was disappointing and not worth it, though I guess it's okay if all you need is a clean bed.

The room felt bleak, with bare walls and harsh lighting like an operating room. There were bugs on the ceiling, and the TV didn't work. The hotel is being renovated, so maybe it'll improve. The cafe was closed, which meant no breakfast. Watch out for the parking lot potholes, a few could swallow your whole car.

The person who checked us in was nice, but there were problems everywhere. The hotel signs said construction was Monday through Friday, 9 to 7, yet it continued Saturday evening. Dust covered the place and even came under our door. We were in a so-called renovated room, which seemed to mean new carpet and a glass sliding shower door. It had been installed badly and was stuck in the middle, making it hard to get in while water went everywhere. The hallway was a mess, with boxes of ceiling tiles taking up half the space, a razor blade on the floor, and plastic sheeting partly blocking room doors for no clear reason. Some kind of tech equipment, maybe an internet router, was off the ceiling and sitting on boxes, with its wire stretched diagonally across the hall. Our room faced the front, so we heard road noise and got light from nearby businesses. Despite “airport” being in the name, there's no shuttle. I'm probably forgetting other issues. Even if it had been clean, it felt more like a $75-a-night hotel.

The rooms are roomy and clean, with walk-in showers. The big drawback was the TV: a 32-inch 720p set more than 10 feet from the bed, in a long room. It feels like a $50 TV. If this were a resort, I might not care, but it isn't, and Marriot could buy something a few hundred dollars more, maybe a 50-inch screen. If TV doesn't matter to you, this place may be fine. For the price, though, I can find plenty of hotels with a TV that isn't 15 years old.