Residence Inn By Marriott Hamilton

In August, I booked a room at The Residence in Hamilton, New Jersey for my husband, me, and our two pets, and prepaid $2,000. When we arrived, the first room they showed us wasn’t acceptable. They showed us another, but its air conditioner was outside the room, which was also unacceptable, so we decided not to stay. Even though the reservation was marked non-refundable, I spoke directly with the GM, Maher Kobeissi, and we clearly agreed that I’d get a $1,000 credit, with the other $1,000 applied to a future stay. I returned to check in in January expecting to use that credit. The assistant manager, Marshall, said there was no such agreement. I was told Maher Kobeissi no longer worked for the company. Nicole, who hadn’t been available in August, was unavailable again and reportedly on a flight to Puerto Rico. The hotel is now refusing to honor the $1,000 credit we agreed on. This has been extremely frustrating and disappointing. I feel misled, and the lack of accountability and follow-through is unacceptable. Based on how they handled this, I wouldn’t recommend this property.

We stayed from Thursday through Sunday and had a wonderful time. The hotel was clean and comfortable, the gym was well equipped, and the staff were very friendly and gave excellent customer service.

Those studio-style rooms are so spacious and spotless, and the bed could convince anyone to cancel their plans. I’d only fault the couch cushions, which were a little saggy. I booked one quick night before Six Flags and ended up wishing I could stay the whole weekend. The staff got into the Halloween spirit, and the pumpkin carvings in the lobby were a nice touch. Now I’m curious what they do for other holidays. I’d definitely stay again.

Check-in and the rooms went smoothly, but the rest of our experience was extremely disappointing. We used this hotel for our wedding room blocks, and we would never stay here again. One person at the front desk was very unprofessional and had a terrible attitude. After the wedding, we had a small hangout in one of the rooms. We were told we were too loud, so we moved outside, but then got another noise complaint and had to end the night completely. If you want to have any bit of fun, DO NOT stay here. We also made welcome bags for our guests, and the staff forgot to hand out half of them. The next morning, when we collected the leftover bags, we found that hotel staff had gone into every single one and stolen the Propel packets. The unprofessional staff, mishandled guest bags, and lack of hospitality ruined what should have been a happy, memorable experience. We’ll never return, and strongly recommend booking elsewhere.