Residence Inn by Marriott Harrisonburg

We got a lot for under $120 for a weekday king suite. The staff were friendly and easy to approach, and breakfast was tasty with a wide selection. The room was spacious and clean. The indoor pool was warm and clean. The hot tub was at a good temperature, but its jets weren’t working during our stay. The gym had newer, nicer equipment and was the busiest part of the hotel. There’s an outdoor fire pit with an automatic timer, and the staff showed us how to use it.

At 2 a.m. I woke up with puffy, watery eyes and what felt like a severe reaction to pet dander. It felt as if a cat was sitting on my face. Luckily, I carry allergy medicine and could breathe again after a while. The clerk told me the next morning that pets can be assigned to whichever room is available, rather than being kept to certain rooms. I explained the allergy issue, and she asked what part of the room needed cleaning. The room looked spotless, but pet dander is hard to remove. There should be designated non-pet rooms, as there are nonsmoking rooms. Residence Inn describes itself as pet friendly, but that setup isn’t friendly to guests with pet allergies. We chose a Residence Inn because we expected high quality, but I’ll avoid this one in the future. It isn’t worth my life.

For the past few days, breakfast has been slow to come out. The workers put out about two items at a time while around 30 guests need to be served, so we’ve had to wait. Yesterday, our family of four had to split two breakfast sandwiches. The food is pretty good once it’s available, and we had hot water in our room, though I’ve read reviews saying others didn’t. The location is nice, but I wouldn’t stay here expecting fresh breakfast ready each morning.

We paid $350 a night and expected much more. The room felt overpriced, tired, and in clear need of renovation, with visible wall and wallpaper damage. There wasn’t even a bathroom vent fan. The gym had very little equipment and wasn’t well maintained. The pool and hot tub were dirty, with cloudy water and a strong unpleasant smell around the pool area that made it hard to relax. Breakfast was disappointing too, with few choices and low-quality food, well below the Marriott standard I expected. The staff were friendly and tried to help, which was about the only positive. I wouldn’t stay here again or recommend it until cleaning and renovation improve.