Residence Inn Irvine John Wayne Airpt/Orange Count

The teamwork here was impressive. Staff communicated well, backed each other up, and went the extra mile to keep things running smoothly. From the moment I arrived, people were friendly, helpful, and clearly cared about making guests feel welcome. Great service and coordination, and I’d gladly return and recommend the hotel.

There are some good features here: a free hot breakfast, which I never got to try, nice studio rooms with a full fridge and two electric burners, free sparkling water in the lobby, a great backyard for entertainment, a nice pool, and pet-friendly rooms. Parking costs extra. But the front desk experience was awful, and I felt treated worse than trash. Janet and Paul, I believe that’s his name, were excellent, but the others were rude and dismissive. Jose Luis came over as if he was going to beat me up. Several of us felt that way, which makes it seem like a systemic problem. My shower had no soap, so I asked at the desk. Ailed threw something across the counter at me, and it turned out to be shampoo. I was embarrassed going back to exchange it, and the interaction was very uncomfortable. She seemed to take out her dislike of the job on guests. Housekeeping was a joke too, but I’ll save that for another review. On arrival night, only one elevator was working; by the second day I had to climb five flights to my room. The hotel has the amenities to be the best in the area, but the front desk staff ruined the stay for many of us. At least ten people checked out early. Marriott needs to do better with hiring. I wouldn’t recommend staying while Ailed and Jose Luis are working there. They need more people like Janet and Paul.

The gym was laughable: a couple of dumbbells and two treadmills hardly qualify as a fitness center. Parking was another extra cost, $20 a night, even though the lot was mostly empty, on top of an already expensive rate. I was also charged $7 for a bottle of water I picked up without realizing it wasn’t complimentary. The tag looked like a welcome gift, but there was no free water provided. Breakfast was extremely poor, and the kitchen wasn’t maintained well. There were dried bugs on the plates and no dish detergent, so I couldn’t cook. When I asked for some, they brought hand soap instead, and I had to ask again and wait longer. The dog park was unusable because people treated it as a hangout, smoking cigarettes and weed and taking up the benches, so I couldn’t take my dog there. One night a man talked loudly outside for more than two hours past midnight. I called reception, but they told me I could speak to him myself and said they couldn’t do anything if he didn’t move since he was outside. I didn’t see staff intervene, the noise continued, and I couldn’t sleep. On arrival, I waited about five minutes for a receptionist, and nobody apologized when someone finally came. I also asked about applying my Marriott Bonvoy points and was told that had to be done when I booked. Now my points will expire in February. This stay was a complete disappointment for a Marriott property. I won’t come back and will advise my colleagues to avoid this location.

I was on a company travel assignment and never complained, but that doesn’t mean they should treat me any way they want. I wasn’t raised to complain, and I’m not used to it, but the service staff were very impolite and my room was never cleaned, not once. It’s hard to be kind when you’re treated like this. I wouldn’t recommend this place to any decent person. The people here were inconsiderate and just horrible.