Courtyard by Marriott Norfolk Downtown

The room was spacious and comfortable, the bathroom was in good order, and the WiFi worked well. It’s in the city’s financial centre, easy to reach by light rail, one stop from the Amtrak station. One of the lifts was out of use, and the front desk person who checked me in didn’t seem very interested in me. Breakfast was basically ordering at the bar. I had coffee in a paper Starbucks cup, and the cooked item wasn’t very good for the extra I’d paid. One of the three shower containers was empty.

The staff were friendly and really tried to help. Kenan was especially kind, bringing us extra sheets and pillows. Still, we won’t stay here again. We paid $300 and booked a king bed with a sofa bed for our family of four, expecting the kids to share a double mattress like at other hotels. Instead, the sofa bed was a single and wouldn’t unfold without moving it. The hotel couldn’t move us or provide a cot, so our son slept on a couch cushion. The bed barely fit, we had to climb over furniture, and the furniture was dingy and stained, with curtains coming off their track. We were also disappointed to find the pool and whirlpool closed with no notice. We’d promised the kids a swim, and that was part of why we chose this place.

This was our second year staying here, and the location and staff are great. But the whirlpool has been broken both years. If they don’t plan to fix it, they should take it off the website. When we checked out, the valet staff couldn’t find our car because one of their drivers had moved it without updating the parking spot. The stay was okay, but it wouldn’t be my first choice.

I’ve had good experiences with Marriott before and am loyal to the brand, so when Marriott's Autograph Collection hotel in Norfolk was full, I booked Courtyard Marriott as a backup. This stay was the opposite of my other Marriott visits. The hotel was extremely run down and dirty, and I’m surprised Marriott puts its name on it. My first room smelled of must and cat pee, so I changed rooms, but the second smelled too. It was dark, dingy, and musty, with fixtures coming off the walls and mold in the bathroom. The AC was set to 60 but felt no cooler than 68. Outlets by the bed didn’t work, it was loud until 3 a.m., and the elevator was rundown. Each time, the door key took at least 10 tries and about three minutes to work. The front desk person and valet were very nice, the only positives. At $220 plus $25 parking in the off season, it felt like a huge ripoff. I expect better from Marriott.