Residence Inn Norfolk Downtown

Staff were friendly, professional and accommodating, and the room was clean, nicely appointed and had good storage. The complimentary breakfast was decent, if limited, and a nice perk. Self-parking across the street was convenient and reasonably priced at a fixed daily rate with unlimited in-and-out privileges. Our spacious suite had two bedrooms and two bathrooms, a full-size refrigerator, stovetop and separate living area. At a good price compared with similar hotels nearby, it worked especially well for our 5-day, 4-night stay at the Residence Inn by Marriott Norfolk Downtown. The stay was good, and I'd recommend it to visitors to Norfolk. For extra guest safety, they could require key cards to access the elevator floors with hotel rooms.

This has been the worst Marriott stay I've had. We've had only one upkeep visit, on Friday the 8th, even though we asked for daily service and the front desk confirmed it. We're also supposed to get a full cleaning every third day. Our stay is Thursday the 7th through Tuesday the 12th, and we've had nothing else. As I write this, we're sitting in the lobby waiting for the room to be cleaned. Well, this is money well spent. I've enjoyed my other Marriott stays everywhere else, especially in Poulsbo Washington, where the employees are top notch. Here, I get bull crap answers. I'm asking for a full refund.

The hotel's showing its age and could use a renovation, though it's holding up. Its location is okay for other river front activities, not the best, but it is close to Scope Arena. Service was good when my room TV wouldn't turn on. A tech came while I was out, and I found the TV working when I got back, but the remote wasn't. They had to send someone out a second time, and then the issue was fixed.

The friendly staff, roomy suite, access to the city-owned parking garage and proximity to the Harrison Opera House were good parts of my 29-day work stay. I also received 50,000 Bonvoy Points because of some of the problems, but I'm not sure I'd stay again. My room's heat didn't work, even after I reported it several times to the front desk and housekeeping. They said a third party vendor was working on it. Some days were below freezing, and luckily I could borrow a space heater from work. Despite the hotel's non-smoking rule, cigarette and weed smoke often came into my room from the hallway. I put a rolled towel under the door, and when I called the front desk, someone would come spray Febreze to cover it temporarily. Hot water was inconsistent too. Toward the end of my stay, a sign by the elevators said it would be unavailable for up to 24 hours. The on-site laundry was closed near the end as well. The previous week, only one of the five washers and one dryer were working. Cleaning was unpredictable. I was told the room would be refreshed every other day and fully cleaned weekly. After a week without service, I requested a full cleaning, left for several hours as arranged, and came back to find the room still dirty. I had to go back and forth with the front desk about it.