Courtyard by Marriott Novato Marin Sonoma

I keep choosing this hotel when I'm in the area to see family. The rooms are spotless and comfortable, and the staff are really nice. It's close to everything you'll need nearby. Parking costs $10, which is the one drawback, but I think it's worth it.

On my birthday, I felt disrespected by Michael Vacatro and Sylvia. I waited over an hour after a ceiling bulb broke in my room and left shattered glass, but nobody gave me immediate help or seemed concerned. Sylvia spoke to me abusively when I raised that my privacy had been violated because they entered my room without waiting. I had politely asked them to let me know before entering and said I would wait in the laundry area, after telling the front desk. They went in without my knowledge, then blamed me for everything and told me not to return. I only wanted to go over the mess from the bulb, but instead they vacuumed up broken glass!

I decided to leave early and stay elsewhere, and I'm glad I did. This feels like a budget place, and the gym was disappointing: the elliptical made a terrible noise, and the weight area had a sign limiting it to one person at a time because there's so little room. Housekeeping was inconsistent, coming only every other day. One day I got back from work at 4 PM expecting the room to have been cleaned, but it hadn't. Around 5 PM someone from housekeeping knocked while I was using the room, which wasn't great.

We couldn't get a good night's sleep because the bed was so uncomfortable; I tossed and turned all night. The thermostat also wasn't working right when we arrived. The fan was set to high, but no air came out.