Courtyard by Marriott Oklahoma City North/Quail Springs

One morning, after I showered and was getting dressed by the bed, someone opened our door. The safety lock stopped it, but a hand came in and tried to flip the lock. I yelled, and they shut the door right away and apologized. Then I heard knocking at the door beside ours, followed by knocking at ours. I was still unclothed, so my girlfriend had to answer. The man apologized again and said their records showed the room as empty. I’m not sure I believe that. I planned to mention it at checkout, but my girlfriend didn’t want me to cause trouble, since the reservation was hers. Still, they should knock before trying to enter. It was a serious invasion of privacy, and at first it seemed like it could have ended very badly. Aside from that, check-in was quick, the woman helping us was very nice, and our room was clean and quiet. The bed was soft and comfortable. The hotel seems to have had a renovation at some point, though it could use more updates and maintenance.

The condition of this Courtyard was far worse than my earlier bad stay at an Aloft in Phoenix, which I had dismissed as a one-off. I’ve been a loyal Marriott Bonvoy member for over 20 years and have stayed almost exclusively at Marriott hotels, with only two truly bad experiences. This stay has me seriously reconsidering that loyalty for the first time in more than two decades. I won’t return to this property. The staff were consistently polite and professional, and they promptly moved us from our first room to Room 310. Unfortunately, both rooms showed serious neglect. The first had water stains on the walls, a poorly cleaned bathroom, a heavily stained and apparently damaged tub, a sticky floor, and pink residue that raised cleanliness concerns. The second room was no better: the shower head leaked so much that water sprayed onto the ceiling, the sink had no stopper, and there were stains on the walls and comforter. The TV and remote didn’t work either. The common areas looked run-down and dirty too. The hallway ice machine was unplugged and had no water connection.

I spent four nights here. Room service came once, which was fine since I don’t usually rely on it. They took the hand towels and soap by the sink without replacing them. I made do with the body wash and my own towel and didn’t bother bringing it up on my last night. The stay was okay overall, neither especially good nor bad, and it’s a reminder for me to read reviews more carefully next time. The lobby was clean and welcoming, the bar looked nice, and check-in went smoothly. Outside, some awning covers looked like they were being replaced, which I understood. In the room, most things seemed clean, including the covers, couch, and chair, but I noticed a napkin under the bed near the frame during my usual bed bug check. It made me wonder how thoroughly the area had been checked. There were also some visible signs of wear. Caulking seemed to be missing around the tub, or there may have been moisture mold. By the coffee pot and light, there were signs of moisture damage or a possible leak. The cover near the bathroom light looked rough, and the bottom of the AC unit was exposed, as if it might have been under maintenance. These were things guests might notice, but they didn’t significantly affect my stay.

A hotel can be clean and still be run without dignity. This place is an example of that. On Christmas Eve, management sent the rest of the housekeeping team home and left one housekeeper to clean the entire hotel. Expecting one person to do a full team’s workload on a major holiday wasn’t just poor planning. It was a deliberate choice. Housekeepers are essential, but this decision treated them as expendable and raises serious questions about management’s values and leadership.