Courtyard by Marriott Orlando South/Grande Lakes Area

The hotel was clean and modern, and the room comfortable. I stayed one night while running errands around Orlando. Normally I'd give it four or five stars, but the $15 nightly parking charge felt ridiculous. You have to stay here to park here, and it's not near public transport, so practically everyone gets stuck paying an extra fee on top of the room. I'm a Marriott Gold member, and this is the second Courtyard where I've run into this. I guess it's a new Marriott policy, and I'll take my business elsewhere.

The two bottles of water on the desk came with a $5-per-bottle sign, which was disappointing and frankly insulting for an Elite member. Setting them out as if they might be complimentary, then charging for basic bottled water, reflects poorly on the brand. I question who in hospitality or brand standards thought this was acceptable. I own several companies myself, and whoever came up with that would likely be terminated. The exterior lighting also needs attention. The lot and walkways were very dark at night, and a car nearly hit me while turning through the parking lot. The brick path has tree roots pushing it up, creating an obvious trip hazard that needs repair. As a Bonvoy Elite member, I expect a basic level of consistency and safety at a Marriott-branded property, and this location fell short in these areas. Courtyard presents itself as professional and business-friendly, so safety, maintenance, and basic courtesy should match that standard. There's room to improve.

The room was clean, but there was no hair conditioner. We called and went down to ask, but the desk wouldn't hand us a bottle and said someone had to bring it up. Luckily it arrived about 10 minutes later. We also found the lobby diner and coffee area closed every time we went down, with nobody around. We'd called ahead hoping to have the suite ready before the 3 PM check-in, but it wasn't available when we arrived. The desk said suites take longer to clean, so we waited until 4 PM. It was an okay hotel, though the service and basic amenities could be better.

I've stayed with Marriot hotels for years and own their stock, so this experience was disappointing enough that I'm considering selling it. I booked three rooms for colleagues attending a conference. The rates felt high, but the location and time constraints made me go ahead. I explained that I'd pay, though my colleagues would be the ones checking in and staying. Nobody told me they would be charged on the credit card they had to leave on file for incidentals. Afterward, I had to call to sort out payment and reimburse a colleague. Only then did I learn they needed a separate authorization to charge my card for the rooms. The first associate was nice and understanding, but didn't clearly explain why my colleague had been charged instead of me. She transferred us to manager Samantha, who was rude from the start, talked over me, and assumed I'd booked online, which I hadn't. I stayed calm, but she accused me of getting upset. Eventually she sent the authorization to pay for the room and switch the payment.