Courtyard Portsmouth

The Starbucks barista was great in the morning, but the room booking was a mess. I reserved and prepaid for a King Room two weeks ahead, then arrived to hear they were out of Kings and could offer me a double queen instead. The front desk said they’d oversold, then showed me a sticky note listing rooms she “wasn’t sure” were occupied and said she could check. Check how, by knocking and asking if anyone’s there? That’s a terrible system. Reservations mean nothing here. I’ve never had this problem at any Hilton brand hotel.

I liked the place, the staff were friendly, and the beds were super comfortable. I stayed there on Oct 6th, and as a Hilton Diamond member working toward Lifetime Hilton Diamond, it made me wonder if Marriott might have a better mousetrap. Hilton is far from perfect, though. The reason for the one star is the extra $73 on my bill for the upgraded room I got at check-in. My two travel partners arrived at the same time and got regular rooms. When I was told I’d been upgraded, I said, “Great!” Nobody mentioned a price difference. My coworker clearly heard the desk agent say, “we are out of Kings so we have you in a suite.” Last week, the Embassy Suites in Montgomery upgraded me to the presidential suite without an upcharge. I’d assumed hotels did free upgrades when regular rooms ran out. If night shift staff are offering paid upgrades, the cost needs to be made clear. If this is Marriott corporate policy, email me and I’ll change this to five stars, because the hotel is otherwise exceptionally well run. If it was a mistake or miscommunication, please correct the billing and I’ll change it to five stars.

I stayed at the Courtyard from November 21st to the 22nd. Most things went fine: check-in was fast, bar service and food were okay, and the restaurant service was actually really good. Checkout at 6 a.m. was awful. The woman on duty was rude from the moment I approached the desk, and I hadn’t given her any attitude. I just wanted to check out, make sure my BONVOY number was there, and leave. I chose not to argue, but the interaction was really unpleasant. Everything else was fine.

Okay Google, omg, I loved my stay here. I swam in the pool for a bit, and the chlorine wasn’t too strong. Sometimes it’s better to be alone. No one can hurt you.