Sacramento Marriott Rancho Cordova

The property was clean, the amenities were above average, and the price felt like good value. The front desk was the weak point. There was just one person on duty, and they seemed overwhelmed while guests waited in long lines for basic help. A few times, it also looked like the employee helping people wasn’t normally assigned there and couldn’t access the terminals. Other families in our travel group ran into similar problems.

The rooms have been renovated and are nice, and the 24-hour gym is much better than what most hotels offer. That gym is a big reason I’d choose to stay here again. The staff were generally great, though checkout took 20 minutes because the only person at the desk was dealing with a difficult customer. Parking costs $10 a day, which feels like a gouge, and breakfast isn’t included.

The lobby Starbucks has its own sign facing the street, so I stopped in for bottled water even though I wasn’t staying at the hotel. Management asked me to leave about two-thirds of the way through my drink because I wasn’t a guest. That was enough to put me off returning to a California Starbucks or a Marriott. I rarely go to Starbucks locations in California anyway, partly because of poor management. My one-night hotel stay was otherwise all right and inexpensive for its class, though the older room had a thermostat problem that meant I had to switch rooms and lost sleep. This happened while the fire department was using the hotel as a base camp on the way to Tahoe.

We’ve stayed here four times before, and the renovation has changed the place completely. The lobby and roomy updated rooms look beautiful, with big TVs, an iron and ironing board, and a great shower with full-sized products. We could still use the pool and lounge areas, which our kids loved, while work on the pool and parking lot continues. Everything already looks great, and we’re looking forward to seeing the finished pool. The customer service is outstanding, especially Huda, the manager. This is the best Marriott we’ve stayed at.