Courtyard by Marriott Richmond West

The staff were really kind, and the courtyard is nice. It’s handy if you have a dog, especially when your room is on the ground floor with a door straight out to the yard. The room was clean otherwise and did the job as a place to sleep with a bathroom. We had to switch rooms because the bathroom light in the first one didn’t work. In the next room, the bathroom door wouldn’t close properly, and the tub was a bit grimy. The rooms could be better.

I used to find this place decent, but trying to book now is a nightmare. The automated phone system can’t understand basic prompts, and whenever I finally reach a real person, the call drops right away.

A large group of us stayed here, and several people had red eyes and irritation that we believe came from mold. I’m allergic and had a severe reaction. Some staff seemed unfazed, and appeared to know about the mold problem. The place is badly outdated, and there were roaches too. Someone in the lobby showed me a photo, which was why he was heading to another hotel. There’s another Marriott just down the street that’s newer, clean, and has clean air. Ask to see a room before booking here, or you may regret it. Go here if you want to be around mold, smell like weed, and get no sleep.

On my second stay, three weeks after the first, I was told I had to sign a pet form and pay a nonrefundable $100 deposit. That was different from the first visit, when nobody said anything about my dog, even though I brought her along to check in. I figured maybe the fee paid for extra cleaning after pets, but my room smelled of urine, apparently from the couch, and there hadn’t been any additional cleaning. I wasn’t impressed paying more for no extra service. Then I checked my statement and saw I’d also been charged $100 on the first stay. No one mentioned it at check-in, and I never signed anything agreeing to it. Cleaners were working in the next room at 1 AM, slamming doors and talking loudly without trying to keep it down. I’m disappointed with the communication, surprise charges, and late-night cleaning.