Courtyard by Marriott Rockville

My room seemed to be a wireless dead zone for my cellphone, even though my laptop had decent signal. The room itself was spacious and very nice, with a clean bathroom and a great shower. There was an individual coffee maker in the room. The Bistro has a limited choice of food and drinks.

I’ve stayed here several times, and each visit has disappointed me more. The hotel is meant to be non-smoking, but the hallways keep smelling like weed. The walls are so thin I could hear my neighbor’s whole conversation. There are no microwaves in the rooms, so heating food means going to the lobby, and the whole building has just one elevator. At night, the parking lot is very dark with little to no lighting, and I didn’t notice any cameras. I also saw an older review saying tires had been stolen, which concerns me. Breakfast is mediocre at best. The employees seem completely overworked, with usually one person at the bistro and one at the front desk. Calling the desk takes forever before anyone answers. The woman who checked me in seemed irritated and rushed, like I was bothering her. As a Marriott Platinum member, I expect much better from a Marriott property. This location falls way below those expectations.

The hotel was convenient and the room was clean, but we left a day early because of the government shutdown and nothing being open. The clerk had told us to inform staff first thing in the morning if we planned to leave early so we could get a refund. We booked through Expedia and provided all the requested information, but the hotel still refused to refund any of our money. They charged a $60.00 incidental fee that’s still pending, plus $20.00 for four waters.

If you need a dependable place to sleep in Rockville without extra bells and whistles, this has some of the best rates around. It’s a clean, standard Courtyard stay, and the staff were decent. No frills, but it gets the job done.