Residence Inn by Marriott Saddle River

I couldn’t relax here and regretted spending the money. The room smelled strongly of urine, so I disinfected everything and called maintenance. Their spray did nothing, and I ended up buying carpet freshener myself. The hotel is very old and dated, and I wish I’d had another place booked. The toilet had burn marks all over it, and I couldn’t even sit on it. The hotel doors weren’t secured when I came in. Marriott should close this location and rebuild it. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone, unless maybe as a pet hotel.

My business trip was short, thankfully. The room door wouldn’t latch properly, so I wedged a chair under it for security. The AC didn’t work, and the room wouldn’t get warmer or cooler. There were spider webs throughout, along with plenty of other problems. I traveled with cleaning supplies, which came in handy: the room smelled like dogs, the carpet needed cleaning, and the bathroom and shower were filthy. The toilet seat was so dirty that even after cleaning it, I covered it with paper towels. I used dish detergent to scrub dirt around the tub. Several coworkers in our room block had the same experience and had to Instacart cleaning products to the hotel. Housekeeping seemed nonexistent, and I doubt the bed linens are changed after every stay. The front desk staff need training in customer service and communication. This filthy, disgusting place looked like a halfway house. Anyone who says they enjoyed staying here or found it nice must have very low expectations. I’d give zero stars if I could.

After a 12-hour drive, I arrived at about 8 a.m., six hours before check-in, and really didn’t want to sleep in my car until 2 p.m. I asked if I could pay for the night before so I could get into a room right away. Macy, or someone with a similar name, let me check in without charging anything extra. That’s rare these days if you travel a lot, and I really appreciated it. I make this trip often, driving 12 hours five times a year, and usually rotate between hotels. I have high status at a few places, but not anymore. That kind gesture has earned this Marriott all my stays for the month each year.

I had no problem paying for the yoga ball my son accidentally popped, but the way the front desk woman treated us was nasty. Around 8 p.m. on Saturday, February 14, he was in the workout room and moved a yoga ball out of the way. It rolled toward a treadmill that was in use, got scraped by the edge of the moving belt, and burst. Mortified, he went to the desk to explain and offer payment. The woman was extraordinarily rude and terse, scolding him and then me. She had older, middle-aged, triangular blonde hair and a thin smirk. Watch out for her. Her supervisor just went along with whatever she said. I hope she had a well-deserved Valentine’s date at her lonely desk off the highway.