Residence Inn by Marriott San Antonio SeaWorld/Lackland

We came for my son's birthday weekend and a trip to Sea World San Antonio, and it was almost perfect. The manager upgraded our room and left a small welcome snack bag for us. The room was spacious and clean, and service from the managers, housekeeping, and breakfast kitchen assistants was superb. My family loved staying at this Residence Inn close to Sea World. Thank you!

We were visiting for the AirForce graduation and found this hotel close to both the base and everything else we needed. It was only about 15 minutes away, with Saltgrass and Texas Roadhouse just down the street. The fire alarm went off around 3 AM and again at 4 AM on our last night, so they comped us one night. Even with that, it was a great experience, and I'd book again.

We arrived Saturday and, by Wednesday, neither of our two rooms had received housekeeping. There was no cleaning, trash pickup, or fresh towels. Trash piled up under the kitchenette sink, and we had to ask the front desk for towels and toilet paper ourselves. Both rooms were dirty: the refrigerator tops had thick dust, and some towels had stains bad enough to make us wonder why they were in use. Outside, the lot was muddy and full of puddles, and dog feces covered the grassy areas. One room had no working heat in the cold weather. Maintenance did come quickly and fix it, the one operational bright spot. The hotel had opened rooms to some unhoused people because of the cold, and we support people having a warm place to stay. Still, some guests seemed rough and intimidating, which made breakfast awkward and uncomfortable for families and business travelers. Security also seemed absent: restaurant flyers were slid under our door almost every night, including at 10:30 on New Years Eve. Parking costs were reasonable compared with other Marriott locations, but the required permission slip displayed on the dashboard felt like a budget motel's towing setup. My wife travels often for business and has Titanium Elite status with Marriott Bonvoy, and will likely be Ambassador after this stay. Nobody acknowledged her loyalty: no welcome, thanks, small gift, or free drink. Residence Inn is meant to be a moderately upscale extended-stay brand under Marriott, but this place felt like a cheap interstate-side Motel 6 with a nicer sign, neglected and poorly managed, and disconnected from Marriott standards. We won't return, and I'd caution other Marriott loyalists to stay elsewhere.

Our first room had a serious security problem: the deadbolt stayed extended, so the door wouldn't close. Housekeeping had to shake the handle several times before it retracted. We told the desk, and they said they were upgrading rooms and some were doing that. That isn't safe, and a room like that shouldn't be rented. Glad it was me and my older son; a frazzled family could have faced a push-in. It could happen to anyone. The staff were very helpful otherwise, and we went out for four hours so they could find another room. The second room was clean enough, but the microwave kept beeping until reset, as did the dishwasher, which seemed to want to finish an empty cycle. On leaving, we reported a toilet issue that was fixed by closing the door. These things happen, but if a room has problems, please make sure the replacement room is checked too.