Courtyard by Marriott Springfield

The room was good, and the location was fairly quiet. Breakfast is the usual grab-and-go setup, with a few hot choices. The problem is that school groups of middle and high school students often stay here for a week. The kids make noise in the halls before curfew, while their parents and hotel staff don't do much about it. I wish the groups could be kept in one section instead of being spread across all four floors.

The old, worn-out rooms were another letdown. Wallpaper was peeling off all over one room, and none of the different pillows in mine felt soft or comfortable. My room also faced a busy street, with cars going by all night. I have lifetime Silver status and am close to lifetime Gold. I've spent nearly 400 nights at Marriotts on my own, probably another 1,000 or more for work without earning those award nights, and this is easily one of my three worst stays. At check-in, the woman at the desk was cold and barely acknowledged me, let alone my membership. The pool was closed, even though we'd chosen the hotel for our large group partly so the kids could use it. Nobody told us at check-in, and there was no notice on the website or in an email. There were huge groups of teenagers in town for DC tours or sporting events. They were loud in the halls all night, so we couldn't sleep. The hotel knows how many groups are there and should put them together in one area, away from families and other travelers. Putting them around families is asking for trouble. The smoke detector in my room beeped all night. When I called the desk, the phone rang for ten minutes without an answer. I went down and waited around ten minutes, but nobody was there. I reported the beeping the next day and asked for a fix, but it was still going when I got back that night. They should have fixed it after I asked. Then the fire alarm went off at 630am, waking everyone and sending us outside into freezing temperatures. Once we got back in, we were told it was a false alarm, not someone pulling it. We have a special needs child, and he was terrified for the rest of the trip, asking if we were going to die in a fire. I'm still trying to find the manager's direct email. I want my points returned for this stay. It was a terrible experience from the moment I stepped onto the property, and this hotel should lose the Marriott name because it damages the brand.

For one night in the area, this is a good option. There's plenty to do and lots of restaurants nearby. The room and sheets were clean, and the only dated part I noticed was the shower and bath. I didn't have much to say about service since I was there just one night and didn't need anything.

The indoor pool was the whole reason I booked this room for a weekend visit to my daughter for her birthday. I drove all the way from South Carolina, only to find the pool out of service for maintenance all weekend. It's extremely upsetting. If a hotel advertises a service it can't provide, I don't think it should charge the full price.