Courtyard by Marriott Sunnyvale Silicon Valley

I’m traveling alone from Chicago and just wanted to enjoy my vacation, so I didn’t want to get into refund processes. I’m an Airbnb host, and my guests never have to complain, so I felt uncomfortable having to raise an issue that shouldn’t have been happening. Still, the ant problem needs to be fixed. I found ants in my first room, then more than 100 crawling over the bathroom garbage the next day. When I switched rooms, the front desk guy joked that I was scared of a few ants. He also suggested I might have food in the room, but I’m sure I don’t eat in a bathroom, and there shouldn’t be ants everywhere anyway. The next room was fine for two days, then I woke up to ants all over the bathroom sink, by the shower, and on the door between the closet and bathroom. I went downstairs upset and disgusted to change rooms again. In that room, I found ants on the sink too. I eventually used cinnamon and peppermint essential oils to clean, which kept them away until it wore off. Then I found where they were coming through the wall and covered the area with Clorox wipes. On my last day, they were back all over the sink. There were other problems as well. A previous guest had put pads over the ventilation system and a plastic bag over the smoke detector, apparently to cover up smoking in the room. That should have been removed before another guest saw it. The cleaning staff didn’t come on three days when I requested service. The one time someone did come, she didn’t make the bed, take out the garbage, or do much beyond tossing the towels under the sink. After that, I cleaned myself. Since I didn’t get fresh towels or trash service, I put garbage in the hallway and washed towels myself. I shower after my morning workout and again before bed, so I needed them. Most of the staff were amazing. My only issue with someone was the woman who questioned whether I had a reservation because I was sitting in the lobby. I travel alone and sometimes prefer to hang out there instead of my room, so I found that inappropriate.

I only booked here because my colleagues had already reserved rooms. The location was decent, but other hotels that looked nicer cost less, and there isn’t much nearby unless you walk 10-15 minutes for coffee or food. I was disappointed and will look elsewhere next time. My first room had ants crawling across the surfaces. The woman at the front desk didn’t seem surprised and quickly moved me to another room. At least there were no ants there, but the toilet kept running and refilling loudly. I was exhausted, and maintenance had already been gone for the day when I reported the ants, so I shut the bathroom door and tried to sleep. The elevator was broken most of my stay, and guests were noisy, including someone playing music at 7 am. They also had homemade flyers offering 100 Marriott points for positive answers on the Marriott survey, as long as you showed proof of your good response. It gave me the impression they might be trying to cover poor conditions by bribing guests to improve their scores.

For the price they charge, the quality feels like a total rip-off. Parking is plentiful, the location on El Camino is convenient for nearby companies, and the shower is big. But that doesn’t make up for how dated and expensive it is. The rooms had old, loud HVAC, dirty carpets, old mattresses, no central lighting, and TVs that didn’t face the bed. Soundproofing was poor: I could hear people in other rooms walking, using the toilet, and talking. Amenities were limited, with no robes or slippers even when asked. There was no breakfast, just a very overpriced Starbucks-style counter you could pay for. Parking cost $20 a night, which I’ve never heard of at a suburban hotel. That’s a total joke.

The staff were friendly and the hotel had a nice feel, but the value didn’t match what we paid. Our room was smaller than expected, and breakfast wasn’t included despite what the website said. They offered to sell it to us, though it cost more than the cafe across the street. We also didn’t hear about the $20 daily parking charge until check-in. We’ll look elsewhere next time we’re in Sunnyvale or Silicone Valley.