Courtyard by Marriott Philadelphia Devon/Villanova

The staff were great, but room 320 had several problems: the toilet seat was broken, the deadbolt kept opening by itself before I shut the door, and there was rust along the shower shelf. The gym smelled strongly of mildew or mold. It wasn’t awful, but I came away more from a courtyard property.

There was plenty of parking, and the place seemed safe. The room was clean, and I liked having the option of a balcony. Great location for our trip.

The hotel’s awful smell was embarrassing. My guests compared it to a barn full of wet hay, and staff suggested there might be a problem with the keg at the bar. I wouldn’t recommend staying here to a bride who wants to keep her peace of mind. We booked a wedding room block, but Latasha was difficult to work with throughout. She disputed who counted toward the block and excluded my parents because they booked a suite, which brought the hotel more money. We had to push hard to get everyone accounted for, and some rooms still didn’t count. We also planned our after-party here, then four days before the wedding Latasha told us it was only for hotel guests and that we’d have to book and pay for a conference room.

The front desk staff were nice. The hotel was average, though. Breakfast came with a special rate, but you could only get regular coffee and one item. If you wanted the room cleaned, you had to ask for it.