BACKGROUND:
I was visiting Seattle for spring break, and was looking for hotels in the area. I remember I liked the Bellevue/Redmond area, and so when I saw an amazing rate for the new Marriott Bellevue, I immediately booked it. $80 per night weekend rate.
Too Good to Be True, eh?
Sadly yes, I will get into that momentarily.
You can find additional TripAdvisor travelers reviews of the Bellevue Marriott by clicking here. And if you want to compare prices for hotel rates click here as well and “view deal” for your desired dates.
SHORT REVIEW WITH SCORES (OUT OF 5, 5 BEING THE BEST)
MY OVERALL SCORE: 2
5: Excellent, Highly Recommend
4: Very Good, Solid Choice to Consider
3: Ok, Check Other Options Before Booking
2: Below Par, Try to Avoid
1: Terrible, Run Far Away
Rooms: 3/5
Service: 3/5
Location: 3.5/5
Amenities: 3.5/5
Cleanliness: 2/5
Sleep Quality: 4/5
Arrival:
First impression, the porte cochère was really small, and the hotel ONLY offers valet parking. This would escalate into a major issue later during my stay, which I will address soon. Additionally, the hotel’s exterior was quite dull, which is quite disappointing. The lobby was fine, standard for a Marriott, and the lobby was combined with the bar/restaurant.
Room:
Upon entering the room, I noticed it smelled like new paint and the room was very modern. I don’t know, I don’t really like this new trend of minimalistic rooms. Plain walls, thin furniture. This new trend that is popping up across the globe at newer hotels makes me feel sad because the rooms feel cold. Not a hotel room you dream of coming back to and relaxing. Just very bare, check in, sleep, leave. That is a personal preference, many may like the new modern designs and this was not a major problem for me, just a preference.
The real problem erupted when I went to go make the sofabed. The sheets were already made, but when I opened it up, it was utterly dirty! The sheets had food and hairs all over them! Yuck.
I then thought, well okay maybe they forgot to make the sofabed, but then I went to check the REAL bed, and the same thing happened! The actual bed had hairs and bodily stains!
I was very disappointed with the cleanliness of the sheets! I asked for a room change and was moved to the room right across. While the front desk helped to move me rooms, they were not that apologetic which was quite a negative for me.
The next room was clean, thankfully.
Just because I paid a “low” weekend rate doesn’t allow the Marriott to just cut on cleanliness. Completely unacceptable. Basic standards still should be followed.
The Valet:
Okay the valet was horrible. First off, the porte cochère is TOO SMALL. At night, cars are lined up stuck on a public street trying to pull into the hotel. This is a safety hazard! Ridiculous. This is the only entrance to the hotel, and I find it quite funny they ONLY offer valet parking here yet the valet is ineffective. In addition, valet is $35 a night. What’s even more ridiculous is the fact that you can access the parking garage from the guest elevators, and valet porters go to these elevators as well to access the parking garage. They could offer self parking, but just want to charge for valet.
I don’t mind paying for valet if it gets the job done effectively. But not in this case. And one time they even forgot to get my car?! I waited for 15 minutes!
Conclusion:
I spoke to a manager about the problems exhibited throughout my stay and she apologized and refunded my stay. I appreciate her apology and her confirmation that this is not how a typical stay should be at any Marriott. Hopefully the hotel will fix its issues soon.
Have any sub-par hotel stories? Share below!
Best,
theresorttraveler
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