Residence Inn by Marriott Seattle Downtown Convention Center

The staff, the state of the hotel, the quiet and safe neighbourhood.

Was in town for a conference. I'm not only a Bonvoy Platinum for Life member but also an Ambassador level. I asked for a late check out and was granted that for 4pm. I had a dinner event to go to until 7pm and asked the front desk to hold my bags until I checked out to catch my red eye home. The manager on duty said I could just keep my bags in the room since housekeeping had gone home for the day and they would not be renting out that room.

Imagine my surprise to see I was charged for half a day on my credit card after I returned home.

I called the hotel and asked to speak with billing and was told that since I stayed past the 4pm late check out, I was charged, regardless of what the MOD told me. I said I would have kept my bags behind the desk as originally requested.

What this tells me is that their managers have no authority here and loyal guests aren't valued. Keep that in mind if you think you want to stay here.

Good size room comfy bed

Location. God breakfast. Clean and comfortable.

This was an incredible hotel. From the moment I walked into the hotel until I walked out. I actually hated leaving. I don't say that a lot about a hotel. The people here at the front desk were friendly, professional and receptive. As well as responsive. The lobby is spectacular and tasteful in design. The room was clean, neat and had everything I needed for my stay. A fully stocked kitchen, as well as a beautifully appointed bathroom. A spectacular shower and view of the city from my room. A great value for the amenities.

Great location

The location was great, lots of sites to see with stores and restaurants nearby. There were 4 of us and the mini suite was very comfortable for us my husband, myself and our 2 adult daughters. Nikki and Kylie were super friendly, fun, and helpful. The gentleman in the evening (I didn't get his name) was wonderful also. Very nice hot breakfast to start our day. I've already recommended this hotel to other people and we would definitely stay here again!

I usually get a survey via email after my stay, but I brought up so many problems that I guess Marriott didn’t want to hear the news. [Disclosure: I’m in the Marriott Rewards program, Lifetime Platinum Elite]

Positive Note: Every member of the staff was personable, professional and willing to take note of any issues I brought up. Also, I liked the fitness center and the outdoor balcony seating area on the 2nd floor.

Unfortunately, I encountered so many problems with my first room, that I was switched to a different room my first night, only to find that the problematic issues are essentially baked in the DNA of the rooms. Compared to most Residence Inns, these rooms are smaller and don’t have a suite set-up with a door between kitchen and bedroom. There were five problems I’d consider “major,” i.e., serious impact to my comfort/enjoyment:
1) There was a musty odor in the bathroom. I notified the front desk, who sent housekeeping to do an extra “refresh” my room, but nothing worked. This was NOT RESOLVED.
2) There’s a vent in the kitchen (entry hallway) that emits a loud air pressure noise 24/7. According to staff, it’s either because: a) proximity to the stairwell, or b) the kitchen needs to be vented aggressively. I think b) is more plausible. Now, some people who prefer to sleep with “brown noise” would like this, but I couldn’t stand it and had to use earplugs while sleeping. I’ve stayed at other Residence Inn properties and have never heard that level of sound 24/7. Staff said all the rooms are the same; nothing can be done. NOT RESOLVED.
3) The TV remote devices (Enseo) in the room are HORRIBLE at controlling the televisions. There are even chats on websites dedicated to this (“Marriott TV and Enseo remote issues”) that contain all sorts of negative commentary. When I mentioned it to the staff, they were well aware of the problem, explaining that there’s a huge delay between pushing a button and the TV responding . . . or maybe it doesn’t respond at all. An engineer came to my first room and spent ~20 minutes pressing buttons and moving the TV around, to no avail, then he suggested I change my room. This was after he came back with an LG remote! The problem was the same in the next room, to the point where I just left the TV on all day long—while I was gone—once I finally hit upon my station and volume level. The stupid remotes don’t even have numbered buttons with which to change the station, and the volume button works one-tenth of the time. NOT RESOLVED. I would recommend getting all LG remotes—with numbered buttons—and synching them to their respective televisions. The Enseo remotes are of inferior quality (cost cutting?), which doesn’t speak too well of Marriott, sorry to say.
4) There’s a white light above the switches next to the door that is so bright it actually faintly illuminates the bedroom at night. This is a total contraption, as pressing the “Master” button to turn the light off apparently enables other lights in the room to work. After a while, the bright light just turns itself back on again. Really annoying. It’s counterintuitive and an obviously bad idea by someone who thought it was a good idea. Staff was well aware of this problem too! RESOLVED IT MYSELF: I got a plastic shim and taped it over the light switch.
5) The “Relay” device, high up on the wall above the fire alarm, flashes a super-bright, bluish-white light quite frequently throughout the day and night. The light is about the size of a dime, and the flash is so bright that I could actually perceive it at night with my eyes closed! [Note: I read where guests were worried that this device is somehow surveilling them and/or collecting personal info. I’d bet that staff doesn’t know what it is]. The device is actually a Bluetooth beacon, supposedly for safety and communication, but I’ve never seen this at any other hotel, let alone a Marriott property. Can someone tell me why this has to be there? RESOLVED IT MYSELF: I climbed up there and put a black sock over the device . . . no more flashing, awesome!

Everything!

We liked everything: the breakfast, the room, the staff, the location and the price.

Zeer vriendelijk personeel, ruime kamer, centraal gelegen