My husband and I stayed at the Annapolis Waterfront Hotel for two nights, September 18–20, for a family wedding. We booked the room months in advance and were looking forward to the stay. Unfortunately, this was one of our more disappointing Marriott experiences.
We arrived Friday afternoon and immediately noticed several problems with the room. Part of the ceiling drywall paper was hanging down, the material around the light fixture was coming off, and there was hair and residue in several places on the bathroom wall looked as if the person cleaning used the rag from cleaning the shower then the floor. It wasn't the condition we expected from a hotel at this price point.
Saturday morning, the toilet wouldn't flush. We reported it to the front desk, someone came up with a plunger, and we were told it was working. Unfortunately, the same problem happened 3 more times during our stay. Then Sunday morning, while we were getting ready to leave, the bathroom sink started filling with water instead of draining properly.
We also had an issue with the breakfast benefit. We are Marriott Titanium Elite members, and at check-in we were told we could choose the breakfast benefit or points. I specifically asked whether we needed a voucher and was told no, that the breakfast would be taken off when we checked out. At other Marriott properties, the breakfast benefit has always been clearly explained, whether it's a specific dollar amount or a voucher. When we received our final bill, we found that only $50 per morning had been credited, leaving additional breakfast charges. Had we been told there was a $50 limit, we would have understood and ordering differently.
I also have concerns about the room rate. When I booked through the Marriott app, the total displayed for the two nights was just over $1,400. The final room charges were considerably higher, and I am currently trying to understand why. Unfortunately, once the stay was completed, I could no longer go back into the app to see the original rate I had booked.
I had also attached two room-upgrade awards to the reservation, but was notified before arrival that the upgrades could not be honored. I understand upgrades are subject to availability, so that by itself wasn't a major issue. However, combined with everything else that happened, it added to the disappointment.
At checkout, I explained everything to the front desk. The employee helping me was very nice and actually said she couldn't believe how many problems we had experienced with the room. She spoke with her manager and initially offered 25,000 Marriott points. I explained that wouldn't even provide a free night at this hotel, so she increased it to 35,000 points. I accepted, assuming that she knew what a night at this property required. Once I got home and checked the Marriott app, I found that a weekend night at this hotel was costing more than 75,000 points.
I want to be clear that the hotel is very nice other employees have been great beds were comfortable and the front-desk employee who helped us at checkout was very pleasant and I thought she was doing what she could to give us a free night and find out its not even close. My frustration is with the overall stay and the way the problems and charges were handled.
We have stayed at many Marriott properties and generally have very good experiences. Unfortunately, this stay was quite different. Between the condition of the room, repeated plumbing problems, the confusion over breakfast, and the unexpected difference in the final room charges, this was simply not the experience we expected from the Annapolis Waterfront Hotel.
I hope management takes these issues seriously and uses them as an opportunity to improve the experience for future guests.
