username

I am doing my first Element stay this weekend. I was so looking forward to it was the photos looked great. Then....I got to my room and found maybe the design really did not account for the wear & tear on the room - especially for an extended stay hotel.

For example, most of the walls are white. So, any imperfection is easily seen. A lot of the surfaces are shiny - so, the same problem - dirty spots and scratches are very obvious.

The work desk has glass top - not only it is not convenient for optical mouse, it is also very hard to maintain.

There are also numerous maintenance and housekeeping issues which are probably hotel specific. So, I am somewhat disappointed on the brand and very disappointed at this particular hotel.

I wonder how much these things are taken into consideration when they design a hotel...

andersonCooper

It's very similar to Westin (that's why it's called Element by Westin I guess) IMO, but include a kitchen (or I got upgrade) so SPG could compete with Residence Inn type of hotels.

TheTakeOffRush

^ Exactly. Many people conflate good "design" (appealing form) with good design (intuitive function). It'd be nice to have both, naturally. The problem is, many of those people confusing the two are designers. See all the comments by business travelers about glass-walled bathrooms, the recent Citi Premier/Prestige mini-debacle, etc. Not to mention F/B seats and IFE that are more about glitz than usefulness.

KENNECTED

Pictures?
What property?
Could this be property specific instead of brand specific?

JohnnyP

Staying with my family, I had the same disappointment with my last Element stay. I paid a bit more than the Homewood, but ended up being quite disappointed. Thin walls, poor kitchen usability (yes, shocker, we actually wanted to use the kitchen and eat in the room!), sterile and inconsistent lighting, horrible vent and thermostat locations, and the hardwood floors were filthy. It felt a lot like something that looked incredible in an architect/designers drawings, but when it came to life, in the budget the developers wanted to pay, it was just a big miss. After a few nights, we checked out and spent the rest of the time at the Homewood -- hard to beat that product from Hilton (warm and welcoming, functional kitchen and table, thicker walls!, overall much better and higher quality food selection). Don't get me wrong: I like modern design, but at the Element, "form AND function" just do not meet. I probably would not have minded as much if I was just there for a short business trip (because I don't spend much time in the room anyway), but for an extended stay property, this was a fail.

born sleepy

If OP is referring to the Element at Arundel Mills, MD, I can totally relate. I haven't been in about two years, but my room at the time was very well-worn and in need of renovation. I like the design elements (er, heh) and room layouts of Element properties. Most of the ones I've stayed at are in better shape than this one.

The glass desktop is mouse-hostile, but that's what the magazines are for.

username

Oh my. How did you figure that out? Granted there are not that many of them...I guess they have a reputation?

On the bright side, if they were bad 2 years ago, things have not gotten significantly worse