Because of those trade mark Marriott slamming doors, I find the need to sleep and Marriott FS hotels an oxymoron. Even Mr. Marriott himself will not sleep at his own hotels because he cannot get a good night's sleep.

I've been in your situations many times, due to weddings and traveling with youth sports teams.

Take people to whom staying one night at a hotel is a major event/treat and a weekend staff streched too thin and pissed off because they work weekends, and you have a dangerous mix.

The sales staff are only glad to book weddings and group events but the operations staff are clueless or uncaring how to treat them. And the hotel will insist on squeezing every penny like its a corporate event.

Ten year olds are going to run, roam and play floor hockey in the halls to kill time yet very few hotels will open up an unused meeting room or small ballroom to allow the group to gather and entertain themselves. One hotel insisted we buy another room (at $150+) and buy their pizza at $20 a pie to feed a 30 kids on New Years Eve. A big deal to parents scraping by.

I suspect you were on the 4th floor because that's where the other guest are, for the convience of housekeeping, not your peace, quiet and comfort. There were probably floors of empty rooms.

Next time you are in a Marriott hotel that is obviously empty (dead time of the year, parking lot empty, Sunday night, etc), get up early and look at the newspapers by the doors. I guarentee you are clustered together unnecessarily.

Just my opinion from many years of observations both business and weekend travel.