Minneapolis

Thanks for the heads up on this property! I've decided to stay at the W Seattle instead of this one based on your post. Sounds like very uneven treatment for Plats at this location. Hopefully it didn't sully your trip too much, please let us know if you hear from the General Manager. Your post says that your stay was "recent" but doesn't specify how long ago it was.

Also, do you really make the hotel bed each day? Does anybody else do this?

ohmark

I sounds like the check-in clerk was incompetent (didn't know the rules and couldn't be bothered to check with somebody who did) and, worse, untrained. A failure of the property's management. When this thread is compared with the current Blackstone thread, it makes one wonder whether the cutbacks have been to more than the concierge lounge and room amenities. Training should not be property-optional.

pinniped

Wow...that's brutal. I used to stay at this property every other week and always encountered high-quality front desk staff. If they want to break in a trainee, there are four other Marriotts within 2 or 3 miles of this one - but the Waterfront is their flagship property in Seattle.

I will say this about the corner rooms though: I rarely got 'em, even though they knew me by name as a repeat Platinum guest. They are full one-bedroom suites - very nice and with large living rooms, even in comparison to other Marriott suites I've received. But getting one as an upgrade was rare - I maybe had 2 or 3 of them over the course of a year.

Whenever I had family with me in Seattle, I'd move over to the Renaissance Madison Ave. The corners there are junior suites - much smaller than the Waterfront corners but somewhat bigger than a hotel room. Because the Renaissance is a skyscraper with four of these per floor, it's a fairly reliable Gold/Plat room assignment.

I did a couple of W Seattle stays as well - they had a good Pacific Northwest promo one spring. It's a very good property as well, although the front desk clerk did mention on one of my stays that it's one of the most-populated-by-Platinums hotels in the system. As a Gold, I had one stay where I didn't even get my bed type - they had more Platinums staying there than they had King beds!

Lane412000

No, the hotel experience did not diminish the great trip to the northwest. The hotel we found to be an excellent location for the things we wanted to do while in Seattle.

We arrived on Thursday, September 3rd and departed Monday, September 7th (Labor Day).

Yes, I make the bed daily before I leave the room. I once read an article that said Tiger Woods did this, so I figured that if my bed is made daily at home and Tiger Woods can do this when he is in a hotel, then Lane412000 can also.

I do not expect to hear from the hotel's GM as I have not contacted either he or the assistant GM after arriving back home. I imagine that I should contact them about the missing $100 credit, but figure if the hotel screwed up about four times before, they would probably screw this up also. It is not only the desk clerk, but when an assistant GM informs you that he will place a $100 credit on your bill and does not do it, then the whole apple is rotten.

pinniped

So this is what I've been doing wrong! I was beginning to think it was a problem with my golf swing...

Lane412000

Since I started making the bed in the morning while staying in a hotel, my drive has increased to 300 yards. Now, that is 100 yards straight and 200 yards to the right....LOL

gonknoggin

I'm heading to Seattle in a few weeks and I can't quite decide if I should go for the Marriott or the Renaissance. I will stay for four nights during the week and am Marriott Rewards Gold member, so it'd be interested to hear about the quality, comfort of the hotels in general and if one of the exec. lounges is better than the other (also about breakfast in the lounge)?

Any tips, advice on where I should stay?
Thanks!

missydarlin

you might want to check in the Marriott forum.

Renaissance is going to be more pedestrian friendly if you plan on spending most of your time downtown without a car.

Marriott is down on the waterfont. Its not exactly out of the way, but you're looking at navigating some steep hills to get back up into downtown.

Gardyloo

Well, there is an elevator next door to the Marriott that goes up to the Pike Market. Not sure if it's 24h though. http://gonw.about.com/od/photoswa/ig...t-Elevator.htm

AZ_MISMAN

You'll definitely find some feedback in the Marriott forum. One, for example, is http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marri...hlight=Seattle.

On my trip to Seattle (years ago,) I stayed at the Ren. It was walking distance to the Convention Center, so I didn't have to take the convention bus all the time.

BDUBYA

check out the Residence inn Marriott on Lake Union. best Marriott in Seattle. more like a full service hotel but with free breakfast. Great restaurants across the street. new SLUT streetcar into downtown.

Big Mo

I stayed at the Marriott Waterfront at the end of August and got upgraded to a corner Jr. suite as a gold. The lounge is pretty nice.

gonknoggin

Thanks for all your answers. I decided that I will go for the Marriott, I will let you know how I liked it.

I was wondering if anyone could provide me with a good parking option. The valet parking is $40, the offsite parking they recommend is Bell Street Pier, the price around $20 is good, yet it seems to have limited opening hours (from 6am until midnight or so).

Is there another garage nearby (<5-10 minutes walking) which is open 24/7?

Thanks!

hjboudre

IMHO, the Waterfront Marriott is out of the way. We were just at the Renaissance 2 weeks ago and it was much more pedestrian friendly. The free bus service during the day in downtown seattle will drop you right at the door of the Renaissance which saves having to walk back up the hill.

pinniped

The Marriott and Renaissance are kind of on opposite "corners" of the downtown business district. Ren is at the top of the hill - convenient to Capitol Hill and a bit closer to Pioneer Square / Safeco / etc. Marriott is at the bottom and more convenient to Pike's, Belltown, and (obviously) the waterfront.

You're going to be doing some hillwork no matter what...do you prefer walking uphill or downhill at the end of the evening after a few glasses of wine?

I personally love the Lake Union area - "riding the SLUT" is a perfectly clean, legal, and safe activity in Seattle. (A little tram line around Lake Union...) Three Marriotts in that direction: RI, CY, and SHS. Lake Union isn't an easy walk to downtown...on business, you'd realistically take a short cab ride. (For me, I've gone everywhere from Queen Anne to UW to Capitol Hill to Fremont to Safeco Field on foot from the Courtyard, but that's because I love to throw on my running shoes and explore new cities.)

Overnight street parking near the Marriott is easy to find. I've stayed there about 20 times, always with a rental car, and I've never paid anything to park except for a couple bucks here and there during meter-enforced times. The meters accept MC/Visa. ^ Even though all of my stays were for business, I felt guilty sticking my client with parking costs when street parking was that easy. (Yes, I know I sacrificed Marriott points...) Legal overnight street parking is pretty easy to find near all five properties - perhaps hardest near that Residence Inn. (Head south a couple blocks past that large intersection and it gets a bit easier.)

With Gold status, you're more likely to get a corner jr. suite at the Renaissance. The total number of them in relation to the total rooms available is greater. I only received a couple of corners at the Waterfront, but when I did they were amazing - huge even by normal one-bedroom suite standards.