Marriott Suites: Are They Still Around
 

Anyone remember Marriott Suites? Is that brand still around? Why is Marriott Suites super rare (according to Floridian Elevators on Youtube)?

I'm only asking because my parents stayed at one in Deerfield IL back when it was new in 1991 (according to my father, the pool wasn't even open).

I will say this, the tub and shower being seperate back in the early 90's (Marriott Suites has been around since 1987) was innovative and it still is in 2020.

ORD still has one.

Chicago Marriott Suites Deerfield
Bethesda Marriott Suites
Washington Dulles Marriott Suites
Anaheim Marriott Suites
Chicago Marriott Suites O'Hare

David

In the late 1980s, it seemed that Marriott Suites would be the next big thing for Marriott. Other chains were successful with all-suite properties, and Marriott did not want to miss the boat. After a short burst of Marriott Suites properties, new full-service all-suite properties became a rarity. But there were still occasionally new ones. The Anaheim property was product of the early 21st century, if I recall correctly.

Marriott Suites properties are still around.

Some have been rebranded. Marriott Suites in suburban Columbus became Sheraton Suites decades before Marriott acquired Starwood. Marriott Suites in downtown San Diego because Sheraton Suites, and then Declan Suites, before once again donning the Marriott brand as a Marriott Vacation Club Pulse property.

A few dropped "Suites" from their names. Costa Mesa, Newport Beach (Bayview), and Scottsdale (Old Town) come to mind.

There are probably more, but the list below has the properties that I'm aware of. If I put an asterisk in front of the name, I stayed there when it was a Marriott Suites property.

Anaheim Marriott Suites
Atlanta Marriott Suites Midtown
* Bethesda Marriott Suites
Chicago Marriott Suites Deerfield
* Chicago Marriott Suites Downers Grove
* Costa Mesa Marriott
* Marriott Vacation Club Pulse, San Diego
Newport Beach Marriott Bayview
* Sheraton Suites Columbus Worthington
Scottsdale Marriott Old Town
Washington Dulles Marriott Suites

Thank you for bringing up the Deerfield one.

Marriott Suites Pune
Atlanta Marriott Suites Midtown
Dallas Marriott Suites Medical/Market Center
Chicago Marriott Suites Downers Grove
Clearwater Beach Marriott Suites on Sand Key

David

The Clearwater location is exterior corridor which is perfect in Florida. And in an era known as COVID19.

Property's web page still shows the Suites sign:

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...691ecbb769.jpg

David

Google Maps street view (image capture Feb. 2019) also shows "Marriott Suites" on the sign at the porte cochere.

But the current official name on Marriott.com is simply Scottsdale Marriott Old Town: https://www.marriott.com/hotels/hote...iott-old-town/

Interesting.

I stayed in the Anaheim Marriott Suites two years ago so I could walk to a conference in a different hotel, but that is my only defense.

Cool story!

The Augusta Marriott has a standard hotel connected via ballrooms to an all suite tower. They’re not really separate hotels at this point, though they may have been at one time. I feel like I recall seeing the Marriott Suites branding on the side of the suites tower.

That’s insane!

For what it is, it looks so fly.

IIRC, I stayed in a Marriott Suites many years ago, like maybe 25 years ago, in Las Vegas.

The Las Vegas Marriott did indeed start life as a Marriott Suites and, of course, the rooms are still the same (all suites) despite the name change.

Interesting.

Some or all of the rooms in the top two floors (15th and 16th) had been converted from suites to regular rooms, as of November 2019.

The south-facing rooms have nice views of the Wynn Golf Course.

When did it change? I stayed there in 2003, but I have a feeling it was called Marriott Suites back then, but can't 100% recall.

It had a number of stays in Las Vegas in 2003 for a consulting project I was on. Other than this stay at the Marriott, most of the stays were at hotels on the strip as there was always great deals on room rates that I couldn't fiscally pass up. It was strange staying at the Marriott, as there wasn't any casino to pass through on the way to the parking lot like all the hotels on the strip.

I guess the Suites name lost its appeal?

Maybe the Marriott Suites name was removed when some of the rooms were converted to non-suites. I have no idea what year this was.

This history explains why there is no lounge at the Las Vegas Marriott. Last year (my most recent stay) breakfast was available to Platinum Elites in the restaurant.

What kind of high-end hotel has no lounge?

There are quite a few resort properties that lack lounges.

You’re not wrong about that.

Do any of the few Marriott Suites properties have a lounge?

Not sure.

Most true luxury hotels.

I regularly stay at Scottsdale and Las Vegas (both former Suites hotels) and neither of them have a lounge. That said, they are 2 of my favorite Marriott properties (location, great staff)

Anaheim Marriott Suites doesn't. It gives Platinum/Titanium members breakfast from the buffet in the restaurant (in non-Covid times, that is :eek:). Currently it only lists a Starbucks for breakfast, and Platinum/Titanium members only get points in place of the breakfast, per the hotel's current Covid benefits changes information page.

Echoing the comment from sdsearch, the Washington Dulles and Bethesda properties also do not have lounges and offer(ed) breakfast from the buffet for Platinums/Titaniums.

When having stayed in past times (i.e. pre-CV-19), I thought highly of the Washington Dulles property and its condition. Wasn't necessarily thrilled with Bethesda - which is ironic given its proximity to Marriott's WHQ.

David

The Dallas Market Center Marriott Suites has a first floor M Lounge, if I recall correctly. I took it to have been added some time after the hotel first opened.

I stayed at the Deerfield Marriott Suites about 2 years ago. Definitely has a very bland 1990s suburban office park vibe to it.

Although it was midsummer, the hotel was mostly empty when we were there. No quality issues...room rate was like 90 bucks for a nice suite...but the property had no soul to it at all. It is a couple miles away from the area with shops and restaurants that you'd think of as "downtown Deerfield". You need a car to get anywhere from this property.

I suppose it's worth a look if you're stuck at ORD for a night and the big hotels right around ORD are sold out. It's approximately the same ride to/from the terminals as a Schaumburg hotel would be. (15-20 minutes)

My parents stayed at that hotel when it was new.

In Marriott language, the brands that have lounges are clustered around the “Premium” (high-ish end) segment of the market. There’s a whole “Luxury” segment upstairs, which is far too refined to have such a thing.


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3b85ef619f.png

Feels like they should have StR and Ritz on their own tier. Kind of does a bit of a disservice to those brands to throw them on the same level with W and JW.

W's are usually very nice - often with more liveliness to them than competing brands - but they aren't in the realm as a top St. Regis. JW's are often just slightly upscale versions of a Marriott. I used to stay at the one in DC often for work - it was maybe my 3rd or 4th choice from among Marriotts in the area, but we had a corp rate there.

My LC stays in the Starwood years were awesome and included some of the best Plat upgrades I ever received in that program but again, they didn't meet the same luxury specs that a St. Regis did.

But I guess I'm digressing from the full-service suites topic a bit... Oh well.

I have never agreed with the way things are ordered in that chart. In terms of actual experience at the properties, I would rank them more like:

Luxury
-RC
-St. Regis
-EDITION
-Luxury Collection (some, but not all)

Premium
-W
-JW

Full-Service
-Marriott
-Vacation Club
-Le Meridien
-Westin
-Autograph Collection
-Renaissance
-Gaylord
-Design Hotels
-Tribute Portfolio
-Sheraton
-Delta

High-End Select
-AC

Standard Select
-Courtyard
-Four Points
-SpringHill
-Protea
-Aloft
-Moxy
-Element

Basic Select
-Fairfield
-TownePlace

I think there's room to further break down within categories like "full-service" or "standard select" for example I wouldn't really rate the Sheraton brand at the same level as I would rate Le Meridien, Westin, Marriott, Autograph Collection, or Renaissance. But at the same time calling Sheraton 'premium' is pretty laughable, sort of like calling JW 'luxury'.

Not all of these brands fall neatly into categories. Protea is just a regional brand that Marriott bought; it ranges from what you call Basic Select at some properties to what you call Full Service at other properties, with everything in between too (at yet other properties). On a Southern Africa visit shortly after they joined, I stayed at a business hotel high-rise Protea as well at small no-elevator motel-style Proteas.

I wouldn't be surprised if that's also the case in some of those Portfolio/Collection type brands. I know it is in other programs, where those kinds of brands range even more widely than Protea does between categories. But I'm not familiar enough with the Marriott Portfolio/Collection type brands to know if they range widely or not.

Agreed. I honestly couldn’t tell you a thing about Protea. And Design Hotels/Tribute Portfolio I don’t really know either.