Monterey Marriott, CA [Master Thread]
 

Looking for a nice hotel in Monterey for 2 nites in mid May? Most of the reviews on the Monterey Marriott are pretty old and we heard that it had a recent renovation? Can anyone give recent experience? Thanks.

I'm not sure when the renovations took place, but I was there last May.

The only thing I felt really needed an upgrade was the pool area. Everything else was nice, but not over-the-top spectacular.

The location is great, just a short walk to the bay. Parking is also plentiful on the surrounding streets and garages and cheaper than the hotel lot.

August 06 Trip Report
 

I posted this last August:

Monterey Marriott Wed/Thur
The friendliness and attention to detail, that has been mentioned on FlyerTalk, was fully-functional on my visit. "Justin" welcomed me and acknowledged my gold status. I told him that the hotel was well-rated by the folks on this board and that piqued his interest enough to ask for the URL so he could read members comments and improve his hotel. Despite the fact that I was using points for this 2-day stay, I was upgraded to a Deluxe Bay View room that was nice, bright and airy with a small walkout balcony. Since there is no lounge, I was given 2 free breakfast coupons. Upon completion of breakfast each morning, however, all 4 breakfasts were zeroed out. Nice touch. I was also able to purchase tix to the aquarium, there in the hotel, avoiding lines as well as online service charges.

Net-net: Great job Justin. Location and friendliness make this a great launch site for Monterey, Pacific Grove and Carmel. I had the best fire-roasted thin crust pizza I've ever tasted at the Santa Lucia Cafe a few blocks away. Bad: Parking- $20 and net access $12/day. No lounge.

I was just working in Monterey and unfortunately since I was there for 2 weeks couldn't justify staying at the Marriott. The Courtyard in Salinas was clean and close to resturants/shopping, etc... but next time based on these comments I'll try to stay at the Marriott.

Let me know if there is anything specific you want to know. I just checked in at the Monterey Marriott this morning and then headed to my client's site. I will be at that property all this week (heading home on Friday).

I was there a few months ago. Location can't be beat. Short walk to Fisherman's Wharf. Longer walk to Cannery Row though I didn't do that myself. Woke up to the sounds of sea lions barking from the bay. Loved the hot tub.

Downsides...the parking, of course. All onsite parking is valet (about $20). Internet+unlimited long distance (U.S.) was about $10/day.

I would stay there again for the right price, but sometimes you are limited to $300+ rates. I did like a previous poster mentioned...I've stayed in Salinas (but at the Residence Inn).

<rant>Marriott needs to stop charging Internet (at least for platnium members) <end rant>

Just an FYI.. I found his unbelievably good Mexican place (the hole-in-the-wall type joint) called Sarita's. I ate at the one in Marina (like 5 times in 2 weeks), but I think they have multiple locations.

Monterey Marriott - any current comments?
 

Anyone been to the Monterey Marriott lately/

If so, any comments appreciated.

We were there about 6 months ago and the above comments are still valid. No lounge but free breakfast buffet for gold/platinum. Staff is still very professional and friendly. Plenty of street parking if you want to avoid the $20 hotel charge. If parking on the street, I believe the metered hours are between 10am and 6pm, so you can park overnight for free. We were upgraded to a nice bay view room. The restaurant is not open for dinner, however, there is a sports bar in the hotel for dinner and drinks. Average fitness room and pool. There is a nice Chart House restaurant on Cannery row with a great view. Also, an El Torito on Canery Row with a great happy hour and terrific view as well.

This is accurate. I went 4 months back and had the exact same info to supply. Without even requesting an upgrade, they put us in the Presidential Suite (not sure of the exact name) because of our anniversary, it had a HUGE balcony that overlooks the bay. The breakfast buffet is actually pretty good with a fairly large selection, you get what all other guests get for paying, except it's free for elites. The location is pretty good too, you can find many restaurants nearby.

Marriott Monterey long stay advice!
 

Looking to book a 1-3 month stay in the Monterey, Ca early next year. My company limits me to $140/day. There are a couple of Residence Inns nearby at that price but I would like to stay in Monterey. The only option is the Marriott but their price is all over the place. I have seen as low as $149 but not during the time I am there. Any suggestions on negotiating that price for my long stay? Is negotiating a price out of the question and if not what is my best route? Thanks in advance and I await your seasoned advice.

It is definitely worth calling. I have negotiated rates all over the United States for multiroom weeklong stays and I don't know why you wouldn't call their sales department to find out.

I have stayed at that Marriott multiple times and the staff has always been exceptionally nice. Will you need to park? I do recall there being a fee.

State rate....
 

I know this might not help you directly, but I did just notice a $84 State rate week before last. I tell you this because of all the times I have ever gone to Monterey County, I would always have to stay in Salinas at the Residence Inn. I could almost always get a state rate of $84 at the Residence Inn and that is what the State of California will pay in Monterey County.

But week before last, while looking at possible places to stay, I saw the Marriott in Monterey for $84 and I have N-E-V-E-R seen them offer the state per diem for that property.

Truth be told, if I were you and I were staying that long, I'd still choose a Residence Inn over the FS Marriott because I would need more elbow room and I don't care how nice the FS Marriott is...a room is just a room is just a room when you are talking about a month + stay!

Dawn

I've stayed at this hotel for about 15 nights over the past four months and I agree the staff are very friendly and efficient. The rooms are in dire need of renovation. The hotel is infested with a fragrance that to me is quite unpleasant.

Thanks for the responses. I might stay at the Residence Inn for comfort reasons, the long stay and all. From other posts I have read that parking is $20 at the Marriott. That rate would get old quick. A 2br would be a lot better if my family visits.

Reservations mgr and/or GM should be able to help you out w/checking & negotiating rates.

Recommend Residence Inn-Salinas
 

As a local who does business with all the local Marriott's my recommendation for several reasons would be the Residence Inn in Salinas. The manager there will negotiate rates and over 30 days is exempt from local Travel/Occupancy taxes. Location is better for non-expensive dining and parking is free. Breakfast and dinner are covered if you don't want to go out and indoor pool facilities if you want. Also, is a new location in very good condition.

Remember that RI only earns 5 points to the dollar. Thats a killer for me on a long stay

For a stay that long, i would genuinely be shocked if the sales team couldn't get you less than $140 per night. That is alot of nights of guaranteed revenue i bet they will want to work with you to get something if you explain the situation. I would bypass central res for now and contact the sales department directly. Let us know how it works out

This looks like the most recent thread on this property...

I did a Thu/Sat award stay last week. I used the virtual concierge to request a room upgrade from the standard city view room and received a personal email about a day later from the property confirming the receipt of my request.

Upon check in, I was given a room facing the bay on the fifth floor at the end of the hallway (closest to the bay). While the property is in the downtown business district, it is very quiet without much vehicle traffic. We cracked the windows open in the morning to enjoy the cool ocean breeze and listen to the noisy seagulls and barking seals.

There's still no lounge; each morning, we went down to the registration counter and picked up our breakfast certs for Gold/Plats. The continental breakfast options were more than enough for us and I thought the $5 upcharge for the full buffet was a very good deal. I found the staff in the restaurant and registration desk to be very friendly.

We had no problem finding street parking within a block from the hotel; street parking is free after 6 p.m., so there's really very little reason to use the valet.

We bought our aqarium tickets via AAA, but it's nice to know you can get them at the hotel as well. I highly recommend getting tickets in advance and going as soon as the doors open to beat the crowds. The City of Monterey offers a free downtown shuttle that goes to Cannary Row; we didn't use it, but it's a nice option if you don't feel like walking to the aquarium or trying to find parking there.

Bernardus did a free wine tasting in the lobby on Friday evening; I thought that was a nice touch.

A final update to the thread below; the rooms now have wi-fi and no wired connections. We had a hard time staying connected on our iPhones but my laptop stayed connected without issue.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marri...oom-wi-fi.html

Thanks for the stay report-- could you please post an update re breakfast in the Executive Lounge sticky thread? I'm not sure if it changed with the recent change in breakfast policy or earlier, but this property used to give out coupons (M-F) for the full breakfast buffet.

Any one know reason why August 17-18 are blacked out at this hotel? Normally the system lets me book with plat override even if the hotel is full unless it is an approve special event.

No idea, but maybe an event at Pebble Beach? Just drove by both a few weeks ago for the first time visiting the famous Aquarium.

Concours d'Elegance is the reason.

Well I was 1/2 right. Who knew a "celebration of automobiles" was the cause at a golf course. Oh, how the other half lives...

And the historic races at Laguna Seca. It's a big deal for car lovers.

At the hotel now and they are still loading up cars from the event and those not sold at auction.

Been watching them from my room since yesterday. Cars are awesome.

Asked for late checkout for next weekend in response to virtual concierge email and got a nice personalized email confirming 2 pm.

Anyone know what the room described as "executive suite" on online checkin is? I only see Junior Suite and Presidential Suite for sale on website.

I stayed here for a conference.

On arrival (around 11 pm), I was told no upgrades were available and was initially given a room on the 3rd floor right next to the elevator. I asked for something away from the elevator. The next room (also on 3rd floor) reeked of cigarette smoke so asked again to be moved. The front desk agent apologized and told me he would comp parking. This time I was given a room on the 4th floor with an interior view immediately adjacent to the rooftop HVAC units which were extremely loud. I didn't bother trying to move again.

In the morning, I asked whether it would be possible to move to a better room. By chance, I was speaking to the Room Controller, who took one look at my room assignment and said "that's not the room I assigned you." She seemed rather annoyed the night staff had apparently given my room away. She gave me a partial bay view room on the 5th floor. It was marked as an "Elite" room and was much nicer than the three previous rooms - updated bathroom and ugraded decor and furnishings.

I took the points over continental breakfast, as my meals were comped through the conference. I had the full buffet my first morning. It was a limited selection and the quality was mediocre (particularly the fruit and breads, which were really not appealing at all). There was an omelette bar. They pipe loud muzak into the entire lobby and cafe area and I found it quite annoying.

Service was generally friendly throughout the hotel, certainly the best part of the experience. Wifi was strong throughout the property (in fact, I picked up the signal at the coffeeshop across the street).

On check-out, I was dismayed to note that parking had not been comped. I brought this up at the front desk and the issue was satisfactorily resolved.

I don't think I'd return to this property. If you do stay here, make sure to ask for one of the Elite rooms. The standard ones are not nice at all.

Thanks for the update. Much appreciated.

Cheers.

Just noticed this property got added to the list of properties that don't offer cont'l brekkie on the weekends, but 1,000 pts/night instead. Thought it was a weird one to add to the list. I spoke to the property & here's the scoop on brekkie in general: Full brekkie for elite+1 only (children age 4 & under are free) Monday-Friday; 1,000 points only per night on Sat-Sun (no cont'l brekkie option)

Also noticed it's got some promo going for less expensive room rates for certain dates this winter/spring 2017:

http://deals.marriott.com/marriott-h...iott-hot-dates

Book your next stay during the following dates and get some of our lowest rates of the season. Rooms are starting at just $166* per night when you book our Member Rates:

February: 1-6, 13-21

March: 7-15, 26-30

April: 4-16, 23-27

May: 1-7, 12-13, 18-19, 29-31


Cheers.

It really is odd. I stayed here 2 nights July 2015 (mid week) and the PLT full breakfast was amazing. Maybe a $5 upcharge. And an amazing upgrade upgrade to a suite larger than many apartments with a huge private balcony.

Just stayed 2 nights. The room was clean and average with a nice view of the hills. No obvious upgrade for Plats even though we asked. The breakfast for Plats was a buffet with a large offering and cooked to order eggs/omelets. The also served Chorizo both weekday mornings! Yummy :) Valet was average and location is great being right downtown. There's a good third wave coffee spot that we walked to called Captain and Stoker. Perfectly pulled shots and nice people. Tuesday evening there was a Farmers Market over one street from the hotel too.

Thanks for the update. Much appreciated.

Cheers.

I stayed at Marriott Monterey for 1 night midweek. Was upgraded to "Elite" room with a view but no suite for this Titanium Elite.
Rooms are still clean and beds are comfortable. The building is old and soundproofing is not very good - you hear people talking in a hallway.
No concierge lounge. I was offered 750 points or a free (gratuity included) breakfast for two. Breakfast is standard full buffet offering for USA + cooked to order eggs/omelets and chorizo, which is a nice touch. Parking at hotel is valet only ($25? for overnight). There is a city garage 2 blocks away for $7. However, there is plenty of street parking even closer to hotel that is free from 6 pm to 9 am. Some of those spots are free for 1 or 2 hrs during the day. So if you get 2 hr free parking spot you can park from 4 pm to 11 am for free with no need to move car. I was told about this by a valet guy.

Has anyone stayed here recently? Looking to stay over a weekend this month and curious about how they are handling Covid as well as elite benefits. I have only stayed at the Clement in the past which was great as it was walkable to everything on Cannery Row. How is the location of the Marriott in comparison and any recommendations for restaurants/activities by the hotel?

Plenty of dining options about a block or two away along Alvarado St. My personal favorites are Full Moon (Chinese), Crown and Anchor (tavern), and Rosine’s (American / Italian). Also, Troia’s, CVS and Trader Joe’s are within walking distance to pick up picnic items or staples for the mini-fridge.

My last stay was pre-pandemic, so can’t comment on recent treatment.

It's definitely a good location. While it's not right on the water like Monterey Plaza, it has the advantage of being off Cannery Row and closer to downtown restaurants.

We like the location and it's a nice walk to Cannery Row (walking path) if you wish to go there. There is no lounge and the restaurant is not open but they did have some items you could order from the restaurant (at dinner, I believe) and take to your room. You get points per day in place of the lounge. There are some nice breakfast restaurants open in Pacific Grove and close by the hotel for dinner you might check out the Alvarado Street Brewery and Montrio. Cibo is good but I think take out only last I checked.