touringuy

Sorry if there's already a thread for this property, but I couldn't find one when searching.

Has anyone from Flyertalk stayed at the Atlantic City Courtyard Marriott? I am staying there next month and was looking for some feedback. I believe it's a fairly new property and the reviews from Trip Advisor are very good.

Just looking for some insight and tips for room choices, upgrades, etc. Also curious if it's in an ok area to walk around during the day.

touringuy

Still looking for feedback on this property!

I will gladly post a review after my stay there next month.

jerseybum

My buddy stayed there about a month ago. He needed a room last-minute and paid out the nose for a room on a Sat night (>$300). He said it was much nicer than he expected. I found out later he proposed to his fiance that night so the price tag made a bit more sense. He's stayed at most the casinos and said he would stay at the CY again for sure just maybe on a weekday when it's cheaper. As a Marriott Plat this would definitely be my choice for a stay in AC. Sorry I can't vouch for the bennies or anything but it should be a pleasant place. Let me know how it is, I'm sure I'll end up there at some point soon.

DarkHelmetII

I stayed there as a redemption stay over a year ago. Hotel was fine, and breakfast was pretty nice. One minor thing about breakfast - I had to "fight" for them to realize breakfast was free for platinum members, but it eventually got sorted out.

DarkHelmetII

I stayed there as a redemption stay over a year ago. Hotel was fine, and breakfast was pretty nice. One minor thing about breakfast - I had to "fight" for them to realize breakfast was free for platinum members, but it eventually got sorted out.

Also, the walk from the boardwalk to the hotel felt SHADY (e.g., very desolate) late at night, though I ended up not having any problems.

ohmark

Glad you won your battle but, of course, free breakfast at Courtyard is not a platinum benefit.

sangreal

I've stayed there a few times using the CC cert. It's nice enough I suppose. The rooms and beds are really small (doubles, not queens) but otherwise its a typical courtyard. The rooms aren't grimy like most of the casinos at least. They always put me on one of the top floors with a decent view (plat). My only complaint is no MR line at the desk and the line can get long. Only benefit I've really asked for there was late checkout and they had no problem with that.

Also the location is really bad, the walk to the boardwalk isn't far but don't expect to feel the slightest bit safe.

littlemookie

Apologizes on bringing up a old thread, but thought a trip review was in order.

I booked the Courtyard AC using the HotelsTonight app. I had $50 in credits that were expiring and I wanted to go to AC for a quick trip. The Courtyard is almost always on the list for $69 (I once saw it for $62) which is $80 all in.

Location: The hotel is located near the Resorts and Taj Mahal casinos, about a 10-15 minute walk from the central boardwalk (Bally's, Caesar's, Trump Plaza, etc.) The neighborhood surrounding the hotel is quite seedy and is populated with lower quality motels (Super 8, nasty Best Western). I did not feel safe, but I took the boardwalk to the Resorts casino entrance and walked through the casino to the Pacific Ave entrance. The hotel is down the block on Pacific Ave.

Check in - I arrived around 8pm and was checked into my room within minutes. They told me that the room was booked via HotelsTonight and was fully paid. A credit card was needed on file for any incidentals. I requested and received a room on a high floor. I was told where the pool, exercise room, and laundry room was located and the hours of service. Overall, very efficient and professional. I have no status with Marriott so cannot comment on that.

Hotel public areas - The hotel lobby is a bit cramped but looked nice. There is a small bar in the corner which looked well designed and had a large TV tuned to the football game. Once past the lobby, the halls become a bit older and run down. Although I never waited long for a elevator, I found the elevator doors to take forever to close and the elevator moves slowly. I was on the 16th floor and it seems to take longer than a normal elevator. The elevator insides look dirty and grungy and drab.

Hotel Room - I was in a corner room on the 16th floor with a view of the central boardwalk casinos. The room was very clean and included a empty fridge, which was a nice touch. The TV was a large LG flat screen with a clear picture. The bathroom and shower were clean and nice with excellent water pressure to go with a adjustable shower head.

There were a few issues that I had with the room but I it may be a question on the Courtyard brand which I am not too familiar with.

1) The bedding appeared to be slightly cheap. It was better than a motel but not as nice as a full service hotel. The towels in the bathroom were a similar story.
2) The bath products seemed inferior, with the shampoo and conditioner smelling chemically. No body lotion or body wash was provided, but the bar of soap provided was better than it looked.

3) The furniture in the room and the decor of the doors seemed to be old and in need of a refresh. The doors are fake wood panel, and the dresser and desk were a dark wood decor. This was contrasted with pastel colors all over the room. I had no issue with it but for a hotel that looks relatively new from the outside, it seemed a odd choice.

The coffee machine was a old sunbeam model and a generic coffee was provided. There were small 10 oz. foam cups provided which seemed a bit cheap for my taste.

The HVAC was pretty quiet, and worked well. There is no safe provided in the room, but there is a iron and a full closet.

Internet is wired only but is free and worked quite well when I was using it. The hotel was not full so YMMV, but I got fast speeds.

4) Hot tub, workout room, and laundry room - I popped my head into but did not use any of these rooms. The hot tub looks nice but is only accessible through the exercise room (which requires your room key to gain entrance). The exercise room is small but has a variety of machines and free weights that would satisfy 95% of all guests. The laundry room is the basic coin activated machines found everywhere.

Overall, I did like the hotel but would not return unless I had a amazing rate. I paid $30 after my $50 credit and it was well worth the price. I typically stay at the Sheraton so this stay was being compared to the Sheraton in all aspects. The neighborhood was a big factor for me as I gamble at Caesar's (a 5-10 minute from the Sheraton) and spend time in Bally's ($2-3 shots and beers in the Wild West section). I also like the outlets shopping (a block from the Sheraton) and take Greyhound to AC from New York ($35 RT with $25 in slot cash, you can usually cash out at least $20 bucks worth making it a $15 RT ticket). The Resorts casino is usually a older crowd and they offer rooms for under $35 a night. The Taj is a nicer casino and the rates there can differ greatly ( on Hotels.com a mid-week 1 night stay was $99).

Can someone tell me if my open points are a Courtyard brand issue or specific to this hotel. I think that with the Sheraton at $79 a night with the AAA discount, and the Courtyard at $69, the extra $10 is well spent on the Sheraton. The Sheraton has its faults but the location alone is well worth the extra $$. There is no free internet at the Sheraton, and my Verizon cell phone reception on a high floor, trying to use my phone as a mobile hotspot did not work out well.

Let me know if there anything that I should add. Apologizes for the posting becoming a Courtyard-Sheraton comparison.

Jimgotkp

This is very true with that area. I live in the nearby area in another town and everyone knows that area is pretty shady. I would rather stay at a casino hotel if you didn't use any credits since they are going for $50-$90 on a weekday.

grumpymonkey

Any more recent reports/reviews on this property?

I'm heading to AC in a couple of months for the Madonna concert. I'd prefer to stay at a higher end casino hotel, but balancing that with my points/status situation, it looks like I'm going to wind up paying out of pocket for a room, and Caesar's/Borgata are over $300 a night.

Hilton is my primary hotel program, and they've got nothing in town. Marriott's my secondary, where I've got lowly silver status. I'd be paying for the room.

Thoughts?

littlemookie

Just stayed at the Courtyard Atlantic City and had a generally positive experience. There was no evidence of damage from Sandy. I finally asked why king beds are priced $20 more than double beds. The answer I got was that there were fewer king beds (not sure why, when AC is a couples destination) and therefore they call it a upgrade. Since the hotel was empty (I didn't see a single guest in the lobby every time I went in or out) they offered to "upgrade" me to a king bed.

Surprisingly, the king room is much better than the standard doubles. The layout is better, with the room setup allowing for plenty of room on either side of the bed, and just felt more spacious. The real difference is the bathroom, with the tub being removed and replaced by a nice clean glass shower. The bathroom may be a bit smaller than the doubles, but the layout seemed cleaner with everything facing you (in the doubles the toilet is facing you, and the sink/mirror being on the right).

The staff was always pleasant and helpful, and the room was clean. The only annoyance was discovering that there was no shampoo, but had 2 conditioners. The elevators are horribly slow, and one elevator always seems to be broken.

The biggest issue that others have with this hotel is the $10 parking fee, lack of self-parking (valet only), and "ghetto" location. I typically just park half a block away at resorts for $5, but I typically don't drive around AC when I stay. The location is bad, but if you walk to Resorts and use the boardwalk to get around, you should be safe. I've stayed at this hotel using the HotelsTonight app where its been priced as low as $49, but usually is $59-69. It's usually on HotelsTonight 3-4 nights a week.

SkiAdcock

Thanks for the updated trip report! Much appreciated!

Cheers.

fordan

Had some issues on a stay a month or so back with what may be the world's loudest HVAC system and it's not the most modern Courtyard I've stayed at, but it's decent, especially when it pops up on Hotels Tonight. A fair bit closer to the action than the Fairfield up in Absecon ("Atlantic City North") with the ability to catch a jitney or a cheap cab ride to get around when drinking.

littlemookie

I agree that its not the greatest Courtyard, but when you've stayed at some of the casino hotel rooms, the Courtyard looks a lot better. My HVAC was fine, hopefully your HVAC issue was limited to your particular room.

I had a basic room at Bally's (Claridge tower) a few weeks ago and it was awful, the best feature was the really low cost and location. For the extra 25 bucks I'll take the Courtyard, the free wifi, 24hr fitness center, and of course the points and stay credit.

joshua362

Stayed in AC about a year again and felt that cabs were anything but cheap... Took cabs from Caesar's to the Sheraton several times and it ran at least $12 each time for maybe a 10 minute walking trip...