SkiAdcock

Thanks to both of you for the updates on the property.

The wiki in this thread reflects that there is no evening food/drink service on Fri/Sat nights (as does the exec lounge sticky), but I've gone ahead & bolded it in the wiki & will update the sticky w/ this weekend's date, so others know the info is current:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/13849211-post1.html

BTW - the wiki also provides a location of a parking garage a couple of blocks away that is cheaper than the hotel's parking.

Cheers.

ZZYZXROAD

At first I was impressed but over time for the weekly traveler, nothing special. Get a good rate < $150 per night, try it out.

I have been at this hotel almost every week for 8 months and I can honestly say it's average. Marriott has ton's of great locations in the District so it's a wash.

The lounge food is all prepped in the Lounge kitchen and not from downstairs. With that said, the Lounge is below average on food alone. Eggs are the powered eggs, bacon is microwaved, oatmeal is warm at best. No hard boiled eggs.

Evening food is the same, mostly finger food like egg rolls and a pasta dish, usually. This week was crab cakes, factory bought for sure not home made but tasty. No salad, ever, same veggies as most Marriott's. All in all for being a Marquis, imo, below expectations. The Ren across the street has homemade food for breakfast and dinner, home made chili, french toast, seafood salad, soups choice. If your a lounge food guy on per diem, (you know what I mean) then the Marquis is not your place with the Ren right there and Vida Spa access.

OK, the rooms are large, at least mine are, outlets are everywhere. The one thing this place has is great pillows and beds. But beware, Mass Ave is a thoroughfare in DC and if you like sirens, I mean love sirens and can sleep through them, then the bed is for you. You will be amazed at how many times fire trucks go by a day/night, ambulances and EMS vehicles. If your room is Mass Ave street side ask for high floor. Also no view from any room. Inside rooms has nothing to offer but total very quiet.

Other Marriott hotels to choose in some order:
1. JW (Location,Location,Location)
2. Metro Center (location, Chinatown, Metro stop)
3. Ren 999 Ninth Street (location, lounge, Vida Spa)
4. Mayflower (location)
5. Marriott Georgetown(it's not in Georgetown but solid FS)
6. Ren Dupont Circle (it's not in Dupont Circle but great location and good lounge and restaurant choices close by)
7. Wardman Park (zoo, large conference hotel)
8. Fairfield Inn Chinatown (I love the small Chinatown in DC)
9. Courtyard Foggy Bottom (location)
10. Residence Inn Downtown (location)

SkiAdcock

Thanks for the update & the ranking! Much appreciated. (although on the JW it's gotta be the location, because the JW is definitely not JW like; is average).

Cheers.

DawgmanOH

Been a while since a post but am staying here for two nights so figured I would comment:

* Cannot believe they are still serving room service in a bag. This is beyond ridiculous. If I am paying for the room service (which they do charge) then at least put it on a tray and put it in my room. If I wanted a bag for food, I can order pizza and/or go outside the hotel and get food. This is bizarre.

* Location is ok. Great if you have something at the Convo Center. Not so great if your work takes you somewhere else.

* Thought lounge was pretty good. Enough food at both breakfast/dinner and enough room to sit. Maybe different weeks/weekends are worse but for this time, it was not overly crowded.

* If it matters to you, definitely request a room NOT facing the atrium. I do a lot of work in my hotel and could not stand having a room facing the inside. This is definitely a personal pet peeve, but figured I would warn anyone thinking about booking here.

Overall, it is ok. Not great, not bad. JMHO.

SkiAdcock

Thanks for the update. Much appreciated. And I'm w/ you on not wanting room service delivered in a bag.

Cheers.

goodeats21

Had a recent stay here and can confirm most everyone's opinions from previous reviews. I did snap some pics which I have posted below.

Some overall thoughts:

As stated previously, lots of siren/traffic on Mass Ave. Light sleepers should definitely request atrium room. I was on 14th floor and it was still noticeable.

Easy access via connected hallway to convention center.

Closest Metro stop is "Mt Vernon Sq 7th St-Convention Center". Easy 5 minute walk to Marquis.

15 minute walk to White House / National Mall.

The pics:



Standard King room


Decent desk area with good chair. BTW, I hate the marble desktop stuff...makes an optical mouse tough to use.
3 power plugs to the right of desk.


All the usual bathroom amenities, including mouthwash.


Pretty standard shower setup. I do appreciate the water controls on the opposite side of the shower head + fully enclosed area with glass.

There was also an empty mini-fridge as well as a K-Cup machine in the room. 2 small bottles of water supplied daily. 2 each of regular coffee, decaf coffee, and black tea K-Cups supplied daily.



Lounge in the afternoon. After evening hors d'oeuvres, the liquor, wine, and beer(honor bar - expensive!) are locked up but all the soft drinks remain available 24 hours, including weekends...small spring water bottles and bottles of S.Pellegrino included (in separate fridge, not pictured


Evening hors d'oeuvres


Evening hors d'oeuvres


Evening hors d'oeuvres - On this night it was salmon and ravioli. Basic quality - nothing great. I do recall they changed up the hot items, but I can't recall any other selections.


Lounge (M Club) Breakfast - Available everyday, including weekends. I didn't notice any change to the menu - same every day.


Lounge (M Club) Breakfast - Cheese and fruit were of surprisingly good quality.


Lounge (M Club) Breakfast


Lounge (M Club) Breakfast - One shortcoming was the lack of any plain yogurt. Only fruit versions available.


Lounge (M Club) Breakfast


Lounge (M Club) Breakfast


Lounge (M Club) Breakfast

During breakfast and evening hors d'oeuvres, there was a staff member posted at the door to check off names to ensure access was eligible. They did allow and even once suggest taking bottled water and soft drinks from the room, as desired.

rhg247

Does anyone know how strictly enforced the 1 guest policy is at the M Lounge? I'm plat and will be staying there with 2 family members w/o status. Seems silly that 2 of us can have breakfast while the other person has to sit in the room and wait for a bagel to be "smuggled" out!

Lani1

They typically have a staff member at entrance in morning checking off names

Tanic

Stayed here recently on 12th floor where the M Club Lounge is located. The building has great design and architecture. Rooms are nice.

The M Lounge which is quite large was so overcrowded for breakfast that each station had a line and ultimately there was not a single available chair or table to dine at; guests were standing around with full plates waiting for someone to get up. Looks like the easy minting of MR Gold has taken its toll at this property.

SkiAdcock

Was your stay on a weekday or weekend, or during holiday or convention? There are a variety of things that could impact how many elites (or those who actually pay for club level) are staying at a particular property at a particular time/have access to the lounge.

It would be interesting to find out if the overcrowding at breakfast is a regular, ongoing occurrence vs. at specific dates/more sporadic.

Cheers.

jrich7970

It is NOT an ongoing occurrence. I stay here all the time. Actually I'm here right now, and the place is pretty deserted. Last weekend there was a big girls volleyball tournament and the place was ridiculous.

If there's a convention, it gets crazy. It is right across the street from the convention center.

It really is a timing thing. The last two weeks it has been crowded, but I didn't see anyone standing in line in the lounge. But, I'm up and out by 8 AM. Maybe later it's more crowded, I don't know.

Tanic

My stay was during the week. The 12th floor was very quiet, yet the lounge was packed. It appears that most guests were staying on other floors, so it may have been a group lounge buy which this property does sell.

CO-PLAT

I've stayed well over 1,000 nights in hotels and have only ordered room service once. That was in Houston when I got stuck in the airport Marriott due to a flight cancellation...it was midnight and they sent me up a leftover sandwich.

I'll be at this property next month.

CO-PLAT

Stayed here earlier this week. Probably one of the best Marriotts I've been to in the USA. The lounge had the best food offerings I've seen outside of Asia. The lounge is big, there was a conference, I never had a problem finding a seat. I did sit at a long bar along the window a couple of times. There is an outside deck with tables & chairs also.
Gym on 3rd floor is large and has good equipment. I did not notice any street noise from the 15th (top) floor. Elevators are very fast. USB chargers in the room.

I did find a couple of foreign hairs in my room on multiple days. HVAC in room is kind of loud. Maybe that's why I didn't hear any street noise. Late checkout was only granted until 1:00. I didn't like having to wait for the lady to check my name against her list every time I went into the lounge. There was a line just to get through the door because of this.

If I wasn't paying I'd not hesitate staying here again. $1,470 total for 3 nights.

silverthief2

That restaurant did finally open earlier this year, and the local Post reviewer wrote about it recently. At that price point, it better be pretty special to compete with everything else in the neighborhood.