Katy, TX, Courtyard: Shocked and not Awed!
 

Introduction     Last Thursday, 6/30, we arrived at the Courtyard, Katy, TX (a reservation made by another at my request for a convenient location) at about 9PM for a 2 night stay.  Check in was slow, a new clerk, but inexperience is forgivable.  The property is “nearly newâ€� with that starkly functional contemporary look, reminding me that for some of us, the 50s have caught up again or “Bauhaus is back!â€�.  The 4th floor room was nice until the bedding revealed a large cockroach egg case.  We didn’t react, brushing it away, thinking that we might have brought it in with our baggage and other materials we were carrying.    But then early morning brought a more unpleasant surprise, a juvenile cockroach skittering across the bathroom floor, evidence that the roaches were not ours, but the Courtyard’s.  On the way out about 9AM, I asked to speak to the MoD.  He was apologetic, but well short of gracious.  He offered to move us.  My response....We’re on our way out for a busy morning and a noon engagement.  Moving our gear simply didn’t fir our schedule.  As for spraying the room, please spare us that fate, clothing and luggage reeking with “Bug Sprayâ€� and the potential for the almost inevitable reaction to a “Just De-Buggedâ€� room.  Having seen no more evidence of infestation, I chose to “Stand fastâ€�, calculating that in a nearly new hotel (even in the pestilential former rice fields West of Houston) would not be subject to 4th floor high altitude climbing cucarachas (unless the general contractor’s punch list had omitted an important item, substantial treatment for insects before turnover).    Well, we returned about 230PM to find the room uncleaned, a bit of a shock.  In my experience (certainly applicable to Marriotts), occupied rooms are high up the housekeeping staff’s morning “To Doâ€� list.  Then we discovered that the hotel’s “Freeâ€� wireless was dysfunctional, at least in our top floor room.  Maybe the roaches were devouring the signal (although thankfully they remained in hiding or had) evacuated.    Finally, about 330PM, a housekeeper appeared.  Working away as best we could with cell service, we asked her to simply ignore the room and clean/restock the bath.  To me, cleaning a bathroom includes a modest attempt to clean the toilet.  She didn’t feel that way.  Soon after, not exactly comfortable with the Courtyard, we left early for our planned evening.    Returning later, one of the management staff offered us 2 “freeâ€� breakfasts for the next morning.  My response....Having obviously worn out our non-welcome, we were leaving early to breakfast with others, although I trusted that relatives of the cucarachas we had met up on 4 were not sharing quarters in the Bistro.  Had the breakfasts been offered on the first morning, my response might have been better.  My request for a credit/bill adjustment was denied, not unreasonably since the reservation was a “pre-paidâ€� through Expedia.    We’ve stayed in Marriott properties, of every level) for decades, from the East to the Left coasts.  For some years, I was a regular guest at Washington’s Pennsylvania Ave. Hotel, long a favorite.  Further afield, I recall stays at Vienna’s Spanish Riding School Marriott and the hotel in downtown Prague.  We do still have a few Rewards points, but after this unfortunate experience, I expect some better recompense than the late offer of a “freeâ€� breakfast in exchange for miserable service and hospitality.

Not to sound too harsh, but I didn't find anything in that story to be out of the realm of normal experiences. Any hotel (just like any home) in certain parts of the country can have big roach-like bugs. It sounds like the hotel staff tried several things to appease you, none of which you accepted.

In short, it doesn't sound like "miserable service and hospitality" to me. Sorry.

Living not far away and having spent much of my life on the Gulf Coast, I expect hotels to do a better job with pest control (even in Katy where the large cucarachas/Palmetto bugs flourish). Besides, my harsh review was based on a compendium of issues, wifi, housekeeping issues, and overall response.

Expecting better, receiving worse, should I not complain (here and elsewhere, I should add).

If I had seen the egg case I'd stop unpacking and request to move room. This reminds me of our stay at CY Merced. Bought a pack of cookies from Safeway, left it on the desk inside the room (so we can use it for breakfast). The next morning we woke up when the kids shouted - Mummy daddy there are tons of ants eating our cookies!

We woke up to see about 1000 ants in our room (we were not on the ground floor). We first checked if the ants were something that was brought into the room - we checked our rental and there was no sign of any ant. Then one of us tried to rescue the cookies and one of us tried to spot where the ants went - it's definitely from the hotel.

Told the FD, they agreed to waive our bill (booked directly with Marriott).

OP - if you are not happy about your stay, you can always contact Marriott. There shouldn't be bugs in any hotel room - my first bed bug bite was in the former HI Willowbrook in Houston - now they changed flag to become a Wyndham Garden. Contacted IHG after the incident but unfortunately they can't do anything about it as the hotel has changed flag.

Actually, the exact opposite is true. First priority for Housekeeping is to clean check-out rooms. If they don't do that, the Front Desk won't have clean rooms for the day's arrivals. "Stayover" rooms are always low priority.

I spent over 10 years working in hotels. When guests requested a "touch up" instead of standard housekeeping service, the toilet was not cleaned. Although, since you were in the room, you could have simply asked for that to be done.