We are doing a RTW trip that includes two 5+ night stays in Marriott properties in London and Melbourne. Each one has my request for a portable crib/pack n play for the room but neither one will commit to actually having it available. Has anyone run in to a hotel not having a crib when requested? With a 6 month old, it's not really an option to not have one so if there is low % that we will have one then we'd have to take one with us (which would be a big pain).

Yes, this is my single biggest frustration with Marriott hotels. Unlike Fairmont's which will confirm the crib and have it set up in the room every time we arrive, I have never have a Marriott confirm that one would be available before arrival. Even when I call early the day of arrival to request it in the room, I've always been told they're first-come, first-serve. I've only had 2 hotels in the last year, out of 12 Marriott stays that didn't have cribs available when we checked in. One of those was after arriving after 2 delayed flights at 3am only to be told that not only did they not have one available, but they didn't have any at the hotel at all because they all broke. I would expect that when you're spending $3200 on a hotel stay, you can have a $120 pack n'play available. To their credit, they brought one by the next day that they borrowed from a neighboring hotel. Still, trying to sleep with our one-year old in our bed for the night was not pleasant.

So, to answer your question, yes, there are times when they won't be provided. Like you, I've contemplated bringing our own pack n'play, but they're so large and bulky it would be too cumbersome to be worth it. If you're arriving during the day, you might consider using one of the baby equipment rental services that are available in most large cities (certainly London and Melbourne). That's what we were prepared to do had they not brought one by the next day. That may be an option worth looking into to guarantee availability.

I looked on Amazon UK and there is a travel cot for ~$30. If it comes down to it I'll just order that for next day delivery and consider it a $6/night fee for crib rental.

I have never not gotten one as a Marriott Plat and Gold in the US and abroad. Never any issue. But I assume they can't guarantee it but will almost always have it available.

Don't count on one in any hotel - have 3 kids and travel a lot, this is our favourite:

http://www.madeformums.com/reviews/c...ight/1237.html

Bought it for our youngest, this one has a proper mattress and it's light and easy to set up. Checked it in many times and the mattress is wrapped outside the frame so the frame gets protected.

Those $30 doesn't have a proper mattress and it's very heavy and not easy to open and fold up. Have one of those but my toddler jumped on it and the mattress cracked. Plus the plastic smell is not something I would see as positive.

The cost is huge (>$100) but it's worth every penny. I even put a 3 years old in and the bed was stable and never collapse. Plus there is a second hand market, and we sold ours at a good price.