Bummer...I'm a week later. Staying there for the Chicago Marathon - Oct 8-10.

^ I just stayed at my first Residence Inn: Bellevue, WA. I found it nicer than I anticipated. Good complimentary breakfast, nice working space. Bed is not great, but no worse than Courtyard.

-- John

I am headed to the one in Burlington VT -- is that the one near the lake?

RIs are great when traveling with kids. The best and worst RI ever: New Orleans near the Convention Center. My kids had a great time playing basketball in the coutyard, generally making a lot noise.

Great location. Great breakfast. Great price. What was wrong? The pull out bed was damaged mechanically. The mattress was covered urine stains. It really smelled. They did not have a spare mattress or extra bedding. They did not have spare anything. My kids slept on the floor for two nights. It was a President Day weekend. Pretty much full occupancy in NO except in the suburbs.

Hey - that's actually the weekend of my wedding. We're getting married at the Museum of Contemporary Art about 4 blocks from the RI. The RI there seemed OK, but also seemed to be a bit older. But, given that it's Marathon Weekend, I think you did really well to get any sort of room downtown. I know some of our guests have had a lot of difficulty, as the RI, Fairfield Inn and Courtyard are pretty much sold out.

I just stayed at RI in Saratoga Springs under Marriott Friends and Family rate for US$65. The property is relatively new and exceeded my expectations. Three adults stayed in studio suite. The bed was comfortable and the pull out couch was fine. The complimentary breakfast was fantastic. The selections of hot and cold buffet items that would satisfy the most discerning palette. The business center was had four work stations. Obvioulsy, the rate was an incredible value.

I would agree that a $65 night for 3 at a relatively new RI is a bargain. The breakfast lounge must be located in a parallel universe, however. What did you find most delectable; the frosted flakes du jour or the sausage patty a la greque? My discerning palate requires a healthy splash of Cholula sauce to provide/mask the taste of any hot foods served on the buffet.

Oh, wait, you said palette. So breakfast was colorful?

Sorry, couldn't resist.

The RI in Burlington, VT is actually outside the city of Burlington... I think it might be in a town called Williston. But it is only a 5 min ride to the Burlington downtown area. I don't think it is on the lake, but I was up there during the winter and, well, let me say it wasn't a clear day so who knows maybe it is near the lake and I just couldn't see it.

It has been almost two years since I stayed there, so some things might be different now.

have fun in Burlington - it is truly one of the best places to visit in the US.

Well, good news: a few of those downtown Marriotts are once again available. (Kind of typical for a megamarathon - lots of would-be first-timers change their mind when they do their 20-mile training runs 4 weeks ahead of race day. )

Prices are still high, but if you can quickly acquire a Premium Pounds, the Renaissance or Marriott Mag Mile drop into the low $200's, which is a tolerable rate in the grand scheme of things. (Better than dropping $150 on an O'Hare hotel!) The Renaissance lounge is open this weekend; not sure about Mar Mag Mile.

I was able to get Residence Inn at $169/nt. and I will receive a $50 BB. I got that early...May or so. Long before the 40,000 entries were sold out.

Just finished a couple of months in the RI San Jose South. OK property, maybe a little tired, but not bad. (But I just came from an extended stay at a Four Points that was brand new, and in downtown Chicago, so the competion was strong.) The RI staff was very good, the bed was brand new, and the overall my experience was good. btw - I did not eat the breakfasts, co-workers that did have it were not impressed.

I've had good and bad experiences (the worst was in Cinncy, north of town, maybe in a suburb called Sharonville??). I think RI's tend to vary much more than the other Marriott brands, for that reason I'll stay away until I know that the location is good.

Yeah, RI's are real hit and miss in my experience. Some of the new ones are very nice. I stayed at a new one in Kansas City that was spotless. Check out my post on the Santa Fe RI for the other side of the coin

You make a good point regarding Platinums though. At the Courtyard and FS properties you just seem to get a warmer welcome as a Plat. This isn't true of all of course but in general i have to concur.

If there is one in close proximity to where I need to be, RI is always my first choice. As one who spends way to many nights in a hotel, the RI 1BR or 2BR suites feel so much more civilized than the "jail cell " box type room of a Fairfield, Courtyard, or even a FS Marriott.

It's also fun to cook every now and then.

I agree that there are good RI's and not so good ones too. Jacksonville, FL (Airport), Williamsburg, VA, and Columbus, OH (North) are my favorites.

I really like the free breakfast and the Happy Hour. At some of the better locations, the Happy Hour food is all I need for my dinner on some nights and keeps me from having to go out somewhere.

All of this is nice for a guy like me. I receive a fixed per diem amount for meals. So I'd rather pay more for the room and have breakfast included. It always bothered me that Courtyard and Marriott F/S charge me for breakfast.

Unless you enjoy other people watching your web surfing and storing your passwords, you should appreciate wired internet.

How, exactly, is wired internet more secure than wireless in that regard?

I'm planning a trip to the Williamsburg RI this summer. I'd read several reviews about the rooms being "tired" & outdated and I think I read somewhere that the RI was soon to be renovoated. Any recent experience? Have is been renovated & do they have the new beds?