Richmond Marriott

Decent enough. The rooms were in good shape and I slept comfortably. The concierge floor had a nice breakfast. The area isn't the finest. its convenient to the convention center. However, if you are doing any business in Richmond, forget walking. The scene out the front doors are two dilapidated department stores that probably closed in the 80s.

However, the staff was generally pretty nice. The concierge, Ernest I believe, was very helpful in pointing me to some good places to eat or drink.

If you're staying here I think your best bet is to make good use of cabs. Head down to Shockoe Slip for some good eats.

Stayed for two nights. Staff was indifferent and check-in was very slow after traveling for over 5 hours. The bathroom was dirty and there was no towels. I am a loyal Marriott customer, but this property somehow missed the inspection. I would never recommend this hotel to anyone.

Excellent place, a bit pricey and Starbucks sold in the lobby

My husband and I stayed at the Richmond Marriott for 4 nights September 8-11/04 and could not have had better accommodations. They have just finished renovating and the place is nicely decorated the rooms are clean and spacious, the beds are very comfortable.

While the area around the Marriott is not the best in the world, we were pleasantly surprised by our accomodations. On the outside the hotel looks a bit older, but the renovations have made it into a beautiful hotel. Hotel staff were very friendly and helpful and our room was comparable to that of a "nicer" Marriott we had stayed in the previous night. Our only complaint was the number of tips we had to give out on the way to the car. The bellhop's services "stopped at the front desk," at which point we had to hand off our things to another bellhop. Between the two of them and the valet we had spent almost $15 to get to our car. Hopefully this will be changed in the near future.

Stayed here off of a $42 priceline bid; you cannot beat it for the price; however, that said it is a very very nice place- beds are extremely comfortable and although the issue of paying for the ameneties in the business center is annoying, the fitness room and pool are some of the finest I've seen in any hotel and there is no addt'l charge for the fitness room. Would certainly stay again if ever in Richmond.

The hotel was nice and the staff very friendly. The steakhouse was good. The pool and jacuzzi heater were broken for the 2 days we stayed. Which was sad considering that the Marriott should be able to have a repair service readily available. We ended up at the Marriott only after checking out of a different hotel with a broken pool! The hotel is in a depressed looking part of town and there is nothing else around. There is no where to eat lunch in the hotel except room service which is pricey, and no where else within walking distance. (If you'd want to walk around there). So plan ahead.

On a whole it is a pretty nice hotel.

I travel to Richmond upwards of 75 nights per year. If my business is downtown, I stay at the Marriott exclusively (and I've tried all the others...). If my business is on the west end, I stay at the Sheraton. The renovated downtown Marriott offers clean rooms, new amenities in most rooms, new carpets on most floors, clean and comfortable beds with new comforters. Service is average, nothing fancy. Bathrooms could use some work but I've always found them clean and functional. Trust me, compared to other downtown options (Crowne Plaza, Commonwealth suites, Omni), the Marriott is the only place to be. Unless your company allows you to charge $200+ per night (stay at the Jefferson or the Berkeley if that's the case) don't even bother with the other options for business travel. Everyone will agree that the Marriott's neighboorhood does not inspire confidence, but that's true of all downtown after 6PM! It will get better with the addition of the federal courthouse and Virginia center for the arts. If staying at the Marriott and you are a Gold or Platinum member, make sure to check out the lounge on the 15th floor. Very nice appetizers between 6-7PM and dessert starting around 8PM. The guy running the lounge is great and will hook you up once he warms up to you. At the front desk, ask for Avi if you have any request. He's by far the most competent and professional employee at this location (others are just average). No free high-speed internet is available ($9.99 for one-day of in-room); I can't believe Marriott is not changing this policy for full-service hotels... Room service is good (stay away from the fancy options and stick with the pizza and sandwiches). Breakfast buffet at the restaurant (lobby level) is very good, but overpriced. Cable TV has only 15 channels or so (it does have HBO), I wish they would add full cable. Whenever you check in, try to work out a room on floors 14-18. There are the newer floors...

This past Saturday, May 15, my fiance and I stayed at the Marriott in Richmond. We checked in around 3:00 and were given a King room, which we had requested.

After entering the room, I checked the bathroom for cleanliness. There were obvious signs that the toilet bowl had not been cleaned. Also, in the sink there were remnants of another guests makeup smeared in the basin. The light switch also had dirt crusted on it. We were in a hurry to leave for the evening, so I did not make this problem known to the front desk. Looking back, I should've called them, but we needed to leave asap. Instead, I sprayed all the surfaces with the bottle of Lysol that I have begun bringing with me when I travel since I seem to find dirty conditions more often than not.

When we returned to the room late that evening, I turned down the sheets and there were a number of hairs embedded in the blanket and the sheets smelled of smoke although our room was non-smoking. We were exhausted, so we went to sleep anyway.

On our way out in the morning, I stopped to get a coffee at the Starbucks counter. The woman working was on her cell phone talking to her mother while she waited on me and the next customer in line. Another customer tried to speak to her because there wasn't any coffee in one of the carafes and she ignored him while she stayed on the phone.

We had paid $189 for the room since it was a "special event weekend". I feel that with the dirtiness of the room, I would've felt like I'd been overcharged if I'd paid half that rate for the night.

I do commend the valet staff and the front desk staff. All of those members were polite and very helpful.

I have emailed Marriott in hopes of having some type of voucher/refund/credit. I realize I should've said something to the staff when we checked out, but in the past, when I've mentioned issues like this, I have felt almost attacked by the staff at other hotels, so I felt my best recourse was to contact them after I have left.

The Downtown Marriott was getting a bit tatty a few years ago and then the owners went bankrupt, Marriott continued to manage the hotel and new owners spent 10 million dollars on a much needed makeover. The renovations are now complete and on my most recent stays, I've had no reason to complain. Good staff (always the case) and the fresh appearance of the rooms and public areas make this a most enjoyable hotel. Rooms are of average size, but well furnished. Indoor pool and fitness room on the thrid floor are a plus. The Blue Flame Steakhouse in the lobby is reasonably priced for a hotel restaurant, and good food. A cafe with Starbucks coffee and pastry is great for a quick breakfast or late night snack.