Bethesda Marriott

I have never left a bad review on anything before, but this hotel pushed me to my absolute limit. I booked a suite for 3 nights. I arrived and checked in (paid at the property) and went to my room. I could immediately tell that this was not the suite that you would expect from the pictures, but I honestly didn't care. The room was old, big deal. I didn't expect the Ritz. Then I noticed the bed. There was a LARGE dirt stain right in the middle of the duvet cover. I went down to the front desk and showed them the picture of the stain. They said they could send someone to change the sheets but I said I didn't really trust that the rest of the room was cleaned properly so would just like a different room. They were out of suites, which I honestly couldn't care less about, so I took a King. I asked if I could be credited the rate difference between the two since I had already paid for the suite and I was told to reach out to the GM the following morning for assistance. All good. Again, I never asked for anything to be comp'd, just simply the correction in rate so I was only paying for the room type that I was staying in. The next morning I ordered room service, which took 1.5hrs and came in togo containers (which was surprising for a 4star hotel), but again whatever, I didn't care. However, when I opened the lid to my espresso there was what I will call a "body" hair. I send that image to the same number they asked me to send the image of the dirty bed to. I call downstairs to speak to the GM, ask instructed, and am sent to voicemail so I leave a message with my cell and explain why I was calling. I was very nice and said that I was fine with the king room and the bed was comfortable. All I was asking for was the rate correction (since I paid for the Suite), and to not be charged for my room service since I obviously wasn't going to drink that.

The dirt on the bed at check in, the body hair in the coffee, the hair in the shower, the mildew smell, the management team (if you can even call them that), the fraudulent refusal to correct the rate so you are only paying for the room type that you stay in.

I accidentally booked the wrong Marriott in Bethesda and ended up at the Downtown Bethesda Marriott instead of the one I intended, which had a pool. I explained the situation to the front desk and mentioned that I’m both a Platinum Elite member and a Marriott Vacation Club member. They told me the other location was nearby and suggested I call and speak with the manager, who might be willing to accommodate me. When I called, a Caucasian man answered. I asked to speak with a manager, but he was very short and dismissive, saying he could handle it himself. When I arrived at the hotel, I realized it was the same man I had spoken to on the phone. He told me I needed to go to MarriottResorts.com and that there would be a $75 per person fee to use the pool. I looked up the site and nothing came up — it doesn’t appear to exist. Since there were four of us, I declined. However, I still chose to book a room at this hotel, which meant I now had three rooms total: one here and two at the Downtown Bethesda Marriott down the street. My mom decided to stay in the room we booked here. She said the bed was very uncomfortable, and overall, the hotel felt dated. There were water stains on the ceiling, footprints on the wall, and other signs of wear and tear — which I’ve included pictures of. The front desk staff was also not friendly or welcoming. Later at the pool, I spoke with a girl who lived across the street in the apartments and learned that apartment residents are only charged $25 per person for pool access — far less than what I was quoted. As a Platinum Elite and Vacation Club member, I expected a much higher level of service, consistency, and cleanliness. This experience was disappointing on multiple levels and doesn’t reflect the standard I’ve come to associate with the Marriott brand.

Was really clean , beautiful and confort

The parking

It takes a lot for me to write a review during my stay. If you can stay somewhere else in Bethesda, do it. As other reviewers have noted, the hotel is rather remote with no walkable food options. Pros: 1. The room was clean. 2. The staff was friendly. Cons: 1. All of parking access is by room key card. When you arrive and the vestibule is backed up, you are forced to wait. 2. Accessing your Bonvoy account to gain free Wifi is nearly impossible. I gave up and just paid the fee. 3. No recognition of gold elite status. No upgrade offer (that's ok). 4. No water bottles in the room or offered at check=in. 5. The cups in the room were paper cups. The above are not significant problems for a hotel. The two below are. 1. There were no washclothes in the bathroom. I trekked down to the front desk, informed the desk clark who asked me, "are you sure?" He didn't have any at the front desk but he assured me "someone would be right up." Two hours later, no sign of any washclothes. 2. Because I had work to do for a Sunday meeting, I opted for in room dining and ordered the angus burger medium rare. The burger that arrived was raw and loaded in grease. The presentation was awful. Everything was plopped into a takeaway container. There was no ketchup for the fries and no utensils were included. I took the burger and fries down to the restaurant and told her the burger was raw. The maitre d' took the container - and I told her I didn't want them to just throw the burger back on the grill until it was medium rare. I ended up ordering a caesar salad - and asked for a dinner roll. What I got was a silverware roll. The salad was actually good. What I found shocking was - the maitre d' did not say, "we'll take the burger charge off your room bill." What she did do was charge me for the caesar salad. I was deeply disappointed in my stay, which, fortunately, was only for one night. Had I been staying in DMV longer, I would have switched hotels.

Location

Cleanliness

I had to check in very late (3:30 am) and they were just great about it all.

Great stay

noisy, uncomfortable rooms, poor location, unhelpful staff, unexpected fees..........

Our last visit to Bethesda Marriott was the best staycation we’ve ever had in the DMV. One year ago, I underwent brain surgery at Walter Reed. We chose to stay at the Bethesda Marriott the two days leading up to it and I enjoyed relaxing with my husband in one of the beautiful pool cabans. Service was fast, food delicious. Pool was clean and very refreshing. I was able to arrive at WRMC fully relaxed and positive. Fast forward one year, another appointment, but this time we were celebrating not only that one yr anniversary, but it was my birthday on the summer solstice. My husband requested a high floor east to watch the sunrise from that morning. Not long after making that request, Derek Vanbrakle, Dir. of Operations, contacted him. He welcomed my husband and acquiesced to what he had in mind. Everything was perfect ! Room was very clean, bed, the most comfortable in the world! Oh! The shower products are spot on! They left my hair and skin amazingly silky! We even got late check out without asking after a “monsoon” blew in the day we arrived, closing the pool. The staff members here always have a warm smile, from housekeeping to desk. We feel very special when we stay here and is now our DMV home away from home. Thank you! We appreciate all of you! Warmly, J&T Robinson.