My experience at the Rochester Airport Marriott was terrible. I won’t call it “awful” because there was one employee, Emily or Emilee (it was spelled differently than “Emily”), who was outstanding. More on her later.
Where to begin?
Despite being called the Rochester Airport Marriott, the hotel is neither in Rochester nor at the airport. It’s in Greece, a suburb of about 100,000 people. It’s also about 7.5 miles from the airport. To put that in perspective, Greece, where the hotel is located, is on the northeast side of Rochester. The airport is at the far southeast corner of Rochester. I didn’t need to be at the airport, but calling this an airport hotel is, at best, disingenuous and, at worst, deceptive. Imagine flying into the airport and expecting the hotel to be right there.
That aside:
Because of my Bonvoy status, I was upgraded to a two-room suite. One of their best rooms. If this is one of their best rooms, I would not want to receive one of the worst rooms.
The sofa had hair (dog hair?) on the sofa. Countertop surfaces were stained. There was hair in the bathtub, hair on the toilet seat, and hair in the sink. The bathtub also had visible signs of mold in mildew.
The windows open a few inches and have screens. But this hasn't been cleaned in a long time. There is considerable dirt and dust on the windows and the screens. Some dead bugs too.
The walls were scuffed and scratched. The wall coverings in the room and public spaces, like the hallways, were ripped, torn, or pealing.
In my suite, furniture was scratched, scuffed, and otherwise damaged. While the room was refreshed a few years ago with wallpaper and carpet, the room hasn’t been significantly renovated since the late 2000s or early 2010s. The headboard, desk, nightstands, etc. were AT LEAST 15-20 years old. They date to the design Marriott used in hotels around 2006-2008. Both TVs in the suite were from 2019. So, it’s been at least 5 years since these rooms were updated. The mattress was 10 years old and was delivered to the hotel in 2015. It was sagging. Imagine how many people have slept on it over 10 years.
I requested only 100 percent feather pillows and confirmed this before arrival with the hotel. All four pillows on the bed were synthetic or polyester-filled pillows. They later provided two feather pillows.
To the hotel’s credit, I received a handwritten note and an amenity consisting of a small bottle of chardonnay wine and a plate with cheese, nuts, grapes, and crackers. While that was kind, no effort was made. The wine was warm and not put on ice. White wine is supposed to be chilled. It was served with champagne flutes, which you don’t use for non-sparkling white wine. The plate had nuts. I have a nut allergy. This was noted on my reservation through Marriott. They also didn’t provide a serving plate, cutlery, or napkin.
The hotel doesn’t disclose on its website or through any Marriott booking channel that no daily housekeeping service is provided. This also isn’t disclosed at check-in with the front desk. When you get your room, you find a letter informing you that housekeeping is only offered every four days. This is a supposedly full-service hotel under Marriott’s flagship Marriott brand. Marriott has a brand standard requirement that Marriott branded hotels provide daily housekeeping.
For Bonvoy platinum and higher elites, there is a club lounge by the restaurant off the side of the lobby. The club lounge is open for breakfast and an evening service. Years ago, this used to be the breakfast restaurant. The old concierge club lounge on the 7th floor was closed at some point, and the former breakfast restaurant was converted into the new club lounge. The space is relatively large and comfortable, although the carpet is old and worn. Emily working at the club lounge (she was working BOTH breakfast and in the evening because the hotel is short-staffed) was excellent. She was polite, hospitable, and doing her best with what she was given. Unfortunately, the food that she is given is AWFUL. The food was probably the worst club lounge offering I have ever seen. Fried cheese, fried pickles, unknown cubed cheese, some crackers, grapes, and pie at night for the evening service. For breakfast, the selection was limited to eggs, bacon, more cubed cheese, some sliced fruit, and some sugary cereal—no yogurt, no toast or muffins, no smoked salmon, no oatmeal, etc. The free breakfast at a typical Hampton or Fairfield is better than the breakfast offered at the Marriott.
The men’s bathroom in the lobby, which is used for the restaurant/bar and also the club lounge, has extensive mold or mildew around the countertop and sinks.
All things considered, this is an older hotel that is in desperate need of an exhaustive, floor-to-ceiling renovation. While the lobby and some other spaces were renovated a few years ago and rooms received new carpeting, etc., the bones are old. Right now, it’s well below the standard you expect at a Marriott or any supposed 4-star hotel. Beyond that, the overall operating standard and the delivery of services are also below what you expect. There is no excuse for the lack of cleanliness. Not providing daily housekeeping means the rooms will be dirtier. Until improvements can be made, the hotel should lose the Marriott brand. Your average Holiday Inn Express or Hilton Garden Inn is better than this hotel.
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