I'm not too sure how much carbon monoxide the people before me huffed before writing their 5 star reviews, but this might just be the absolute worst hotel I've stayed at in my entire 25 years on this Earth. It's almost comical. I have not had a single good experience in the several times I've stayed at this gulag-esque self-proclaimed "hotel". My last visit ended short, and I will make it my personal mission to ensure that I never see the inside of this Marriott ever again, so help me God.
I checked into my room on Monday, January 26, 2026. Friday, the 30th, I find a note slipped under my door. Immediate dread. I've seen this letter before: for an undisclosed reason, they had to shut the water main off to the hotel. Seemingly no direct reason, but I already knew I was in for a world of pain. Let's go back in time:
April 29th, 2024. I check into the Marriott. On DAY ONE, a "water main break" occurs in the parking lot of the hotel. I did not see a single crew or truck or anything to perform repairs, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and believe them for their word. For the days that followed, the water that spewed out of all of the faucets in the room began as a delicious orange soda-colored, then would slowly transition into this delectable diarrhea brown. The staff ensured me that I'd just need to run the water for ten minutes to flush out any particulates and sediment. This orange water occurred for DAYS after the break. I flushed out the water for as long as I was in my room. It never went clearer than a tinted shade of yellow. After a certain point of rotting in my own stink, I decided to shower anyway, and take them for their word. Immediately after drying off, parts of my body began to shed skin, especially my face, arms, and shoulders. I might have delicate skin and maybe don't react well to hard water, but this should not be considered as being a normal event.
Fast forward to yesterday, halfway through my work trip, my water is once again toxic sludge orange. Again. It's borderline just rust mixed with water. With no discernible reason for them shutting off the water, I hoped I could just wait it out, and between me flushing the pipes for 30+ mins, and an entire day passing of other guests also using the water, I was hopelessly optimistic that this would resolve itself. So, just imagine my shock when I wake up at 6 AM the next day, feeling disgusting with no shower or teeth brushing in 24h, to a Fanta shower. I even considering driving to the Planet Fitness and risking athlete's foot over using the Marriott shower, but unfortunately, PFs in Wisconsin don't seem to be 24h.
This water issue is not the only issue(s) with this Marriott. I try to be sympathetic, as it seems to be completely out of the hotel's control. But walk around for 10 minutes in a standard room and you'll start to regret ever giving your credit card to the front desk. Issues I've had in the past two years staying at this Marriott:
- The water issues (of course)
- Stained sheets
- Stained curtains
- Peeling wallpaper
- Odd smells from the furniture and carpet
- Dirty fixtures in the bathroom
- Grout falling off the shower walls
- WHOLE BUGS taking a stroll all over my bed
- Spider webs spanning the ceiling
- Primitive Wi-Fi speeds
I also didn't notice until I was walking out the door, but the letter they slipped under the door was postmarked for April 15, 2022. FOUR. YEARS. AGO. They couldn't even bother to change the date on their generic " Our apologies :^( " letter. I should've kept it and put it in a frame.
Everything leading up to the actual rooms look so nice and new, but the rooms themselves are stuck in God knows what decade and left to fall apart. Most of the pictures are from this stay from this past week, but I've also attached mementos I've kept close to my heart in the past two years. I'm relieved that this is covered by my company, and that none of my actual money has gone into my stays here. I ended up waiting on the phone with Marriott's customer service line for 45 mins just to cancel the remainder of my trip.
It is now the day after, and I am writing this from the comfort of the Home2 Suites 10 minutes away in Brookfield. The difference in the rooms, service, and quality is night and day. The ONLY two things redeemable about this Marriott are the bartenders in the bar downstairs, and the person working the front desk this morning (didn't catch their name, was a new employee that started in August) that was sympathetic to my complaints and was willing to help me make my jailbreak. Otherwise, raze the building to the ground, pave it over, and turn it into a public parking lot. This hotel is an insult to the land it sits on, and at least public parking would be a more respectable use of the space.
Thank you for reading my long-winded rant. And now, to play me out, here's the Marriott customer relations team with their automated "So very sorry for falling short" reply:
