I went to the Courtyard Friday, Aug 1st for one night with my fiance. Chose it because 229 was a great rate for AC on a Friday night and I'd rather stay at a non-smoking hotel than a smoky casino.

The valet was quick and almost overbearing but nice and not too expensive ($12). The check in was a bit slow but the people were nice. Its a new place so I'm assuming they need to get some kinks out.

Room was really nice. I've stayed in a lot of great hotels and this room was top notch. All the amenities you would need. Nice bathroom. There is a decent size gym (for a hotel) with a hot tub. Halls smelled fresh and clean. Lobby is nice. Bed super comfy. It all felt totally new. Much fresher than the Sheridan or Trump Marina where I've stayed before.

The area is not the best though. Its a little desolate at night. We're in our 30's with no kids so we hopped on the jitney and went down the street to the Knife and Fork, where we had a fantastic dinner (go there if you want great food without the cheeseyness AC can bring). Then we walked back on the boardwalk and to the hotel. The walk from the Boardwalk felt a bit quiet but there were some people around. The strange part was that we walked to the outlets Saturday afternoon and between the hotel and the outlets there were a lot of people looking very strung out and we even passed a two men doing a pretty obvious drug deal. This was not in front of the Marriott but not far. I'm from NYC so this stuff doesn't really phase me but I"m sure it would bother some people.

This wouldn't stop me from going to the Courtyard or recommending it but maybe take a cab to get around from there.

Wife and I did an overnite junkit with Saturday nite stay here in mid-June. Property was newly open and still feeling its way through a ying-yang identity crisis. On one hand, the hotel's room rate was astonishingly low, especially for a summer weekend nite, suggesting best of the bargain basics and budget conscious are the marketing drivers. On the other hand, the lobby and bar area are very upscale and scream the resort theme, perhaps teasing younger clentele who want proximity to Showboat, Taj, and Borgata at hundreds less. Nonetheless, with the spartan amenities on-site and the so-so location of the property-- this is not the best boardwalk area or beach zone in town-- we found ourselves concluding this was just an average stay, but still a good value.
That ying-yang theme continued throughout: marble tile lobby and reception, but lackluster hallways and cheap doors, where you can hear folks at all hours....rooms are good size, but have zero decorative accoutrements.....bedding is upgraded and super comfortable, but furnishings and fixtures were below average and looked like they'd never last the looming waves of future guests.....adequate and clean bath room with good water pressure (a personal peeve), but low quality towels. Even the clientele exuded the extremes-- from the couplers like ourselves, to married with children, as well as lots of the rougher tatts and piecing crowd all confluencing trying to get their fix on the hotel beat. Ying-yang....ying-yang....ying-yang....
And yes, it's probably best to use a car to get about from here, at least until the new Revel Mega Casino Resort opens and brings back some momentum to this side of town. The AC Bar & Grille is a great, long-time spot right across the street, however, if you do want to grab a drink and meal safely....otherwise, we spent most of our time at Borgata and on the boards near Caesars anyway.
We didn't eat at the hotel breakfast although charging for that separately was suprising, especially for a Courtyard.

My husband and I are elite Marriott rewards members. We ALWAYS try to stay with them if one is available because we find their chain reasonably priced and reliable. We elected to stay at this new hotel for our one year wedding anniversary for a single evening. We will not be returning, which is a shame because the hotel had potential.

POSITIVES: The valet was fantastic. Very courteous, helped with luggage. We never waited more than two minutes for them to retrieve our car. Outstanding service.

The hotel is new, and thus very nice. The common areas are well decorated. Our room was spacious with nice furniture. The bathroom was beautiful, large glass shower for two and a nice marble sink. The room had a small bar in the hallway with a mini-fridge in a cabinet underneath.

NEGATIVES: The hotel is in need of major staff retraining. The woman checking us in was slow and not able to make any decisions for herself. I told her it was my anniversary and asked what the price would be to upgrade. The woman told us she would have to ask the manager if there were any suites we could have. She returned from the back room and advised us that there were no rooms available. She then rudely told us our room was a king and would be just fine. The manager never showed in the front for a follow up. A second woman stood behind the counter doing absolutely nothing, while there was a line of 3 people behind us waiting to check in. Upon checking out, I called the front desk from our room to advise them that we would be about 15 minutes late leaving our room. The woman said “uh…you know check out is at noon right?” I told her I did, but that we would be leaving a few minutes late. She retorted “Well, I guess that’s going to have to be okay, isn’t it.” I wanted to reach through the phone and strangle her.

Though the hotel is new, it is not clean. We left the hotel at 10pm for a casino and there was smears of what appeared to be red jelly on the hallway floor leading from the elevator to the front door. It was STILL THERE when we returned at 2am. Yuck!! There was also a french-fry covered in ketchup in the elevator. The floors of the elevators were discolored and had sticky spots, like left over gum residue.

The bed was majorly uncomfortable, and the wall between us and the next room seemed paper thin. We were subject to some very awkward noises of adult activity in the room next to us at 3:30am. We heard the toilets flush in the room next to us and the room above us. The hallway noise was very loud, even though the bed is towards the outside wall of the hotel. We were the last room at the end of the hallway away from the elevators, can’t imagine if we were in a heavier traffic area.

We will not be returning to this hotel. The Marriott needs to come in and do a major staff retrain. I was truly disappointed, I have never encountered such rude employees at a Marriott before. A bad taste of our anniversary will return us to the Borgata next time.

My husband and two teenage sons spent July 4th weekend at this Courtyard and were very pleased with the property and the staff. The rooms are new and well appointed. The regular rooms are a little small, especially for a family of 4, but the suite was great. I recommend asking about the suites at this hotel, because they don't seem to advertise them too much. Two nice size rooms, dining area, microwave, mini fridge and big bathroom with jacuzzi. Very small tub, but nice. The only strange detail was the lack of a door from the master bedroom into the bathroom. It needs one. The Manager of this hotel was amazing! He gave us comp tickets to see an exhibit at the Trump and upgraded us to the suite when we complained that the regular room was too small for us. They did seem to lack cleaning staff to turn the rooms over in a timely fashion. Several guests had to wait till clean rooms were available. I didn't mind the neighborhood and found it nice and quiet compared to the rest of the city. I think its a good value and would recommend it.