I was there on 3 separate business travel occasions all in September, so I will break it up accordingly. (Note: I'm a Platinum Marriott Rewards member, if that makes any difference)

-First stay (3 nights) - There was some confusion as to my room reservation as I had made 2 reservations (1 for me and 1 for my coworker) but the front desk attendant, Edith, was very help and very nice. On my last night, they gave me complimentary postcards of the hotel and Ft. Lauderdale. It's the little things.

-Second stay (5 nights) - Only a weekend had passed when I checked in again but Edith remembered my name as I walked up to the front desk. This stay coincided with my birthday and on the actual day they left me a bottle of chardonnay, fruit, cheese & crackers with a nice birthday card wishing me a Happy Birthday. Very nice surprise.

-Third stay (3 nights) - Same ease of checking in, getting upgraded to a nice ocean view room. And was left Godiva chocolates and spring water one night.

And so this review isn't JUST about all the nice free things I got, let me mention other things I like about this hotel:

-Really good and tasty food that can be ordered via room service (usually room service I find is mediocre), it is a bit pricey though, but you pay for what you get.
-Friendly staff, from the front desk to the valet, room service deliverers, etc. I did not cross paths with one rude person.
-Starbucks inside the hotel
-Close proximity to the beach and Las Olas Blvd.

All in all, probably one of my favorite Marriotts that I've stayed in to this day.

I am going to begin by saying that before we booked this trip, I had read the reviews posted by other members here to get some feedback. I will be honest...I was a bit skeptical to stay here, but kept my fingers crossed and hoped for the best.
I was pleasantly surprised from the minute we arrived at how beautiful this hotel is! I do not have one complaint from the entire week we were here. The concierge we met on our first day, Sid, went above and beyond to make sure our stay was memorable. When we told her we were on our honeymoon, she got us reservations at a fabulous restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale (Charley's Crab). We were seated at the best table in the restaurant (right on the water), and she made sure the manager presented us with roses once we were seated comfortably. Our names were even printed on the evening's menu with a Congratualatory note. It was such a special dinner! In addition, she sent us a bottle of wine to our room, and pulled strings at Miami Seaquarium for us to swim with the dolphins. (Something that normally requires a reservation months in advance.) All of the other people at the concierge desk were also very knowledgable about the area and were more that happy to give you directions or give recommendations for where to shop or dine.
The front desk was equally as cordial. I guess when our travel agent booked this, she mentioned that we were honeymooners, because AmyBeth at the front desk congratulated us and also sent us a bottle of wine. (Which I thought was a very nice gesture.)
The food at the pool was excellent and went far beyond our expectations for a poolside cafe. We ate there everyday and it was acutally really good! Yes, it was a bit pricey, but there ARE other options.
The local foodstore, WinnDixie is about a 2 minute car ride away. We went there and stocked up on snacks and drinks. We had a refrigerator sent up to our room (for free) and took our snacks to the pool with us.
The hotel is located literally right on the beach. No, it is not within walking distance of too many places, but Fort Lauderdale is so beautiful that you are doing a disservice to yourself if you dont rent a car and venture out anyway. We went to the Hard Rock Cafe, which is about 15-20 minutes away in Hollywood, Las Olas Blvd and many, many other places. Bottom line, no matter where you stay in Fort Lauderdale, you really should rent a car and see all the sights.
One last point I feel COMPELLED to make....The construction going on next door has come up in SEVERAL reviews on here. You dont hear A THING...I PROMISE. (We didnt hear one thing in the room, lobby or on the beach or pool.) If you have a major problem with construction, please DO NOT vacation ANYWHERE in South Florida...there is construction literally everywhere-near EVERY hotel. And, if you are looking for a "resort" that you dont need to leave the hotel for the entire vacation, go to an island.
This hotel was beautiful. It exceeded every expectation we had, and we will never stay anywhere else in Ft. Lauderdale again!

Having booked our recent trip a year ago I was a bit concerned by some of the reviews posted on this site. This hotel certainly seems to get very mixed reviews.

Luckily for us we found the negative reviews to be totally unfounded. Sure the drinks in the bar are expensive but it is not a cheap hotel and I didn't find the prices any higher than you'd expect in a hotel of this class.

The staff couldn't have been more helpful or friendly. The staff on the concierge desk were all extremely knowledgeable about the area and went out of their way to be helpful.

The pool area was a delight and very relaxing and the close proximity to the beach always gave an alternative.

You do need a car as the nearest restaurants are all at least a couple of miles away but contrary to other comments you can get a very good breakfast 5 minutes away at the Bahia Cabana.

All in all we found the hotel and the area to be exactly what we both expected and hoped for.

My wife and I were told to leave the beach by a very rude Marriott rep as we were not using towels that had been supplied by the hotel. One of the waitress servers at breakfast was very rude every morning even though we had breakfast here for two weeks and had been very generous with our tips. Please don't wast your money staying here.