We checked in on March 27th and got into town really early because we wanted to go to Port Discovery Children's Museum. Our room wasn't ready (but I didn't expect it to be at 10:30 a.m.) The front desk gladly held all of our luggage and the valet parked our car. We left our car from our arrival until we left at 1:30 p.m. the next day and it was all included for the $30 fee. (the front desk againheld our luggage again while we went to aquarium!) They do ask to give them 15 minutes to retrieve your car, and we received our car back in a timely manner. I believe this is the case because the garage they use is a block over and they have to drive around the block to get the car back to the hotel.

Our room was ready for check in at 1:30 as I had requested in my reservation. It was a very nice updated room with two big screen televisions. The bed was comfortable. We didn't have sheets for the pull out bed for our kids to share. I went out in the hallway and asked one of the cleaning personnel for a sheet. Would you believe she dropped everything, got the sheets and went the extra mile to put an extra thick blanket on top of the mattress and then made the bed for us! Excellent service...I didn't see her name tag but we stayed in room 367 and checked in on March 27th. in case mgmt wants to give her kudos.

The complimentary breakfast is one of the nicest spreads of food I've ever seen. Eggs, sausages, english muffins, assorted fruits, yogurts, muffins, oatmeal, make your own waffles, cereal, juices, coffees, and premade Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches. A great way to start the day.

The location can't be beat for a family with kids wanting to be able to walk to the local attractions. It was a five minute walk to Port Discovery Children's Museum, eight minute walk to the National Aquarium, eight minutes to Fogo De Chao (a great Brazilian Steakhouse) and five minutes to Yolly Molly a frozen yogurt place that is a nice treat for the kids.


Overall, a great up to date room, great service, great breakfast, and a great location. Did I mention it was GREAT!

Overall, I cannot recommend staying here. I often go out of my way to select Marriott hotels whenever possible because I know they generally offer consistently good quality and excellent service. The hotel needs to address some problems before it will earn my repeat business.

First - let's start with the positives. Leed Gold, which is very cool. Terrific location on the edge of the Baltimore Harbor close to Little Italy and the new Whole Foods. Stylish rooms with very attractive furnishings. Huge TV! High end state-of-the art cooling system. Attractive bathroom, with overhead rain shower head, beautiful vanity, and good bath products. Gym looked excellent, although we didn't use it. Coffee available anytime was an added bonus. Hallways were cheerful and kept clean. Great deal for hotel guests on aquarium tickets too.

Next - I'll go over some of the negatives that really affected our stay here. When we checked in, we saw that valet parking was $30. This is a steep charge, so it is necessary for the hotel to ensure that it works properly. The valet here is a real nuisance and caused a lot of unnecessary aggravation. Each time we requested the car by calling ahead, the car took between 10-25 minutes. Some of the younger valet staff were particularly helpful and professional, but overall, the service was completely disorganized. One of the valet attendants was completely unprofessional and quite rude. We requested a partial discount from the hotel front desk at check out, and we were told this is a Valet issue, and the valet company is separate from Marriott. Fine, but I am staying at the hotel and would expect the hotel to take care of their issues with the valet service. In the end, the valet manager apologized and was very professional, and offered to compensate us for the valet charge. He said our car would be available right away. But again, the car was sitting out front for 20 minutes, and we were unable to get the keys. More apologies came from the valet staff. Come on. Marriott needs a new valet service. Plain and simple. Or there should be a nearby self-park lot.

Also, while the room felt clean overall, there were just a few cleanliness issues in the room. We found quite a few hairs in the bathroom and on the rug, and a previous guest's large hair clip was just sitting in the middle of the floor. It seems clear the cleaning staff are not paying attention to details. Also, the blower occasionally made loud noises at night. It would be nice if the shower had better water pressure and some kind of sign to show which way was warm and which way was cool for the shower nob. It takes a long time for the water to warm up here.

Finally, the front desk staff initially mixed up some charges, but this was fixed quickly.

Stayed here for one night...the staff were all quite wonderful. The rooms are nicely appointed, quiet and squeaky clean. The breakfast is more than adequate and the breakfast room is nicely situated. The hotel is in walking distance of any Inner Harbor attraction. It was a very cost effective choice too - we paid $98. Two tips...we arrived on Friday evening around 6 PM. To valet park is $30 per night but if you park on the street directly in front of the hotel it is free. The street fills up very quickly so you need to time it just right. We parked there and walked everywhere we wished to visit without incurring any parking fees during our stay. Hat tip to the doorman at the hotel for telling us the latter. One last tip...if anyone tells you that Mo's restaurant down the street (little Italy) is the place to eat just nod and go elsewhere. With so many great places to eat don't waste your money just because it is only a block away. Two blocks away there are a plethora of good places to eat. Don't miss the The American Visionary Art Museum - it is a real gem!