Residence Inn San Francisco Airport/Oyster Point Waterfront - Review

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/sfori-residence-inn-san-francisco-airport-oyster-point-waterfront/

I recently returned from a 2 day stay at this hotel and don’t have enough nice things to say about it.  My husband and I flew into San Francisco, stayed there for a few days in a different hotel, drove to Pasadena/Arcadia for a 5 night stay, and then drove back to San Francisco for a few more days…so we had a bit of an exhausting trip! I was extremely excited about this hotel when I booked it.  Unfortunately it did not live up to my expectations.  Upon arriving at the hotel, we walked into the lobby and the woman at the check in was too busy chatting with someone else about what she was ordering for lunch to even glance at us and say hello.  It wasn’t until the other person nodded her head at us that the woman decided she should do her job and take care of us.  When she looked to us, my husband handed her his credit card so she could check us in.  Up until that moment, she was very disinterested in assisting us.  As soon as she looked up our reservation and saw we were platinum, her whole attitude changed and she “upgraded” us to a room with a view.  Whenever we stay at a hotel we always have a room on the top floor, but we did not have a room on the 4^th floor this time…we were on the 3^rd. We went out to the car and then lugged our suitcases to the only elevator in the hotel and then took the longest walk to our room that I can remember.  Finally, we get to our room only to be met with disappointment.

I guess I should start with the good parts of this hotel before I get carried away with the bad.  The location is excellent.  Outside the hotel is a beautiful walking path with beautiful water views.  The hotel appears to be kept clean.  The pool looked beautiful and even had a pool with disabled access, which was nice to see.  There was adequate parking, which is always good.

The hotel was close access to the airport.  So with our early morning flight, it was easy to get there.

The bad parts of the hotel…The first thing I noticed when I opened the door was a loud jet engine sound.  I assumed it was from an airplane (since the airport isn’t far) but the sound continued for far too long.  We later found out it was the air conditioner.  Honestly, this air conditioner was SO loud it woke us up many times and did not allow us to get a good night’s sleep.  If we were here longer than 2 nights, I would definitely have requested a different room.

The kitchen is severely lacking.  There are 2 burners on the stove top (no oven) and one knob on ours was broken.  There were no spatulas to cook with.  When we called to ask for one, they said they didn’t have any and would have to go to the store later to buy one.  We never did get that spatula.

With all the great places to stay in this area, I do not think I would recommend this place.  The service we received was not to the Marriott standard, the room was loud, the kitchen in the room was useless and I have definitely had more comfortable accommodations. There is a Courtyard next door…if I was back in this area and did not wish to stay in the city; I would certainly try that before returning to this Residence Inn.

Residence Inn Pasadena Arcadia - Review

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/bwrar-residence-inn-pasadena-arcadia/

I recently returned from a 5 day stay at this hotel and don’t have enough nice things to say about it.  My husband and I flew into San Francisco, stayed there for a few days, drove to Arcadia for a 5 night stay, and then drove back to San Francisco for a few more days…so we had a bit of an exhausting trip!

Upon arriving at the hotel, we were met by a very friendly woman at the check in counter (I believe her name was Cindy) who quickly checked us into our room, explained the amenities and showed us where our room was on a map.  Within minutes we were at our room.  This Residence Inn is like many of the other Residence Inns I’ve stayed at; rooms are laid out well and are kept very clean.  

I slept extremely well at this hotel, it is very quiet and the rooms are well insulated from your neighbors.  We were able to get a room on the top floor, so I cannot speak to how it is if there is someone directly above you, but I have no complaints with the sound proofing from people next door.  

The kitchen is well appointed.  Coffee maker, dish washer, refrigerator, toaster, pots, pans, cooking utensils and all the plates, glasses, and silverware you would need!

There were a few items that I feel could be improved upon, but nothing that would prevent me from staying here again or recommending it to a friend.  First, the internet was so slow it was unusable.  For most of the trip, I found myself using my cell phone or iPad instead of my laptop. Second, when the air conditioner turned on, it was louder than I am used to from a Residence Inn.  However, after staying at our next Residence Inn – Oyster Point in San Francisco…I no longer think this air conditioner was loud!  It wasn’t so loud it disrupted sleep, but like I said, it was still louder than I am used to.

Parking wasn’t an issue except on one occasion where we returned pretty late and had to circle the parking lot twice waiting for someone else to leave.  Every other time we had no issues with parking.

I am unable to comment on food because we either prepared meals in the room or went out to eat.  We also did not use the pool, but there were people using it and it appeared to be extremely clean.  Also, there were barbeques available for guests use.  

Overall, I was extremely pleased with this hotel, the staff and the room and would recommend it to anyone!