What is a 4 star hotel?

Not the #Garden City hotel. It may belong to the elite list of
"preferred" hotels, but that does not mean it's a four star hotel.

Yes, the restaurant #Rein is excellent, albeit pricey, the gold and
glass renaissance lobby is manned by a concierge, and doormen.

Yes, there are meeting rooms, an excellent fitness center, from which
I got kicked out at 9:00 PM --closing--and a grand piano out of tune.

Yes the rooms are spacious, equipped with a mini bar, the linens well
above average quality, the TV a flat screen (that did not work well).

Yes there is a phone in the loo, they repaired the in-the-room air
conditioner/heater that kept us up all night the very next day.

Yes WIFI is available for $26 extra per day ($12.95 per person- we
don't share laptops)...forget that!!

So why not a four star? It's all in the details...

Mold, peeling wall covering, dirt

Water Damage under the window, painted over- source of the smell?

• The room stinks of mold, probably from the leaky window, the off-white--or beige? carpet repels bare feet.
• The furniture is outdated and over used, the greenish couch sagging, and the drapes dusty.
• The king bed is not stable, we have only 2 pillows, not enough hangers, no room in the bathroom for our stuff.
• The bathroom: moldy tile, old black bottomed tub, clingy shower curtains, an incredibly loud toilet that takes for ever to refill itself.
• The minuscule coffee post is located next to the toilet, and the coffee is years aged. Good for wine, not so for coffee.
• They vacuumed next door at 10:30 PM, woke us up early to clean the room
• One of the two robes disappeared after the first night.
• Turn down service? First night: 2 chocolates..nice touch!... Next night, only one chocolate on my partner's side, what about me?

Conclusion? Not a four star hotel until the facility gets a facelift and housekeeping gets trained!  It is a hotel wasteland out here on Long Island, but this one is worth avoiding at the price they charge.

Marriott Towne Place Suites- shocking pictures!

Marriott, like Hilton, is a family name that is defined by hotels. So why would you let your name be on a hotel with finishes like shown in these photos? If I had wanted to stay in a motel along a long disused truck route, I would expect to pay less. One of the key attributes a hotel must have for our patronage is a fitness center. At this Marriott we were given access to not one, but two centers, the Towne Place and the Courtyard! 6 machines to use, including TVs. How many worked? TWO! Yes, 2 effin machines! : ( grrr! But the real story is the condition of the property. Drop the pretentious "e" from Towne, and invest in fit and finish, this is ridiculous!

On a positive note, the staff was uncommonly helpful, responsive, friendly and accommodating. They almost made up for the lack of investment in the property.

Judge for yourself- does the Marriott name make up for these conditions in my room?




Several walls separating from the ceiling.




Two of four doors coming apart.




This is the heater air intake. Note the 2x4 and air filter behind the grate.




Tape around the ceiling was separating too.




And the cheap plastic trim was poorly cut and installed. This is a typical gap.

Location:Marriott Dr,West Dundee,United States