Marriott of Monterey
Monterey, CA 93940 (831) 649-4234
- Price Range: $$$
21 Reviews for Marriott of Monterey
I have mixed feelings about this Marriott. The location is very convenient and the decor and staff were both nice. The valet was a bit expensive, $19. If you're traveling light, I would highly recommend parking at the lot one street below Alvarado, they charge $5.
My other criticism was that they had single pane windows so the noise level was rather loud. You would think that a 4-star hotel would have double pane windows to ensure that their guests have a private and QUIET stay. Oh, and bathroom tiles were a very *dated* salmon color.
As my friend Beth noted, "the staff here is ridiculously polite." Everybody here is super friendly and quick with a "Good Morning" and a smile.
Our room was spacious and clean. I was surprised that they still charge for internet access though. And our room was a bit noisy. There were a lot of young families staying in the hotel. And, apparently echoing hotel hallways are a fabulous substitute for playgrounds with the toddler set. And, housekeeping thinks that 9am on a Saturday is great time to vacuum the halls.
The hotel is very convenient to downtown Monterey which made walking to dinner and drinks last night super easy. But, for the $ I wonder if we coulda done better.
Most comfortable beds EVER. I mean, ridiculously comfortable. I had the best sleep I've had in a long time here. I am actually contemplating calling them and asking them what kind of beds they have because they were just THAT awesome.
There are some pros and cons to this place.
Pros:
Great service. (very quick, too)
Great location.
Bath & Body Works toiletries (which smell awesome).
Nice decor (especially for a Marriott).
Their chocolate covered strawberries are delicious.
Cons:
Their "balcony" area is very scary. It's about 6 inches wide. Yeah. Scary.
$19 valet. Which you're forced to use since they don't have self-parking.
My washcloth had some brown streaks on it that kind of worried me. Needless to say, I didn't use it.
The sink drained VERY slowly.
One of the lightbulbs in the vanity area was out. (What? It bugged me.)
They gave me a huge corner room which I was grateful for. It was huge so I could finish up my bachelorette party prep in there.
It wasn't nearly as expensive as some of the other hotels in the area and the location was perfect for running around in Downtown Monterey.
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Summary: Great Place to have a Wedding Reception
This is a review of the Catering and Facility that we had for our Wedding, not about the rooms. To sum it up, the food, service, and facilities were excellent. We had about 60 guests altogether, and had the Ferrantes Bayview room on the top floor of the Hotel, which has an awesome view of the Bay and Monterey. I think they usually have an $11,000 food and bev minimum to reserve the room on Saturday nights, but they dropped that amount a lot for us, I guess because it was about 5 months away and usually weddings are booked out a lot further in advance (so they wanted to make sure they booked out the room).
We had a personal tasting session to try out our entree choices and an appetizer. The Filet Mignon was great, but when we weren't thrilled about the Salmon, the prepared a Halibut for us to try on the spot, so we were impressed with the service and personal touch.
On the day of the event itself, the staff was polite, the food was excellent (basically as good as during the tasting) and everything went smoothly. We didn't have a wedding coordinator of our own, but the package included the services of what was essentially a reception coordinator, and she was great. She helped to get the room arranged how we wanted it, and was there during the event to work with the Photographer, DJ, and catering staff to make sure the various activities flowed smoothly.
We did get a room too (included in the package) and that was very nice, but it was a suite so I don't really include that as part of the rating. At any rate, if you are thinking of having a wedding in Monterey or the Bay Area, I would highly recommend the Marriott in Monterey.
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I really enjoyed our stay here the other weekend. We got a bay view hotel which I guess since the bay isn't right outside the window, I could have been fine paying less for a non-view place, but it was fine. We did face the pool which was bit noisy during the day, but we should have been out still being tourists instead of being a voyeur, looking out to see who was in the heated? pool in the middle of winter (mid-west tourists?).
I was very impressed that all the light bulbs in our room were the energy efficient swirly looking ones, that was great to see a big hotel like the Marriott, actually care about our environment.
The maid service, the front desk, and the valets were all very great. No issues with them. We didn't dine at the hotel so I can't speak of the food.
If you are going to stay here, call ahead to see if they can give you a king bed or a higher level floor or one away from any construction or street noise. I read that in another review and made sure to do that and we were on the 2nd highest floor in a big king sized bed instead of on 2 queens.
I would question asking the concierge for anything though. She made us wait longer than we should have when we asked for a menu and she took a phone call and proceeded to do an entire transaction while we sat there looking like idiots. We just wanted to see a menu, lady.
Last thought. they have the COOLEST hotel channel - it was tranquil, of the cool aquarium jellies floating about, so pretty!
This is one of my 3 favorite hotels in Monterey. For a Marriott, the rooms are all very nicely decorated and the beds are comfortable. The room service is great and the people who work there are nice. Characters bar and grill is a pretty good pub for a quick bite and beer, but you can find much better food if you walk along Alvarado, or try Montrio's down the street or take a short cab ride to the sardine factory. You will not be disappointed. My only complaint is the mandatory valet parking. It is ridiculously expensive and there is really no where else to park. Other than that I highly recommend this hotel.
Had my wedding reception here. It was PERFECT! The view from the ballroom at the top of the hotel is phenomenal. The room is basically all windows and you get to see out to the town and to the bay.
The dinner that they served was so good that our wedding guests remember exactly what they ate.
The rooms were comfortable and up-to-date. I did a lot of my wedding day preparations in my hotel room and it worked out fine.
The event coordinator was really helpful and on top of things.
Cannery Row is a simple walk from the hotel.
I would love to come back here to celebrate an anniversary sometime in the future.
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I stayed here for a few days during a conference. I was very impressed by their comfortable beds, nice rooms, and very clean lobby. Their gym was a pretty good size and was well stocked with dry towels, warm towels (that were in a temperature controlled heater), water, and even complimentary fruit! It seemed like employees were constantly checking on the gym as well. The breakfast restaurant was also pretty good and not as expensive as other hotel restaurants. I had two dishes from their "health conscious" menu and both were yummy!
The BEST thing about the Marriott was their customer service. Everyone was really friendly and helpful. The cleaning staff would say good morning to you in the halls, the doormen and valets were always joking around with the customers, and the people at the front desk would always offer fruit from this huge basket!
It is a bit pricier than other Marriotts, but if you want to spend a couple of days enjoying Monterey, it's definitely a good choice. The hotel is also really close to the the piers and downtown Monterey (try and go on a Tuesday because downtown has an excellent evening Farmers Market from 4-8pm).
On the upside: The hotel staff is pleasant, helpful and on the ball. The rooms are clean and the location is good too. This is not a luxury resort...but a good Monterey hotel option.
They checked us in early and upgraded us to a larger room. The breakfast buffet included in our package deal was very extensive, including made to order omelets, all kinds of hot breakfast foods, plus pastries and lighter fare like fruit, granola and yogurt. The champagne also included in our package was drinkable and the chocolate-covered strawberries were ripe and tasty.
Some minor downsides:
- the attached sports bar leaves a little something to be desired
- one of our hand towels was seriously frayed at one end.
- they charge $1.50 for the bottled water in the room
- self park is a few blocks away in the city garage ($5).
- they have these industrial sized air "freshener" fans in the lobby. At first I liked the scent...but when I sat in the lobby and chatted with friends for a few minutes I was gasping and choking for (unscented) air. One whole star off for interfering with my breathing.
What DIDN'T I like about this hotel? Hmm- nothing? Ding Ding Ding!
I loved this hotel. It's gorgeous inside, the room was fantastic, my guest and I got a pimping Platinum upgrade to a suite that overlooked the Monterey Bay. The breakfast was superb and in general everything was very smooth and very comfortable.
Did I mention I really liked the decor? I did.
It's easy to walk to the nearby shops and stuff, and the aquarium and cannery row are only a short drive away.
This is definitely my go-to hotel in the Monterey area!
I enjoy staying at this hotel because it is a little bit of quiet, dark, civilized comfort, from all the hussle and bussle of Monterey. It is only a short walk to the Fisherman's Wharf and near to downtown shopping and food. The cleanliness, comfort, and service is what you would expect from a Marriott property. You can certainly stay in an expensive boutique hotel in Monterey if you would like to. Personally, I would rather stick with what I know and stay at the Marriott.
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I thought this hotel was awesome. They were able to accomodate our requests and check us in early on a Saturday afternoon. The rooms looked like they were recently remodeled and the room was really comfortable. I think what really set this place aside from the others were the staff. They are really attentive to all our needs throughout the day. Even in the middle of the night, housekeeping brought us toothpaste and contact lens solution. When we checked out, they cleaned our car windows and made sure we had a bottle of
water for the trip home. it's definitely service like that that would bring us back for another stay.
I've stayed in a few Marriott's and I was surprised as to how comfortable the bed was. Apparently the chain was in the process of changing out the beds to increase comfort levels. This hotel definitely caters to the business-class & touristy groups judging by decor, price, amenities, etc. This hotel is also central to almost everything and only a short walk anything else in Monterey that is of interest. I'm glad I had an opportunity to stay here and I plan on going back when I am in town again.
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Situated within easy walking distance, this property has recently undergone major renovations. Lobby is spacious. Staff has that Marriott "can do" attitude, and has always been helpful and courteous during my stays.
Rooms are clean and all have the new comfy bed with a plethora of pillows. Neat stuff!
Ok, parking and internet usage are not included in the rate, so be prepared.
Restaurant on the top floor is certainly of Marriott quality with great views overlooking the Monterey Bay.
Marriott Monterey does it right, and provides a very pleasant place to stay.
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Nice downtown location. About a block from the Monterey Pier. Room was spacious, bed was comfortable, front desk staff was friendly. Hotel has a sports bar, one small gift shop, and a nice breakfast buffet. High speed internet not included in your room rate. Highly recommended if you are visiting Monterey.
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This hotel was a pretty great place for special occasions. I had my 3rd anniversary here and I was able to set up everything with the wonderful concierge team there. I had rose petals, chocolate covered strawberries, vueve cllicquot (yellow label of course...), a romantic bath kit, and music playing upon arrival... my man was knocked off his feet! The rooms are super clean and kinda refreshing with design. It reminds me of French Quarter. Anyhow, great service and if you order room service we had ordered the Braised Lamb Shanks... ugh! Simply the best!!!
Nice building, good downtown location with plenty of things within walking distance. I actually prefer downtown to Cannery Row because it doesn't feel AS touristy. The rooms were nice, and had pretty good ocean views. At night you can hear the waves hitting the beach and the elephant seals which was pretty neat as well.
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Nothing special, but the rooms were spacious and clean. The service was OK, but I was a little upset that a package a flowers from my fiance sat behind the desk for 5 hours. I actually had to go up and ask for them. I was really surprised that they did not bring them up to the room, since they obviously knew that the flowers were perishable.
Room was spacious, clean and recently renovated. Expect lots of pillows and comfy bed. Room rate does not include high speed Internet.
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Spacious room, comfy beds, great linens. They upgraded us to a balcony room with 2 queen beds. We put them both to good use! :)
We attended a wedding here. The restaurant on the top floor is great. The food was deliciouse. We had crab cakes, cellophane noodles, sea bass, and filet mignon. Everything was yummy!
Of course it helps that there was an open bar...needless to say, I woke up with a hangover.
Very clean, excellent service, valet parking ($18 /day with in/out privileges - a bargain), very friendly and courteous staff - doors opened for you at practically all times, always people around at the front desk and valet. Rooms are spacious, well lit/designed, Definitely would stay here again - close to Monterey Bay Aquarium, minutes to Del Monte Shopping Center, restaurants, Highway 1, and shops. Unlimited Internet access is available for 9.95 per day, Mom and POP store is also close by for necessities, street parking is also easy for visitors.
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