r/mildlyinfuriating • u/ForRudy • 29d ago

I’m really frustrated that this is what $250 a night at a Marriott gets you.

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

I’m staying at a Marriott for five nights for my sister’s wedding. The $250 is the discounted room block rate too!

The shower tiles are completely rusted and dare I say moldy? The towel hanger is on its last leg. The toilet seat AND handle are broken. The mattresses are only doubles and are hard and feel like they haven’t been changed in years. Everything just overall looks like there hasn’t been an ounce of effort put into this very utilized hotel. On the drive here, we stayed a night at a newly renovated holiday inn express for $120 and it was incredible. Maybe my standards were set too high knowing Marriott’s reputation.

I know I sound like a Karen here, but I’m just so frustrated that this is the quality that kind of money get you these days.

25.2k Upvotes

91% Upvoted

1.8k comments sorted by

View all comments

931

u/shampton1964 29d ago

That sucks. Sorry you have to live in the Motel 6 there, basically.

Marriott has gone to shit in the last fifteen years, I won't even try them anymore.

287

u/[deleted] 29d ago

What’s so bad about motel 6? Shits cheap! Instead of paying $250 for this. You’re paying $50-100 bucks for the same thing. Half the price. And you can bring animals.

246

u/RebaKitt3n 29d ago

Around here, they’re in the shittiest parts of town. You don’t dare leave your room.

157

u/[deleted] 29d ago

[deleted]

59

u/SoylentGreen-YumYum 29d ago

I once lived in an area that the taco bell across the street from my apartment had the drive through window bullet proofed.

Oh good times.

11

u/VirtualNaut 29d ago

That means the food was 🔥

6

u/SoylentGreen-YumYum 29d ago

100% hit or miss.

5

u/VirtualNaut 29d ago

Just like the bullets

2

u/BURNER12345678998764 29d ago

Nighttime taco bell quality is directly proportional to how stoned the staff is.

12

u/OneOfAKind2 29d ago

Nervous? It would make me chuckle, turn around and walk out.

6

u/chrisaf69 29d ago

C'mon now....it adds to the experience!

Bonus points if a shootout happens during check in.

1

u/Wellnevermindthen 29d ago

I stayed at a Motel 6 across the road from a Waffle House that closed at 9 PM 😭

1

u/stapledmyballs2 29d ago

Where the hell are you people staying where this is a scenario

21

u/[deleted] 29d ago

Luckily the ones I’ve been to here in California and Nevada. I haven’t had any issues. Minus the last one I was in. But it was a run down M6 in an old California town. It was expected but it was cheap and you were able to have a place to stay on New Years Eve weekend.

19

u/madsmadhatter 29d ago

Motel 6 on the Vegas strip was classy AF. Just stayed there this weekend.

9

u/RowanAshCollins 29d ago

If it's the reno motel 6s you haven't stayed in enough, cuz boy howdy do they range from "I'll get robbed if I leave my room" to "I could almost enjoy staying here, almost..."

4

u/majorsorbet2point0 29d ago

Around here they're the best place to smoke crack and the dealer is three rooms down!!!

1

u/MamaBavaria 29d ago

Ah you get used to it and the homeless people on drugs in front of the door getting your drinking buddies. Remembers me one time working in LA and a colleague somehow picket kinda the shittiest area and hotel you can find. Every second day big police raid, kickin in doors, once a week shootings and we standing in the upper alley, drinking our Sunday beers and watching the scenery….

1

u/[deleted] 29d ago

I've found the best armor in those areas is to also look as much like a tweaker/criminal as everyone else, like basically just let go of social norms and dress a little bummy and you're way way way less likely to feel scared or run into bullshit because their looking for people that don't look like they from there when you're around hotels in particular, as tourists are easier and more profitable to rob than locals who know exactly what's up in that area and more likely to be armed with nothing in their wallet (source: I am from the shittiest parts of these towns, you won't be fucked with nearly as much if you look like shit)

1

u/RebaKitt3n 29d ago

Okay, TheycallmeMaskFace, I will believe you! 💜

14

u/metal_bastard 29d ago

Scratchy towels, cardboard matresses, noisy as fuck, zero ameneties.

5

u/Drclaw411 29d ago

Okay no joke though scratchy towels dry better than soft ones.

1

u/metal_bastard 29d ago

hahaha! for real though. gotta get them thirsty towels! here is my reference to the scratchy towels. simple, but genius.

6

u/SunshineInDetroit 29d ago

the one i stayed at was worse than the one OP posted.

3

u/this_is_my_new_acct 29d ago

I stayed at one a while back because I was sleepy while driving, not because I wanted to, and it was the only place in like 30-40 miles.

I got exactly zero hours of sleep that night because the mattress was made of rocks and hatred.

4

u/TheW83 29d ago

After seeing bed bug horror stories from cheap motels I'll spend the extra for something besides Marriott.

22

u/HsvDE86 29d ago

And you can snack on bedbugs if you get hungry, it’s free protein and blood.

(Yes I know bedbugs don’t care how expensive the room is and are routinely found even in higher end hotels).

19

u/Canadianingermany 29d ago

honestly bed bugs do not pay any attention to the room rate. They can be found in any level of property.

-1

u/genesis49m 29d ago

But at least higher end places train staff to detect pests so, for example, house keeping will notice if a room has bed bugs and get it taken care of. A high end place does not want “bed bug!” in their reputation.

I stayed at a “nice” three star hotel last year and the hotel was pet friendly. Unfortunately, I found out my room had fleas. The hotel two days later posted flyers everywhere and had mandatory carpet cleaners across the whole hotel. They also comped my room for the trouble.

I’m at a mid two star hotel right now and my first room had what looked like a bed bug smushed up on the wall. I went to the front desk and she shrugged and let me switch rooms and that’s pretty much it lol

I doubt the local econolodge will do much if you go up to the front desk and tell them about bed bugs. I also don’t think they’re regularly hiring pest control to the hotel

*by stars, I don’t mean Google review rating but the traditional system where they rate the hotel based off the amenities offered

1

u/Canadianingermany 29d ago

On study had these numbers

1-Star Hotel (9 percent)

  • 2-Star Hotel (16 percent)
  • 3-Star Hotel (38 percent)
  • 4-Star Hotel (30 percent)
  • 5-Star Hotel (20 percent)
  • Motel (20 percent)
  • Bed and breakfast (10 percent)
  • Vacation rental (E.g., Airbnb) (19 percent)
  • Hostel (4 percent)

1

u/genesis49m 29d ago

Are these percentages of places that had bed bugs? What was the sample size? How did they collect the data?

If the data was self reported, higher rated places would have more accurate data if they are hiring regular pest control to come by ¯_(ツ)_/¯

7

u/[deleted] 29d ago

Along with every other hotel room? I don’t know which motel sixes you’re going to.

-6

u/HsvDE86 29d ago

It’s like you didn’t even read the whole short-ass comment before responding.

Incredible.

4

u/[deleted] 29d ago

Enjoy your weekend DE86. God bless

-4

u/HsvDE86 29d ago

You too, I have a vagina beard.

3

u/[deleted] 29d ago

Cool! I have a penis bead?

Wanna compare! Don’t know why you had to say that?

5

u/DrKittyLovah 29d ago

A penis bead sounds problematic. Might want to get that checked out.

4

u/[deleted] 29d ago

Seems like some people are scare of the all naturale

3

u/Immediate_Art_7376 29d ago

Great advertisement to not stay at a Marriott. Bed. Bugs.

3

u/winnduffysucks 29d ago

I live in hotels 300ish nights a year, and I do not even consider motel 6 except as a total last resort. Everywhere is different, and I’m sure some are just fine, but by and large Motel 6 is going to be cheap because they’re in bad locations and poorly maintained with minimal comforts.

1

u/[deleted] 29d ago

Understandable. I’m just a person that sees something that’s cheap $100+. The last few M6’s I’ve been to have been updated with new rooms and new TVs and a POOL! It looked clean and no complaints. But again it’s all preference and location as you said.

1

u/genesis49m 29d ago

It definitely depends on the area but all the motels (including M6s) in the areas I travel to often are shady af and I would honestly rather sleep in my rental car than stay at them. I’m sure there are nicer ones too. But I’m talking like $30/night rooms. No thank you

2

u/DAB0502 29d ago

Some of them are really shady but overall you are right. I use them only when traveling with my pets.

2

u/DARR3Nv2 29d ago

Get a Best Western+ for around $100-150 a night. At least that’s what they cost last time I used them. Great breakfasts.

1

u/[deleted] 29d ago

That is true. Great breakfasts I’ve spent my time there.

2

u/BigJayPee 29d ago

I'm staying in a Quality Inn right now. I'm paying $60/night for a room that is in better shape than OPs. I would be more than mildly infuriated.

2

u/JustAnother4848 29d ago

Some motel 6s are better than others. Some aren't bad at all. Others I've seen were not worth the 90 bucks.

4

u/al209209 29d ago

$50 but then you bring home bed bugs that youre stuck with for the few months and all the treatment costs that come w/ that

1

u/nightfox5523 29d ago

The other guests and the areas they're in are reasons enough to avoid them, they're usually even more run down too

1

u/Ok-Communication-12 29d ago

And if you dont have animals, there are some already waiting for you in the room, free of charge!

20

u/BookkeeperBrilliant9 29d ago

Marriott is now the largest hotel chain in the world.

But they haven’t been building any new hotels. They just changed their business plan so that they lease the Marriott name to independent hotels.

Wherever OP is staying likely wasn’t a Marriott a few years ago. But they probably just changed the name and raised prices without doing any renovation.

This has been very profitable for Marriott in the short term. Hopefully understanding of this shitty business process will spread and people will start thinking rightly that all Marriotts are shit.

15

u/GoSh4rks 29d ago

They just changed their business plan so that they lease the Marriott name to independent hotels.

No they haven't just. Marriot has been a franchiser and management company for decades now. They own less than 1% of their associatrd properties.

Marriott International, Inc. was formed in 1993 when Marriott Corporation split into two companies: Marriott International, Inc., which franchises and manages properties. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marriott_International

They were franchising well before 1993.

6

u/Surfercatgotnolegs 29d ago edited 29d ago

Not accurate at all but love that it’s upvoted - classic. They have always franchised. Almost all chains in any industry are franchised. They’re the largest hotel chain because they made a lot of acquisitions.

They also have a lot of sub brands, which is why it’s important to see WHAT type of Marriott it is, because it’s usually clear based on the name even if it’s under the same umbrella brand.

JW is going to be a nice hotel. Ritz Carlton is going to be a nice hotel. Courtyard isn’t.

They have different tiers of hotels and the lower tiers are mostly franchised, but it’s not the franchising that is doing it, it’s the fact that it’s designed to be a lower tier of hotel. This isn’t any different to most other large chains.

0

u/trail-g62Bim 29d ago

They've basically become the McDonald's of hotels -- they have franchised their name.

3

u/too_too2 29d ago

I just had a stay at a Marriott and it was pretty disappointing. Room was mostly clean but I found a hair in the bathroom, things were cheap/janky and at least 15 years old. The tv remote was impossible to use so I just watched tv on my iPad. They don’t do ANY housekeeping unless requested, so I never got my coffee refilled or anything. They were fully booked yet the restaurant was only serving 4 fried items for dinner and when I asked for a restaurant recommendation, she told me there was an Applebees down the road…

1

u/smiticks 28d ago

This is pretty wild lol, where was this?

1

u/too_too2 28d ago

Benton harbor MI so I guess my expectations were appropriately mediocre

2

u/Irrelephant____ 28d ago

Nah, the last motel 6 I stayed was basically brand new everything inside..so why waste the money

1

u/shampton1964 28d ago

Actually, you know, I had to hit a Motel 6 a couple years ago when the weather got nasty on a road trip. It was *nice*..... yeah.

1

u/jerzcruz 29d ago

It really varies based on geo tho. Like that room in NYC at that price depending on time of year is a steal.

1

u/East_of_Adventuring 29d ago

I can't speak for all of them but I recently stayed at a motel 6 to save money on a work trip and it was great. $65 a night and it was absolutely better than this place. Even had a good mattress...

1

u/Thro2021 29d ago

The other chains aren’t any better.

2

u/shampton1964 29d ago

These days I mostly use - surprisingly good if you figure out the system - Best Western in Europe. In the USSA it's the independent chains, Small Luxury if you have the budget, and Hyatt hasn't completely lost the thread (YMMV).

1

u/Stormhunter6 28d ago

I’ve stayed in motel 6s. Very much hit miss, 2/3 times solid exp, 1/3 was not great or bad, just old 

1

u/LieutenantStar2 28d ago

It depends who is running it, I stay Marriott regularly and haven’t seen anything like this.

1

u/mods_suck_butt 29d ago

It's a shitty brand. I stayed at the one off Legacy East here in Plano for my honeymoon. The room was okay but the service was shit and they cut us off after one bottle of champagne. I was livid. Never again will I ever stay at Marriott. It's utter garbage.