By Rebekah Sherman
With various hotels for you, your friends, or out-of-state family members to choose to stay at in Springfield, it may be hard to decide which hotel to stay at. One elite hotel you might consider staying at is the Marriott hotel in downtown Springfield, which offers excellent service with kind, helpful employees. In my experience, the Marriott Hotel gives off formal, elegant vibes and is great for people who desire a luxurious, modern, and technologically advanced vacation, as a contrast with the cozy comforts of home. Overall, I rate my experience at the Marriott Hotel as eight out of ten.
The Marriott Hotel is a three-star hotel with a 4.0 Google reviews rating. The hotel is situated in Tower Square in downtown Springfield, and the address is 2 Boland Way, Springfield. The Marriott hotel is only 4.3 miles away from Western New England University and is approximately a fifteen-minute drive by Wilbraham Road and State Street. The Marriott Hotel has a smoke-free policy, and pets are not allowed. There is on-site parking in the Tower Square Parking Garage on Level C for the Marriott hotel guests, and there is a twenty-dollar parking fee per day. The check-in time is 4:00 PM, and the check-out time is 11:00 AM.
The standard rates for a guest room with a king-sized bed include a flexible rate of $180 per night or a member rate of $176 per night, counting taxes and fees. The standard rates for a guest room with two queen-sized beds include a flexible rate of $180 per night or a member rate flexible of $176 per night, counting taxes and fees. Standard rates for a guest room with M Club Lounge access and a king-sized bed include a flexible rate of $237 and a member rate flexible of $232, counting taxes and fees. Standard rates for a guest room with M Club Lounge access with two queen-sized beds include a flexible rate of $237 per night or a member rate flexible of $232 per night, counting taxes and fees.
The Marriott Hotel guest parking is located in the Tower Square parking garage and may be overlooked by people who are unfamiliar with Tower Square. For an easier experience, take a left on Boland Way coming from Main Street, then take a right on East Columbus Ave. Immediately after taking the right on East Columbus Ave, there is a “Public Parking” sign on the right leading to the entrance of the parking garage. In my experience with my family, we missed the parking garage entrance and needed to call a hotel employee for specific directions. Although we encountered some difficulties at the beginning of our stay at the Marriott Hotel, we discovered that the hotel employees were exceptionally kind and helpful, as the lady on the phone helped to direct us to the hotel parking garage entrance. Also, there were plenty of parking spots near the hotel entrance in the hotel parking garage on Level C.
Although my family had some challenges getting to our hotel room, the hotel staff’s kindness and helpfulness shone throughout our experience. Using the hotel elevator to retrieve our hotel guest card keys was an easier experience than trying to get to the correct floor. Without a Marriott hotel access key, people using the hotel elevator are allowed access to the hotel’s lobby and lower levels but are prohibited from access to the guest room floor levels seven through fourteen. I personally liked learning about the restrictions because I feel that they provide protection for hotel guests. After retrieving the guest card keys, the elevator brought my mother to the wrong floor a couple of times before bringing her to the correct floor. In order for the elevator to move and bring you to the correct floor, you need to swipe at the pad on the elevator wall with your access card key before pushing your desired floor button. A green light on the access pad will shine, letting you know that your key card works.
Additionally, when we tried to use the access card key to enter our guest room, we were denied, and a small yellow or red light appeared next to the access pad. However, with a simple call, using the phone attached to the wall near the elevator, a polite and friendly employee immediately came to our aid. The employee told me the reason why the access card key was denied was because the lock on the inside of the guest room door was in an incorrect position. The employee told me that the lock must face up-and-down or exactly horizontal and not at an angle or the door would not open when I swiped the access pad with my key card. Not only did the employee ensure that the problem was fixed, but he also offered to carry my bags, which I appreciated. Another employee went out of his way to show my family where the common bathrooms and fitness center were located, which was and is on the sixth floor. The sixth floor is also where the pool is located. Furthermore, the lobby staff were helpful and answered our questions concerning breakfast.
The Marriott hotel guest rooms are satisfactory based on size, sanitariness, and quality. My family and I stayed in a guest room that contained two queen-sized beds and was square-shaped with a stunning view of the sky and the Connecticut River (along with portions of the Interstate 91 Highway). My family and I arrived at sunset, and the first thing I noticed about the room was the large window, which revealed a spectacular view. The beds were comfortable because of the soft white pillows, sheets, and blankets. There were four pillows on each bed. The room décor was modern, and the brighter lights added to the “elite” vibe.
One of my critiques of the hotel room was the noise levels from the nearby train and highway, which made sleeping difficult. However, for people who are accustomed to train noise and car noise, they may find the noise calming. Although for others, the noise might be intolerable because of the frequent whistles from the train, which sounded multiple times throughout the night. Also, having 30-decimal reducing earmuffs may help block out the noise, which I used. The noise levels from other guests were low to none except during the breakfast hours when guests left their rooms; guests made low to moderate noise during breakfast hours.
Another critique I have is that the Marriott Hotel does not provide a continental breakfast. Instead, on the lobby floor, there is a restaurant where guests may order and pay separately for breakfast meals. The restaurant is elegant and gives off formal vibes. If you are willing to wait in line for a custom breakfast order and enjoy the luxurious experience of dining in for breakfast, the restaurant is perfect for you. You might even consider dressing up for the occasion, as the majority of guests I saw in the lobby were wearing suits and business attire, undoubtedly staying at the hotel on a business trip. However, if you prefer a more casual and faster breakfast option as my family did, you might consider briefly exiting the hotel and ordering breakfast-to-go at Dunkin’ Donuts or stopping at Big Y, which is also located in Tower Square. Personally, I liked that the hotel is in Tower Square and that there are other food options within walking distance besides the hotel restaurant.
The last minor critique I had concerning the hotel room was that the trash containers did not come with trash bags, which I thought was unusual. However, the hotel room itself was spotless and clean, and I liked that the hotel room provided a small recycling container along with the trash bin.
If you and your friends want a quick weekend getaway or your family wants to visit you at Western New England University and needs a place to stay, you might consider booking a guest room(s) at the Marriott Hotel for an elite hotel experience. Again, I rate my experience at the Marriott Hotel as eight out of ten.
If you would like to book a stay at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Springfield, the phone number is 1 (413) 781-7111.
