Residence Inn by Marriott Charleston Summerville

I want to give a sincere shout out to the staff at the Residence Inn in Summerville for making a challenging stay more comfortable. I had a reservation at the Residence Inn from May 26 to 30, a property where I have stayed many times over the years. Unlike most of my visits, I arrived later in the evening and parked my rental car in the lot. Unfortunately, the hotel now charges for parking, which many Marriott properties have done for years. Thankfully, the rate at this location is much cheaper than any other Marriott property I have seen that charges for parking. To register your vehicle, you must scan a code in the parking lot and enter your vehicle and credit card information. This takes a few minutes, which leaves guests vulnerable while standing outside. As I was trying to register, two young men approached me and aggressively tried to get me to ‘donate’ money to their cause, which I refused. After they finally moved on, I finished registering my vehicle, but I did not feel comfortable leaving it where they had seen me get out of it. I was concerned they might return and vandalize the car because I did not give them any money. I moved the rental car to the front of the hotel and parked near the entrance. Still shaken from the encounter, I told the front desk clerk what had happened. She was extremely kind and offered to comp my parking for the duration of my stay, which I greatly appreciated. The next morning, I had lost track of where I parked the vehicle because I had moved it a couple of times while looking for a secure space. I thought the car had been stolen, so I reported it to the front desk. The staff took my concern very seriously and immediately began searching for it. The maintenance man, whom I have seen many times over the years at this property, asked for my keys so he could check the lot. Within a few minutes, he located the car, and my concerns were quickly alleviated. I apologized for the confusion, but the staff was simply relieved they had resolved the issue. Their attitude and professionalism were outstanding. I continued my stay, but after a couple of days, the air-conditioning in my room stopped cooling, and the room became extremely uncomfortable. The same maintenance man who helped me locate my rental car came to troubleshoot the issue. He determined that the unit could not be repaired immediately, so he arranged for me to move to a different room, brought the new keys to me, and helped me move all my belongings. He went well above and beyond anything I would have expected. Although my stay came with a few surprises, the wonderful staff at the Residence Inn Summerville demonstrated what exceptional customer service looks like, and I am profoundly grateful for their efforts. In the future, I would recommend that the hotel consider adding some type of security monitoring in the parking area, because the time required to register a vehicle at night creates a vulnerability and a safety concern that could be reduced with additional oversight.

I wanted to like this hotel, as it was clean, the staff seemed friendly, and the location is walking distance to restaurants. I also have pretty low standards for hotels. However, the following issues will eliminate this rather expensive hotel from consideration in our future (and frequent) Summerville visits: * "New" parking fee to pay for parking in a parking LOT, not a parking GARAGE. Further, the parking is NOT valet, and the lot serves only the hotel. Yes, you read all of that right. Also, it's a parking lot in Summerville, not Charleston. It's not like the lot can be used for anything other than the hotel. * They regulate room temperatures by cutting off the air conditioning at night. Our agency accounted for about 10 rooms in the hotel, ALL of us experienced this problem. ALL of us had major sleep disruptions as the temperature in the room climbed to levels that made sleep impossible. Everyone complained of sweat-soaked sheets and pillows beginning at 2-3 AM. * Many guests checking in experienced major delays. One of our elderly party members could not check in until nearly 7 PM. The hotel offered a $25 discount, which she accepted, but upon checkout, the $25 credit was not on the invoice. She inquired and the desk worker said they knew nothing about it and that there is no evidence that credit was ever offered. * So, not only did that particular elderly customer NOT receive the $25 CREDIT, she DID incur a $28 CHARGE listed as an "Accounting Adjustment" with no further explanation. I contacted the hotel and they agreed to reverse the $28 and apply the $25 credit; however, a guest should not have to call after a trip to reconcile incorrect charges amid the other issues noted above. I am encouraging the other guests in our party to also one-star this hotel to help future travelers. Dang, and I wanted to love this place as we travel to Summerville frequently.....

We’ve stayed at this Marriott location for years because we have family nearby. It’s always felt like a mini apartment, a home away from home. Until this last visit. We paid over $260 for the room, plus parking at the hotel we were already staying in. For that kind of money, basic cleanliness and upkeep shouldn’t be a gamble. Three out of four washcloths in the bathroom were either dirty or stained with black and brown spots. The pull-out bed had sheets that were way too small, like twin sheets stretched for a queen. The towel bar by the sink was barely hanging on, the shower tray was loose, and when we stepped into the elevator we almost wiped out because the floor had just been mopped with no caution sign in sight. I brought all of this to the front desk. The woman I spoke to looked at me like I was inconveniencing her and asked if I wanted money off the room. That wasn’t the point. I said no and explained that this wasn’t up to Marriott standards and it needed to be addressed. She just stared at me. No apology. No concern. Didn’t even ask if we were okay after nearly slipping in the elevator. If that’s how issues are handled now, maybe it’s time for my family to stay somewhere else. If we’re going to get subpar service and run-down rooms, we might as well pay less for it.

Arrived after 4pm to learn our room was not yet ready. When we were later assigned a room, we were disappointed to find broken furniture, large stains on bedding/furniture/carpet, pervasive odors (animal urine and cigarette smoke) and overall lack of cleanliness. We stayed for five nights/six days, and housekeeping staff did not service our room until Day Five (after we finally submitted a formal complaint). When they did come, they only replaced towels (did not make beds or wipe down sinks/surfaces, etc). Breakfast was another source of disappointment, as items/foods were rarely replenished and facilities were visibly dirty. When I asked if there were any forks available (as they weren’t stocked), the answer I received was, “Yeah, that’s on my list along with the 14 other things I’m currently doing.” Overall, a disappointing experience for me, my husband, and our three small children.

6/10 service. 4/10 Housekeeping & maintenance. Nice enough for one overnight stay with kids. The queen sofa bed suite room was spacious but needs some work (pics). A light that didn’t work. Empty body wash container. Mold and a broken rack in the shower. Torn up carpet. Got the sense no one really cared. Free breakfast.