Joplin, Missouri / Residence Inn

September 2013, Weekday, 2-nights, King 1-bedroom #431

Status perks and check-in

I arrived at the Joplin Residence Inn shortly after 2 p.m. I was able to check-in, and I received the standard Platinum bonus points.

Guestroom 431

This guestroom is located on the top floor near the end of the hall. It was a basic extended stay guestroom with plenty of room. It included a kitchen area, work and living area, bedroom, and bathroom. Appliances and dishes were included with the furnishings, and coffee, tea, and microwave popcorn were provided. Appliances that are not visible in the photos are a microwave and stovetop. This guestroom did not have an oven, as is shown in some guestroom photos on the Marriott web page.

Guestroom 431

The guestroom was not well maintained, and it was not very clean. It smelled as bad as the Mishawaka, Indiana Residence Inn I had stayed in a few weeks prior to this stay, except the odor was different. This guestroom smelled dusty and dirty. The carpet and furnishings were all old, and the guestroom smelled like none of the furnishings had been cleaned or shampooed in years. Or, maybe they had never been cleaned! 

Guestroom 431

I dialed zero from the guestroom telephone, and the front desk. I asked if housekeeping had Febreeze or odor remover they could come and spray. Several minutes later, the front desk agent called me back to say that housekeeping was not in the building, so it would be awhile. Several minutes after this, there was a knock on the guestroom door. The staff member who entered the room with a spray bottle appeared to be someone from engineering. He agreed that the room smelled stagnant. He sprayed the guestroom thoroughly, opened all the windows and doors, and offered further assistance. He was very helpful; however, after the spray scent wore off, the guestroom odor had not subsided.

Other cleanliness and maintenance issues with the guestroom included: small bits of debris on the floor that had been missed, a buildup of dust in the corners and along the edges of the walls, hairs that had been missed, the tub drain was clogged, and the coffeemaker looked old. I called about the tub drain before I went out the first morning. When I returned, I did not see any evidence that staff had been in the guestroom (other than housekeeping); however, the drain had been cleared. The coffemaker worked; however, I am pretty sure that the quality did not meet Marriott standards. I have been in a Marriott hotel before when staff members were touching up the char marks on the guestroom coffeemakers because this is a Marriott standard--or, so I was told by that employee.

I have included photos of some of the guestroom cleanliness problems, as well as some basic photos of the guestroom to provide a clear view of how the guestroom was setup. 

Coffeepot base

The desk in the guestroom provided sufficient space for working; however, the Intenet connection speed in the guestroom was extremely slow. I used the ethernet cable provided on the desk, and it was not any faster than the wireless connection speed.

closet floor

hair on the shower wall that washed down after I turned the shower on

hair in bathroom sink

Food & Beverage

I thought the food provided both evenings was very good. Food items the first night included enchiladas, refried beans, nachos, and several toppings, such as cheese, sour cream, olives, and tomatoes. Wine and beer was served, although I do not know what brand. The red wine was kind of sweet, although it was acceptable for one glass. Food the second evening included burgers on the grill,  assorted burger toppings, potato and macaroni salad, tossed salad, and cookies.

Breakfast items included scrambled eggs, hard boiled eggs, cereal, yogurt, breads, a waffle maker, milk, juices, and hot beverages. I am sure there were additional food items that I do not recall. I have only listed the items that I recall with certainty, because I did not write everything down while I was there.

Business center

I tried to use the lobby computer to print something off the Internet, and did not succeed. I gave up after several minutes, because the Internet connection speed on the lobby computer was worse than what I experienced in the guestroom.

Fitness center

The fitness center was adequate, and I did not have any trouble getting a treadmill either morning. My key did not work the first morning, and I had to get an employee from the front desk to let me in. She made a comment about something being wrong, because she had to let everyone in that morning. The second morning, my key worked fine.

Misc. and overall

The outside sitting area by the BBQ grill was nice. It looked clean and well maintained. Most of the inside of this hotel was in the same condition as my guestroom. The carpet in the halls, stairways, and elevator, was stained, unclean, and in poor condition. This is a photo of the elevator floor.

I thought this looked like a decent Residence Inn before my stay; however, in hindsight, I wished I had chosen the Homewood Suites instead. I had been trying to get more Marriott points for a vacation we have this winter, which must have been why I chose the Residence Inn this time. In the future, I think I will try not to let the points factor influence my hotel choice as much!

elevator floor