Stow, Ohio: Courtyard by Marriott Akron Stow - near Cuyahoga National Park

May 2022, weekend, one night, king balcony guestroom 412

View from king guestroom 412 in Courtyard Marriott in Stow, Ohio

Arrival and gold perks

The entrance at this hotel was a bit scary/nasty when we arrived, and I should have taken a photo. The trashcan was filthy and full. The entrance mat was incredibly dirty/covered with debris. I had checked in via the app, and did not receive notification that my room was ready before we arrived after check-in time Sunday evening. The agent appeared to be assigning the guestroom after I gave him my name. He did not say anything, so when it looked like he was about ready to code the key, I asked him if he was giving us a room on the top floor, and if we could have an upgrade to a room with a balcony. He said a balcony room is not an upgrade, and that this could be requested. Odd, that there is no way to choose a balcony room when making the reservation. He then assigned us an odd numbered room with a balcony on the top floor. It was not the end room, and I do not recall for sure if it was 403 or 405.

Above: View from king guestroom 412 in Courtyard Marriott in Stow, Ohio
Below: Guestroom diagram on back of the door in king guestroom 412 

Guestroom 403 or 405, and 412

Odd numbered rooms in this hotel are on the expressway side of the hotel, and the sliding glass doors are not very soundproof. It was very noisy in the odd-numbered guestroom that we entered, first. I called the front desk agent from the phone in the guestroom to ask if there was a room available on the other side of the building. He checked, and then said he would meet us at room 412. It was great that we did not need to go back down the elevator to get new keys; however, I did not understand why we had not been assigned a guestroom on the obviously better side of the building to begin with. One thing I have loved about Marriotts during my years of travel, is that they usually assign elite members guestrooms in preferred locations. Not only are the even numbered rooms better because of the traffic noise; they also have a better view. Both guestrooms we were assigned had connecting room doors.

Guestroom 412 in Courtyard Marriott in Stow, Ohio
Connecting room door on left

Guestroom 412 was spacious and comfortable. It contained a curved sofa, king size bed, spacious work area, small fridge, and microwave. The two chairs and small table on the balcony looked clean, and the seating was comfortable. There was a screen in the balcony doorway, so we were able to sleep with the door open to the fresh air.

Guestroom 412 in Courtyard Marriott in Stow, Ohio
Hairs and dirt on desk chair below

Although the second guestroom had a few minor areas of neglect, it was a definite improvement over the first guestroom. Thankfully, the bed was comfortable and clean. The floors and furnishings in the guestroom were not in the best condition, nor were they as clean as expected. I had to wash the seat of the desk chair before I used it.

Guestroom 412 in Courtyard Marriott in Stow, Ohio

One of the tiles in the bathroom was loose, and it moved if we stepped on it when entering the bathroom.

It appeared that the guests in the two guestrooms across the hall from us were local, as there was a lot of traffic in and out of both guestrooms at all hours of the day and night. We ended up leaving this hotel at 5:30 AM, because I never got back to sleep, after I was woken up around 1:30 AM.

Courtyard by Marriott in Stow, Ohio

Recreation, dining, misc.

There is a nice seating area outside at this hotel next to the inside pool. The hot tub in the hotel was closed. I do not know if it was closed for maintenance, or if they are planning to fill it in, like we have recently seen in some hotels.

Brewbaker's Chicken appetizer at Brewbaker's Pub in Stow, Ohio

The restaurant/bar in the Courtyard was not open for dine-in or takeout on the night of our stay. The only casual dining restaurant close to the hotel was an Irish pub (Brewbaker's). There were also two fast-food restaurants (Skyline Chili and McDonalds) near the pub, and a casual Mexican restaurant (Los Girasoles) across Steels Corners Road. We chose the Irish pub because there was not a sidewalk to the Mexican restaurant after crossing Steels Corner Road. The other restaurants shown on google maps were not open during our stay. The food at Brewbaker's Pub was okay. We shared the Mile-High Reuben and their speciality chicken bites. There was not anything actually wrong with the food, although we expected a better Reuben from an Irish pub. 

This hotel it is in a good location near Ledges Trail in Cuyahoga National Park, which we visited before arriving. There are a few other hotels in this same area: Home2Suites by Hilton, Fairfield Inn, and Staybridge Suites. The Staybridge Suites looked nice online; however, there were not any rooms available when I made our reservation. I chose Marriott Courtyard because they are often nicer than Fairfield, and they usually have better rates on weekends.

I will info about the National Park soon! Let me know if you have any questions.