Florida: Jacksonville Airport Residence Inn

 January 2023, weekend, one-night

We chose this property for a couple of reasons: the hotel has units with two bedrooms and a full kitchen, and hotel cleanliness and elite member service is usually better at Marriott properties. Our experience at this hotel fell short in a few areas.

Arrival and check-in

When I made our reservation, and when I checked in online the day before, I chose 1:00 PM for our check-in time. Usually when I do this at a Marriott property, I receive a text via the app telling me when our room is ready. This has always been before my requested check-in time, so I was surprised when I did not receive any communication from this hotel. Our room had not yet been assigned when we arrived at 2:45 PM. The front desk agent assigned us guestroom 211, and we proceeded to the room. She had recognized my gold status, although we did not receive any extra perks.

Guestroom 211 at Residence Inn Jacksonville airport

Guestroom 211, 2 bedrooms   

The layout of this guestroom was as expected; however, that was about the only thing we liked about this room. The room did not smell fresh when we first entered. After checking both beds to ensure that they were clean, we decided to settle in and make the best of it.

Some of the grime and filth in guestroom 211 at Residence Inn Jacksonville airport

A few hours later, we wished we had asked for a different room, because things progressively declined. The sofa was stained and uncomfortable, we observed filth around the vent above the fireplace and on the ceiling above, and there was a large stain splatter on one of the bedroom walls.

Larger bathroom in guestroom 211 at Residence Inn Jacksonville airport

Both bathrooms functioned properly. They were both similar, although one bathroom was larger than the other. The photo above is the larger bathroom located to the right when entering the suite.

After I loaded the dishwasher with a few cups of our own, and some dishes from the room, I discovered the dishwasher did not work. I called the front desk, and an engineer came up to look at it. He could not fix it, so he asked if we wanted another room. Since we had already unpacked, we politely declined. Later that evening, after we had all changed into our lounging clothes, we decided we wanted a snack. That is when we discovered the microwave was not working either. We checked the reset switch, and my husband located the control panel in the suite. A breaker was popped; however, neither of these appliances ran after we checked and reset the switches. I called the front desk to make them aware of the problems with the guestroom. 

When I checked out the next day, I asked to speak with the manager, as I wanted an adjustment to our rate because of the guestroom quality. We had paid over $200 for this room type because we wanted to be able to use the kitchen, and we wanted the extra room. I had been hoping for a $50 adjustment, and the adjustment by the clerk, without having to get the manager, was close to that.

Food and beverages

Breakfast the next morning was just as dismal as the guestroom cleanliness and quality. The food was not fresh, and hot foods were not hot. I tasted the milk I had grabbed without looking at the expiration date. That was a huge mistake, because it was spoiled--the date was two days past the expiration date.

Photo from hotel website Residence Inn Jacksonville airport

Misc. and overall

As someone else wrote in their review, "Not what I would expect from a Marriott Property." I totally agree, and I would not stay in this hotel again. It is one of the worst Marriott properties I have ever stayed in. The photos on the website must be several years old, as the online photos look rather nice. The pool area photo on the website (shown above) shows a whirlpool tub, and there is no whirlpool tub at this property.

Let me know if you have any questions!