Reviewing the Boulder Marriott Hotel

Boulder Marriott Hotel

2660 Canyon Boulevard, Boulder, Colorado 80302

GRADING
Overall Score: B
Staff: B
Room: A
Amenities: A
Recommended?: Yes

Overall Impression: The Boulder Marriott Hotel is a newly renovated, boutique-style (smaller) hotel. This hotel offers more than a mid-tier hotel (Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Express), but not that much more for the cost. Customer service/staff help was mediocre at best.

The Hotel

Newly renovated in 2018, the Boulder Marriott Hotel in Boulder, Colorado, features a modern, yet rustic theme within the hotel. The lobby is nicely decorated with natural accents, but its smaller size reminded me of a mid-tier hotel. This is probably since there is no grandiose feeling, like when you walk into a Marriott hotel in larger cities. Because there is minimal natural light in the lobby, the space is darker and seems smaller. Other than the registration desk, most of the main floor is dedicated to the hotel’s restaurant and bar, Canyons. There is also an exclusive lounge for the top tier of Marriott Rewards customers in the lobby.

The front desk itself can be found in between the elevators and a small convenience store area. Overall, the hotel was mostly inviting and featured two kinds of fruit-infused water near the entrance. The staff was just friendly enough during registration, but it took a few minutes for someone to appear from behind the wall, where check-in is located. Being a Marriott hotel, I expected better customer service from the registration staff. In my few encounters with the staff at the front desk, I wasn’t thrilled and felt more like a bother to them than a guest.

Please note that the location of the Boulder Marriott Hotel is about a five minute drive from the famous Pearl Street Mall and the University of Colorado – Boulder campus. Walking to these common tourist areas would take about 25 minutes, so I recommend driving there. However, there are restaurants and shopping areas within walking distance of the hotel.

The Room

In general, I was pleased with the decor and quality of the room. The Boulder Marriott Hotel decorated their rooms with a modern, simple, and streamlined approach. Gone are the days of bulky furniture taking up space. This room featured the usual accommodations, with a large sofa and wheeled writing desk.

The bed and linens were comfortable, and there was ample bedside lighting. In addition, the Boulder Marriott Hotel renovated with engineered wood flooring and placed small area rugs next to both sides of the bed.

Across from the bed, there is a large tv, as well as a large desk/counter area to work at. Below the counter, there were wine glasses, an ice bucket, as well as a mini-fridge. There is an additional small counter area with a tiny coffee maker, with coffee and tea selections. The room also contains an iron and ironing board, bathroom robes, as well as a safe in the closet.

When I realized that the two wine glasses in the room were dirty, I called down to the front desk and asked for two new ones. It took about 15 minutes before anyone showed up at my door.  Upon receiving the new glasses, I realized that the new ones handed to us by an employee were also dirty.  Wouldn’t the staff know to check the new glasses they were bringing up to make sure those were clean???!!  Frustrated and disappointed, I resigned myself to pouring my wine into a plastic wrapped styrofoam coffee cup.

Our bathroom in the Boulder Marriott Hotel had a nice modern black and white theme. There was ample counter space, as well as the usual complementary toiletries and blowdryer. The shower featured a wall mounted shower head and a hand-held shower feature.

The only downside to the bathroom was the frosted glass sliding door. I don’t understand why decorators think a sliding door to a bathroom is a good idea, much less a frosted glass one. Sliding doors obviously save room and make the room appear bigger, but they are definitely not sound proof, something people like in bathrooms. Also, being a slider, there was no latch or lock on the door. In addition, the fact that you can see someone sitting on the toilet or getting changed makes it a terrible “door” (it’s more like a window). Thankfully, I was only here with my husband, but I can’t imagine staying here with my teenage children or another family. Talk about awkward.

Amenities

In addition to the on-site dining available at Canyons within the Boulder Marriott Hotel, there is a pool, a workout facility, and a business center. (I did not dine at the hotel restaurant so I cannot fairly review it.)

The pool at the Boulder Marriott Hotel is a bit on the smaller side, but adequate for the size of the hotel. There is no hot tub, but the hotel does provide poolside towels. The pool and surrounding area was kept clean and looked inviting.

Located close to the lobby, is the fitness room. Here, you’re provided with towels, fruit, water, and headphones. The workout area was much larger than I expected, after seeing the size of the pool. The fitness room contained four treadmills, a couple exercise bikes, a few elliptical machines, free weights, benches, and a cable machine. There was also a lot of open space for stretching, group exercise, etc. The room also has a television and disinfecting wipes for use.

Helpful Info

Here’s a little general information about the Boulder Marriott Hotel:

• The hotel has 5 floors
• Check-in is at 4 pm, check-out is at 12 pm
• Self parking is offered for $18 a day in an underground parking garage
• There are vending machines and a small convenience store located in the lobby
• Because there is a restaurant on-site, room service is available
• There is NO free breakfast; rates currently run from $14-$16 for breakfast
• The hotel is a short drive to the Pearl Street Mall, The University of Colorado – Boulder, and shopping. You can walk to some shopping and dining but driving to Pearl Street or the university is recommended.

Overall, we had a nice stay at the Boulder Marriott Hotel. The hotel provides basically everything you could need during your stay. The restaurant and bar are a nice addition to the hotel, and the fitness amenities are more than satisfactory. However, I would recommend that the hotel spend some time improving employee training and focusing on upgrading their current level of customer service.

Boulder is a beautiful city at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It’s definitely a place that shouldn’t be missed!

Happy Travels!

Julie