I finally located the pillows airlines used to provide...
Stayed here New Year's Eve as part of a group of firefighters. Seemed like a good idea at the time. Nice location depending on whether you enjoy constant fire and police alarms, unending din of a foghorn, and last night, of course, loud music from a boat offshore until 2:30 a.m. making the hotel seem like a hostage hostel. Why is that Marriott's problem? Because the glass panes are so cheap that you can hear everything from outside. That and the thinness of the walls allows you to hear your neighbors grunts and groans without needing an imagination. And as to the pillows: your king sized bed comes with three huge blocks of foam covered with cheesecloth, suitable for a floatiation device, along with four pillows smaller than those which used to be found in most US carrier's business class seats, certainly no bigger and far less comfortable. They might even be disposable, sort of like Depends for the bedroom. The notion of a standard-sized pillow is but a memory. And don't bother calling for anything else. Then there is the matter of towels and bath amenities: the towels are cheap and there are no amenities. Cheap soap and shampoo and that's it. You can order robes which might come in an hour or so. Asking for a room upgrade is a waste of time since the opposite tower is closed which is where I was told those choice rooms sat vacant. Why? They're old, just like the ones in the tower open to the public. How old? Your room comes with a neatly camouflaged plunger since the plumbing in the place is falling apart, the water pressure about as vibrant as a 80 year old man's prostate and the soap offered might be fairly mistaken for a large Chicklet. With a price of over 200.00 a night on average it's an absolute ripoff. With so many wonderful boutique hotels nearby in the Gaslight and Little Italy at far less cost, down the street to the far better Hilton and Hyatt for about the same price, or at Harbor Island's Sheraton and Hilton, this dump would be the last choice I would recommend to a friend and maybe not even to an enemy. Of, and the outsourced valet drones make arrival seem like the beginning of a long nightmare. All things Marriott...you pay far too much for so little unless you relish a great helping of aggravation for your time and money.