A grand entrance to a 4 star hotel
Written: Jan 16 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: magnificent lobby, friendly and courteous staff, good food and services offered.
Cons: None.
The Bottom Line: The location on the Riverwalk, its proximity to the mall and other local attractions, makes it worth it to stay there and, you do get 4 star treatment.
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| maceyr's Full Review: Marriott San Antonio Rivercenter |
The Marriott Rivercenter Hotel, located in downtown San Antonio, according to me, has the nicest looking hotel lobby, well, compared to the Hilton and Hyatt. After being greeted by the doorman who graciously opened and helped with my luggage, I stepped inside the hotel, not knowing what to expect. Stepping inside, my eyes were captured and ravished by the dazzling sights of the chandeliers and the size of the lobby. In front of me were sets of sofas and chairs that greet the weary traveler and visitors. On the left was a coffee stand. On the right were two desks where the hotel's concierge and service reps stood behind, ready to greet and help. Behind them were the two sets of elevators to the rooms as well as a shoe polishing attendant and an on-site Hertz rent a car booth. Further off on the right was a long row of the hotel's front desk. I sat down on one of the chairs in front of me while my husband went off to check in and looked further off on the left to discover the hotel's lounge, almost hidden behind a set of escalators to the next floor, which contained the hotel's three restaurants; one Japanese sushi restaurant (Hanatei Sushi Bar), one casual dining restaurant (Garden Cafe) and a steakhouse restaurant (JW Steakhouse). The hotel's gift shop was also located on this floor, right by the elevators, near the Hanatei Sushi Bar. If I continued onward, I would be led down an escalator to the infamous Riverwalk and the beautiful floating boats which traversed along the man made canal known as the Riverwalk. But, from the chairs, if I were to take the escalator up to the next floor where all the restaurants were, I could head towards the three floored Rivercenter Mall. The next floor is the first of two convention floors where special conventions and banquets are held. During my stay, there were quite a number of conventions held at the hotel that I've noticed while dining at the hotel's restaurant, the Garden Cafe.
I've visited the lobby of the Hilton, the Hyatt and the Marriott Riverwalk and found them to be much smaller and not as grand or as breathtaking as the Marriott Rivercenter. The Hilton was very small and cramped and didn't much present much to see. The lobby of the Hyatt had an almost tropical feel with a glass elevator and water fountains but it wasn't as spectacular as the Marriott Rivercenter. And as for the Marriott Riverwalk, it was just as cramped and bland as the Hilton. But, to give them credit, the Rivercenter was much newer compared to these hotels. But then, since I've never stayed at those hotels, I couldn't really fairly compare. But then, I once foolishly tried the Riverwalk level restaurant of the Hilton and found it to be one of my worst dining(?) experience. The burger I ordered was burnt, cold and very untasty. The server didn't bother to acknowledge us in the beginning to take our order and didn't bother to ask us about the meal. After trying so hard to get his attention to get the bill, I ended up tracking him down and demanded my check. Even with such an experience, I did leave a buck in tip, although I felt like I should have left a penny. I was starting to feel that Hilton was clinging desperately to its former glory as I've encountered a few negative experiences with Hilton. Maybe I wasn't lucky with Hilton but it did seem like they are deteriorating in service. Enough about the Hilton, back to the Marriott.
Our room was located on the 21st floor, the first set of doors by the elevator. I couldn't remember our room number. The key to the door was via the insertion of a magnetic strip card, typical of most hotels nowadays. Directly at the other end of the room was window with our view of the city. The view we got overlooked the Rivercenter mall directly ahead; the Convention Center and the Marriott Riverwalk hotel were on the left, just across Commerce & Market Street; the Hilton and the downtown skyline. It was a pretty view, regardless of the the time of day. Back at the door, the bathroom consisting of the bathtub and toilet were on our left. Outside the bathroom was the sink stocked with the usual amenities such as lotion, Neutrogena shampoo and conditioner, facial soap, and hand soap. Directly across from the sink and mirror was a set of full length mirrored closet. We got a set of queen sized beds separated by a night table. There was a 4 drawer chest which also supported the cable TV with in room pay movies and video game consoles. The room was supplied with the usual AM/FM radio alarm clock; speakerphone telephone with data port, message light indicator and voice mail; complimentary in room coffee and tea (English breakfast & Lemon herb); iron and ironing board. The room was also supplied with a high speed internet modem, but, of course at a price. Every morning, a complimentary copy of the USA Today was delivered to our door, slipped right underneath the door. That was a nice touch, getting the paper without having to open the door.
The complimentary in room coffee, was not the usual filter pack made by Nescafe or what whatever brand you usually get from hotels. It was made by the Gourmet Bean from Washington DC. And, compared to the usual fare, was a much better and tastier coffee than the generic stuff I usually got. The taste was a little bit stronger (but certainly not like Starbucks) and more distinctive. According to the package, it says that it's made from 100% Arabica coffee, producing a rich and dark brew with a smooth taste. After trying that, I'd much prefer this than the usual fare. But of course, it wasn't not Starbucks. But then, I couldn't complain since it was free. By the way, there was a Starbucks on the lower floor of the Rivercenter mall, right by the food court.
The only restaurant I went to at the hotel was the Garden Cafe so I can only comment on that. Surprisingly, the restaurant at any one time, didn't seem too busy or crowded, considering its location by the Riverwalk. Maybe most of the people dined at the numerous restaurants along the Riverwalk. I can't blame them, the Riverwalk was quite beautiful and romantic. There was a wide variety of restaurants to choose from at the Riverwalk and from what I've tried, they were pretty good. Maybe it could also be because it was post September 11th, which most likely devastated the entire tourism industry of the world. This trip to San Antonio was originally scheduled the weekend after 9/11 and had to be cancelled and rescheduled in December. My thoughts go out to the families and friends of the victims of the tragedy. Enough on that. Back to the Marriott.
I've dined at the Garden Cafe for breakfast, lunch and dinner. My best experience was with lunch, when I tried their lunch buffet, which consisted of the usual hot plate items and desserts. The one thing I really liked about the buffet was that there was an attendant at the center of the restaurant who would serve up a tasty pasta dish. I had a choice of tortellini, rigatoni, and some other pasta choice. I could choose between the type of meat, the vegetables, the pasta sauce and other assortment of food in my dish and delight in the sight and smell of the cooking. It looked and tasted delicious.
For breakfast, I once tried a Texan styled french toast made with a crunchy crust of corn flakes. It was good and interesting. The orange juice served restaurant was freshly squeezed. As I was allergic to the orange rinds, I could tell that it was freshly squeezed and had to give it to my husband to drink. Coffee was served in a carafe, to keep it hot and allowed me to refill my mug without waiting for the server.
Dinner, the one time I tried (the other nights were all spent at the Riverwalk), was the first night that we arrived in San Antonio. It was late and we were tired. The buffett at that time was closed. Being tired, I really couldn't be very objective in my evaluation of my meal so I wouldn't go any further.
The health club area (I couldn't remember which floor) had a room of exercise equipment such as stairmaster, treadmill, as well as some free weights and floor mats. There was a whirlpool located at the far left corner. The indoor pool was a fair size which looked like it led to the outdoor pool. I visited the area in the evening and at that time, there was a partition blocking the pool extension to the outside. There was a sauna was located in the ladies' changing room so I'm sure that there was another one in the men's changing room.
The hotel has 38 floors with 915 rooms and 86 suites. Services provided by the hotel include 24 hour room service, laundry valet, shoe shine, full business center, secretarial services, safety deposit box at front desk, Hertz rental car desk, hotel valet parking, concierge, child care services. Like most hotels, usual daily use amenities such as toothpaste, combs, are available but you must contact the front desk. Baby cribs are also available. Pets are allowed at the hotel but the hotel may charge a fee.
Check in time is 4:00 pm and check out is 12:00pm. The hotel also has an express check in and check out available. Like most hotels, you can quickly check on the status of your hotel bill via the TV's onscreen menu as well as taking advantage of the express check out service also via the TV menu.
Attractions and areas nearby include the infamous Riverwalk, a man made shallow canal that loops around the downtown area with a pedestrian walk, located just at the foot of the hotel; Rivercenter Mall containing an IMAX theater, also located at the foot of the hotel; the Alamo, a former church and fort with an interesting history located just right next to the Rivercenter mall; Convention Center and Hemisfair (part of the former 1968 World Fair), located half a block away; El Mercado (Market Square), showcasing handmade Mexican goods, located 8 miles away; San Antonio Zoo, located 3 miles away; Sea World, located 18 miles away; Fiesta Texas Theme park, located 20 miles away.
The Marriott Rivercenter hotel wasn't a magnificent hotel, but it was sure worth the AAA 4 stars. It didn't excel in any one area but it didn't fail in any either. The staff were friendly, courteous, and helpful. The food was good. The room was relatively clean, comfortable and of a decent size. I didn't encounter anything negative with my experience so I would recommend the Marriott Rivercenter hotel as a choice for a hotel in the San Antonio downtown area. Its prime location at the Riverwalk, its proximity to local attractions and level of service provided were some of the reasons for my recommendation.
Although it still couldn't compare to the Tampa Bay Hyatt Regency Westshore, the Marriott Rivercenter was up there in service. I guess I was spoiled with the Hyatt Regency Westshore, which was really, a resort hotel. To read that review, here's the url:
http://www.epinions.com/lodg-review-1EA8-1C75BFF0-3A0640AD-prod5
Thank you as always for taking the time to read and rate my review.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
maceyr
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Location: Canada
Reviews written: 129
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I hardly have time for Epinions anymore but do try to read and rate.
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