Jeddah Marriott Hotel Madinah Road

I’ve stayed here twice. The first time was ok, the second wasn’t good at all. The rooms are very nice; a great deal of space. If there was anything I’d change about the room, it’d be to make the desks in every room normal. My first room had a good desk. The second room had a curvy desk which didn’t really seem like a desk. The design of the hotel has a pretty big flaw in my opinion; the hotel has two towers and the only way to get to the other side of the hotel is to go down to the first floor or the mezzanine floor to cross over. This would be fine if there was a gym on both sides, but there isn’t. Many times I’d wake up in the morning and go to the gym. Breakfast starts early, so you’re walking through a dining space to go to and from the gym. If you choose to go down to the mezzanine floor to cross, it is no better. I’d rather not walk through a restaurant or a lobby on my way to or from the gym. Maybe that is just a personal preference, but I am very aware of my appearance when I am in a foreign country with different norms, especially when I am there for business. Out of respect I tend to always wear smart casual attire except for when I am in the gym (i.e. slacks and a shirt/polo). Not sure who thought that was a good idea during the design, but maybe a path to the gym that requires less than 6 staff members greeting you whilst you’re sweaty with gym clothes on. Next issue was the reception. I booked my room well in advance. My booking had some extras associated with it. I’m almost certain they removed all of them due to the busy period (they had some FIFA execs & referees staying in the hotel for the club World Cup), although I have no way to prove this. They charged my card only for me to realise that none of them were included. When I brought it up with the male and female at reception, they said there was nothing they could do. They offered a refund and told me I could try to rebook it on the app knowing full well that it’d be double the price if I tried to rebook it if there was any availability at all. I’d also have to wait 5-10 business days to see the refund and have the inconvenience of finding another place to stay after travelling. I thought that was an incredibly poor suggestion and didn’t make me feel welcomed at all. To make it worse, I had a few colleagues check-in a few days after me and they made the changes on the spot. I essentially felt trapped in a hotel I did not want to be in and I spent the last few days of my time in Jeddah in a different hotel which I won’t name so this review doesn’t get written off as a promotion for another place. The location isn’t really great, but it does depend on what you are there to accomplish. If you’re there travelling between many spots, the highway is right there and it is in a central location for anywhere you want to go. If you want to go for a nicer area, there are some good options with a sea view that’d suit a family looking for a slower paced environment. There are not many options for walking where this hotel is located, which is why I believe the hotel is better suited for someone there who is driving to a few spots and needs to be more central. I’ll end with a positive. The breakfast there is actually very good. The staff at the restaurant are great (which is why I gave 2 stars instead of 1 for service). The lounge is also very nice. More spacious with a good amount of private rooms for meetings and phone calls. The glass doors do a good job at concealing the sound when closed. The breakfast and the lounge is what made me go back to this hotel for a second visit, but I had neither for my second visit and felt like I was told to put up with it or leave. It must be noted that I was more than happy to pay more for both additions. I’m sure they’ll treat other people better (considering they did it almost a day after I had the same issue). Maybe I’ve stayed about 30 nights in Marriott hotels, just in November and December alone, and the nights spent here during my second visit were by far the worst.