Note that this property is no longer a Marriott and is now the snappily titled Holiday Inn Rotherham Sheffield M1 J33.

The website says the rooms were refurbished in 2006 but this is not true - they were the same as my last stay in 2005 (see older reviews) except for the bed, which felt new. This time we had an Executive Room (upgraded as Priority Club Platinum) and these are recommended - they are huge. I reckon they are 50-60 square metres - you get 2 double beds, a dining table with 4 chairs, a sofa with 2 lounge chairs and a coffee table! Add in the other Exec Room benefits (free water, free orange juice, free chocolate bar, free newspaper, robe and slippers) and the small extra cost is worthwhile.

Despite the rooms not being refurbed (yet), this remains a good property - in particular the superb fitness facilities which are heavily used by the locals who pay for membership. It is also easy to find, just 1 minute from J33 of the M1.

Stayed in this hotel just last weekend for one night in order to break up a long drive. The staff gave a friendly welcome and the hotel generally seemed in good decorative order. The room was also good quality and was very clean. The bed was massive and very comfortable!
This hotel is very close to the M1 and about a 5-10 minute drive to Meadowhall shopping centre/ Sheffield arena.
We did have a problem with our bathroom light not working in our room as we were getting ready to depart but this was dealt with very quickly and efficiently.
The only let down was that we stayed on a room only basis and breakfast at the hotel was very expensive. There is however a Macdonalds 2 minutes down the road! I would definately stay here again in the future.

I agree with what has been posted about this hotel. It is not in the city but situated outside of it and our tour stayed here on our way to Scotland.
The rooms were nice size and had everything we needed. The room was clean and there is a spa right next to the main building that has a workout area is you have time to use it.

I have stayed at this hotel three seperate weekends over the last few months, primarily for business reasons.
ROOMS:
For two of the stays I chose a standard rate room, with a large double bed (probably a King Size). These rooms are of a good size, with a large desk and swivel chair for working, with an ISDN box and cable for in-room internet access. The internet access is somewhat expensive however - £15 for 24 hours or £6 per individual hour.
In these rooms there is also a small table and two comfy chairs. This is a good feature as the there is enough space to sit and relax without having to resort to lounging on the bed. The bathrooms were clean with powerful showers.
On my third stay I opted for an "Executive Room." This had two queen sized beds, a bigger desk, a large dining table and 4 chairs and loads of floor space. I think this doubles as a small conference room during the day - the beds fold up into the wall. Watch your feet in these rooms as the legs of the beds are easy to kick as you are walking past.
The TV channels are fairly basic - the standard five terrestrial channels plus CBBC and CBeebies, a sports channel and a 24 hour news channel. There are also approx. 10 pay-per-view movies priced at £5.95 (expensive but recent releases) and also "Adult" films priced at around £11 should you prefer a different kind of entertainment.

LEISURE FACILITIES:
The leisure facilities are the reason I repeatedly choose this hotel over others in the area - the early opening hours (7am on weekends) mean you can get in a good quiet workout before breakfast. The gym and pool are open to non-resident gym members, so be aware that it can get busy - especially in the afternoon and early evening. Take a pound coin for the lockers (which you do get back). The changing rooms have shower cubicles, toilets and a sauna (which is not really hot enough until about 9am). There are no private cubicles for changing however, and overall the changing rooms are in need of a facelift, but serve their purpose well enough.

RESTAURANT AND ROOM SERVICE:
With regards to the breakfast service, this is one area that may disappoint. They don't offer an In Room breakfast option (which is a shame as it's often nice to have your breakfast in your PJs). If you stay on a "Room Only" rate, be prepared to shell out a whopping £12.95 for your breakfast - hard to justify unless you have cereal, a continental, then a cooked full English, followed by several cups of tea or coffee. Everything is self service - even the beverages and toast - and the staff in the morning often seem reluctant to do anything (maybe tired?), so if you wish to request, for example, a different sort of egg dish to the scrambled provided, their faineance is often off-putting.
In the evening, the staff have woken up enough to be more amenable. There are two menus you can choose from for dinner - a set menu (that is the only menu you can choose from if you are on a Dinner, Bed, Breakfast package - something which was not made aware to me on my first stay) and an A La Carte style menu which I think is the same across the Marriott UK brand.
The food in the restaurant was reasonable; small portions but a fairly good choice. However, the room service menu (again, I think the same for all Marriott Hotels) is somewhat disappointing. Twice I used the Room Service option (both times the Capistriano Restaurant was closed for a private function - be aware that if you are on a Dinner, Bed and Breakfast package, your only choice is to order from the Room Service menu and they may charge you an excess because you are not ordering from the house menu). I have to say, I wasn't blown away by the choice or the quality. As with most Room Service menus, expect to pay £8.95 or more for a burger and in excess of £5.95 for a sandwich. There are only a few options available for 24 hour service (mainly the unappealing sandwiches) but the positive side to the room service experience was, both times my food arrived quickly and was still warm. There is also a £2.50 tray charge on top of the food prices - so not really worth it unless you are ordering several meals or more than one course and drinks.

STAFF:
As I touched on before, the breakfast staff can be a little unenthusiastic, but overall I found the staff at this hotel friendly and helpful. They don't always offer information that is relevant however, so I found that by my third stay I knew to ask at check-in about any planned functions that may render the restaurant and bar closed.

LOCATION:
Not in the centre of Rotherham, but situated just off the M1 and Parkway. Meadowhall is under 10 minutes away by car and only 15 minutes away if you catch the bus from across the road. Sheffield can be reached in 20 minutes via the Parkway. Rotherham Town Centre is about 10 minutes, and the nearest hospital is about 5 minutes round the corner. The hotel sits in front of Boston Park which is worth having a walk through if you fancy some fresh air.

OVERALL:
A few areas need some improvement, but nothing that grossly detracts from the overall stay. A good, clean, efficient hotel that I will be staying at again in the near future.