I just spent five nights at the downtown Marriott. I was in town for business so my review is from a business traveler's standpoint.

Got a great convention rate of $95/night. I knew it was downtown so automatically planned on using the valet parking. If you stay at any of the hotels downtown is is well worth the $14/day for this service. The valet guys were absolutely the best. They were running all day and all night with the convention visitors in town but there were always friendly, helpful and very quick. They would already have my truck warmed up and the snow swept off within the five minutes it took for them to bring it. Even the day their lot was full they took care of parking the truck on the street and getting it to the lot when an opening occured. I can't say enough about how friendly these guys were.

The hotel was also running a shuttle during the morning and afternoon for the convention visitors. I never took the shuttle as the weather was warm (teens - 30's) and it's a beautiful pleasant six block walk to the convention center. I actually looked forward to the walk each morning. If your traveling as a tourist the location to 5th Avenue can't be beat. The streets are well-lit and you are walking distance to all the great downtown shopping and restaurants.

Check-in was quick and smooth. First impression of the hotel upon entrance to the lobby was clean but sparse. I was in an 8th floor room with one large king bed. The down comforters and pillows were great and the room was plenty big. The bathroom was nice although I have yet to figure out why they don't put fans in hotel bathrooms! The hotel is now completely non-smoking, which was a plus for me. I also noticed that I rarely heard any of the other guests. The floor and ceilings were solid and only one night did I hear my next door neighbors.

I didn't eat in the restaurant but I ordered room service on two occassions. The food was great and served up quickly, although they tell you it will be 1/2 hour. The menu was a little limited but even with the room service fee I didn't find it anymore expensive than the meals I had downtown.

Now the things I wasn't satisfied with: As a business traveller and someone who knows the downtown fairly well, I like to pick up snacks and beverages to have on hand for the times I'm working from my room. The room didn't have a refrigerator or microwave, which I've gotten used to at other hotels. They did have a small coffee pot and complimentary coffee, but I opted for the Starbucks on 5th Ave. They also don't have wireless in the rooms, which made me feel like I was in the dark ages. They had a LAN line you could use in the room, for a charge. Everytime I accessed the internet it was $9.99 - very dark ages. They do offer a business center but with the number of people in town for the convention it was always busy. I would have to say that was the biggest drawback for me. If you are going to be the primary hotel for a business convention then you need to make concessions for business travelers.

Other than that I thought it was a great place with outstanding staff.