I just returned from a school reunion trip in Cambridge and stayed three nights at the Marriott Courtyard on Memorial Drive. The location was pretty good (they promote it as just outside Harvard Square) and this is a nicer, relatively newer Courtyard property. It had 16 floors and a decent amount of parking for which they charged us $22 per night. Since this was also graduation weekend for a number of schools in the area and other events were taking place in Boston (Red Sox home series, conventions, etc), I felt like I had to take the room for way more than I would have normally - the rate was around $350 a night with taxes (before the parking) - and the value just was not there.

We had a nicer view in a corner room from the 14th floor, but the window placement was awkward and blocked what would have been the best view. The room was actually a bit smaller than most Courtyard rooms I've been in but a decent size. The bathroom was tiny and lacked a fan which was a problem, especially since there wasn't a separate sink outside the bath. It did have a vent above the shower, but that was moldy and we couldn't control the airflow in our out of it. When we arrived in the room, we found the bottled water had already been opened, but the cap and note around the top indicating the charge had been replaced. The lotion in the bath also had been used. We took the water bottle down to the front desk so tey would know we did not use it. No apology was offered and the clerk said "We don't charge for water" which didn't square with the note or my experience in similar hotels.

The worst part of the stay, however, was that people in another room started smoking at night and it poured into our bath from the vent. This was supposed to be a smokefree hotel. Closing the door to use the bath was impossible. Without a fan, we could only turn on the room AC which had a minimal effect. We called the front desk to complain and they did not inspire confidence that this was a legitimate concern. No apology or follow up was made. In the morning, we had another period where the bath was filled with smoke. We tried to call the front desk, but after 5-6 + rings, no one answered and we decided not to push it with them since we were checking out.

Also, we did have breakfast in this hotel. It was $15 each for a buffet that included the usual stuff you get for free at a Residence Inn, but did offer a made to order egg station. Part of the food was cold (french toast and potatoes that should have been hot) and the fruit selections were poor (including frozen strawberries & black bananas), but our server was pleasant.

Overall, I was disappointed in the stay, especially given the price I had to pay. I have contacted the hotel chain as well with these concerns.