We've stayed in Residence Inns in the past, but this one didn't meet our expectations. The first room that we were assigned had such over-powering carpet 'freshener' that we (with allergies) couldn't stand it. The front desk clerk was friendly and accomodating and gave us a different room to check. It was still quite 'odoriferous', but was better than the first. We still endured sneezing, etc., but it was, at least, bearable, and we were exhausted, so didn't want to chance looking elsewhere for a room.

The front desk clerk gushed on and on about the 'complimentary breakfast' the next morning, telling us about the standard fare of eggs, etc., but noted that they were doing 'freshly-prepared breakfast fajitas' and something else (which escapes me). I'll get back to this in a minute.

The mattress was a thin piece of foam on top of boxsprings and was one of the worst beds we've ever had. It was unseasonably cool during our stay, and we had great difficulty regulating the temperature in the room (too hot or too cold). Though it appeared to be clean, the 'kitchen' floor, counters and stove were GREASY (accumulated grease). I wouldn't have eaten from the kitchen utensils, etc. (if the rest of the kitchen was this greasy, what would the dishes/utensils be like?).

The free wireless internet access in the room was nice, but it was a challenge to get it to work. The television had limited channels and poor reception.

Because of the uneven temperatures and the uncomfortable bed, we slept little, then slept late. We arrived at the 'free breakfast' at 9:30 Saturday morning. There was literally nearly nothing to eat. The staff members were continuing to try to prepare food, but it was clear that there would be nowhere near enough to feed the # of people waiting. (If you wanted the standard cold cereal, you were okay... unless you wanted milk on it; then you'd have to wait and see if the staff managed to bring any milk out.)

One of the 2 waffle irons and one of the 2 toasters didn't work. When we arrived, the 'buffet' included (LITERALLY, this is all that was there, with about 30 people vying for whatever food was set out): less than 1/3 of a pitcher of orange juice; one small container of yogurt; 4 biscuits; 2 very small pancakes; a little bit of scrambled eggs dried onto the sides of a 'warming dish'; no waffle mix; no oatmeal left; a few spoonfuls of the 'sausage gravy'; a few stale-looking danish; coffee; tea bags. That is ALL. Much of the time, there were no plates or bowls (if you could have found anything to put in them.)

I heard a man talk to the desk clerk about it. He said, "Everybody just came at once.", to which the man replied that the evening receptions were the same... not nearly enough food for everyone to be served.

Based on reviews I've read here of many other Residence Inns, I'd say that Marriott has a new problem. If part of your 'selling point' is a 'complimentary breakfast' and people get treated this way, they'll take their business elsewhere. (And, in fact, I saw some people going to the nearby Panera Bread for breakfast. Since their hotel bill supposedly included the cost of the 'complimentary breakfast' which they did not get at the Residence Inn, will they stay at the Residence Inn, again?)

I'm not sure I will continue to patronize Residence Inns, in general. I am sure that I would not make THIS Residence Inn my first choice, if I stay in the Richmond area again (though that part of town is a good place to be; there is a great new mall nearby, with lots of other stores nearby). There were several other motels nearby. I'd suggest checking those out before staying at this Residence Inn.