Marriott Jacksonville Downtown

We stayed here for a JAX game & NYE. Pros: good blackout curtains, large flat screen TV (w/ streaming options), good water pressure, housekeeping was great, the hotel hosted a rooftop viewing of the fireworks & staff was friendly (shoutout to Tony for arranging transportation for us to & from the game)Cons: the AC does not cool the room properly, the pillows are flat, the mattress is worn out, the bathroom is extremely outdated (although it was clean, the appearance made it feel dirty), there is no microwave in the room, walls are very thin so you can hear practically everything happening around you

The hotel by appearance seemed grand. However, upon entering my room it was clear that there was not a lot of care or time to invest in making the beds. Normally I do not have bad experiences in a Marriott hotel however, I hen you are paying $288/night, the expectations are higher. The restaurant must be understaffed as it took 8 minutes to sit me( there was hardly anyone in the restaurant) and when I was seated , the table was not set up. Another 10 minutes and I finally was asked by my server what I wanted to order.Not sure if this was an off day or what but, I will add comments upon check out.

So let me start by saying downtown Jacksonville looks like a zombie apocalypse just hit and the zombies won. Dead.. everything is closed up and not a soul around on the weekend.The hotel.. is old. You can tell it might have been a great hotel at one point maybe 30 years ago, marble entrance, wide open spaces, restaurants and coffee shops, and an abandoned concierge stand. But now, it's just empty and the entire place is under construction all day long. None of the top floors are open so they stick you on a lower floor. My "river view" room I paid for, looks out on to the roof. The room is old and tired and the bed feels like it sinks and slants at the head.Marriott should close this location. It's that bad.

I actually came to the JBar in the downtown Marriott location because an old HS friends came to Jax and it was too late to meet for dinner. One of his buddies recommended the hotel lounge at the Marriott Downtown. Neither of us knew anyplace to hangout after 9pm, yes we're wizened like that. It was a great recommendation.We ordered two appetizers, one alcoholic drink and one sparkling water. The appetizers were really good, I love avocado dip with spinach (makes it a healthy app.) and tortillas. The humus app came with veggies to dip so I think we did good. The bar lounge closes at 11pm and time flew! They didn't kick us out just ensured they could take the dishes. We were able to hangout another hour before we realized how late it was and headed to our respective homes.We were there a little over 2.5hrs and it only cost $10 for parking. I will definitely recommend the JBar to my friends as I had no clue it was there.

This is such a strange Marriott property! It might be downtown, but this area has seen better days. This is not a walkable area, despite it being 'downtown.' The entrance is actually in the back, with a very small 'driveway' that is mostly for valet parking- it is very confusing because it doesn't look like the front entrance. My taxi accidentally parked in the neighboring paid parking lot because he thought it was the only parking option for the hotel!On the opposite side of the building, there is a severe lack of signage. I got dropped off on that side another time - which seems more comfortable for cars- but the doors ended up being locked. Some guy inside opened them for me - he was just a regular guest who had walked into this other part of the building to talk on his cell phone. The interior lobby and sitting areas and, well, everything inside is austere and severely outdated. The front desk managed to check me in without imparting any practical info - like, what are the hotel amenities? is there a pool or a gym? no clue. They did mention the time of breakfast, but breakfast is not free with the room, so I did not even try. They also did not say that the elevators required a swipe with the room key to get to the right floor. My room was also not updated or modern, but the shower worked, the bed was comfortable, and the tv at least was modern and updated. It was not a visually appealing room in any way.

October 15-22, 2024 - I stayed for a week. I can understand why some are confused about the entrance location as the address is Water Street. But, even at night it was easy see that the building is sideways on the lot AND both google maps and WAZE state where to correctly turn (driveway to the entrance/check in/valet location). There is a lot within a 3/4 mile walk! The sunset views from the Acosta bridge are great. Upon arrival I was quickly greeted and I asked about parking options. Valet is $33/day (includes in/out privileges). The public lot (not covered) across the entrance is $20/day ($30 if an event is nearby) with no in/out exceptions (leave and it can easily cost another $20). Plan accordingly!Check went smoothly.The lobby, hallways, and larger open areas were quite chilly. The room key is needed for the elevator and pool/gym too. The 14th floor room had a view of the river, a blue bridge, and surrounding buildings, some of which are lit up at night. The curtains easily blocked all of it out when it was time to turn in for the night. When used the bathroom sink leaked onto the counter. The shower pipe that meets the shower head was loose. The bed was soft (I prefer very firm). There was a small safe, coffee maker, and a refrigerator, but no microwave. The room was quiet. Maybe housekeeping does not inform maintenance of issues, so I plan on mentioning the room issues later this morning at check out, hopefully it will be addressed.In general, some updating is needed. Sitting by the pool was relaxing, no one else was ever there. Everyone I interacted with was pleasant, helpful, and some were fairly knowledgeable about the local area.FWIW, a few years ago this Marriott was the Omni. I would stay again. This review does not take the attached restaurant into account, I reviewed it separately.

Stayed here during a church conference Sept 22-25, 2024. I didn't read the reviews ahead of going because it was the preferred hotel. Very clean on the outside, valet parking, bellman was on point. Brianne at the front desk was very helpful and made a last minute adjustment on the room with no problems. Everyone was very pleasant with smiles on their faces and definitely courteous. The elevators, hallways and rooms were clean. I loved having an ice machine close to by. Small refrigerator with no freezer in the room, and microwave, I was told was on the 9th floor I believe. I did try the restaurant, it was okay, nothing to scream about, however, the selections were limited. The restaurant closes at 10pm, however at 8pm, it was empty and they struggled to seat a party of 1, and keep trying to insist I sit i. The bar area (which is small also). They eventually were able to seat me in the restaurant. My servers were great and provided excellent customer service. Let me correct and say the options were not limited for everyone, just limited for a vegan or vegetarian. My biggest complaint is the restaurant manager not being able to seat pastors and their wives in the restaurant but kept insisting to sit them in the bar area. As I say there, there were plenty of parties of four or more who wanted to dine, but the only option was the bar area. Many older people do not sitting in high dining chairs or low seats. My top complaint is the restaurant manager who handles plates, food and assists in the kitchen, and didn't wash his hands before exiting the restroom, especially after visiting the toilet stall. That just killed it for me. Maybe more training or oversight is needed.

Stayed here as it was within walking distance to the venue for Jill Scott (Who is Jill Scott) concert. Lobby decorated nicely, staff very pleasant and greeted us immediately upon walking in. I needed some guidance on the parking, the young lady at the desk was very pleasant and patient in explaining the process to me and where I could self park. Our room was clean and spacious. Walking through the hall ways and on the elevator was clean. Pleasant smell all the way through. After the concert we sat in the bar area, lots of people were there. Nice comfy seats to sit back and relax in. Only downside was the area you drive up to in order to go in and check-in. This area is VERY tight. It is also where you pull up for valet parking. Not much room to maneuver so you definitely need to be a good driver and not a nervous one. But outside of that, great stay.

TLDR: I stayed at this hotel for Florida Georgia weekend football weekend. All in all, the property is mediocre and dated; the staff was great although the restaurant team drags down otherwise great staff at the front desk and housekeeping. Amenities leave much to be desired. I would stay at other Marriott properties for the price or even a different brand. I preferred the Hyatt a few blocks over that I stayed in previously. AMBIANCE // The hotel is older and needs to be renovated. As you pull up to the valet area it's definitely a tight area for cars and loading and unloading bags. Definitely can be a bit of a mess during peek arrival, departure and when people are headed to the game. The lobby, like most of the hotel was dated and small although if you head to the left and around the corner from the bar restaurant in the lobby the property does open up dramatically. That area should be where the front desk is. The room was fine. Nothing exciting. As someone who does a lot of back and forth to the east coast so I greatly appreciate blackout curtains that work. These did. Not to be repetitive but the bathroom was older and the tub knobs showed their age as well. I was on the 16th floor next to some of the suites and everything was fairly quiet. This hotel had a pool and gym. The pool has nice views of the iconic bridge in Jacksonville and can be accessed from the 4th floor. The gym is small. The only thing that keeps it from being claustrophobic is the mirrors. I'd actually recommend they pull some equipment out to make it feel bigger. SERVICE // the front desk staff was fantastic! I arrived after midnight and they were very welcoming. The day crew was great as well and helped me make some changes during my stay. I ate at the bar twice during my stay and the team there was 50/50. Once I got a great drink. The other time I got warm white wine. Go figure. The housekeeping staff was great the entire weekend. FOOD & BEVERAGE // As mentioned, I stopped in at the bar twice. The food was ok, very small portions and a bit over priced in my opinion. The key lime pie slice was tiny and my appetizer of southwestern egg rolls came with two, definitely not created to share. I would eat offsite.

Three issues1) carpet needed to be replaced. Holes in carpet2) took over an an hour to get carpet out of valet. 3) This actually happened after decided to checkout of hotel due to valet but was worse than valet issue. The bellman refused to allow us to load items into cart. We were staying for two weeks so we had a lot of stuff. He was extremely rude to my wife about it and raised his voice at me saying that this Marriott is independently owned and they have their own rules. He then yelled at the head of house keeping. He was out of control. Marriott has really lowered their standards to allow this property to use their name.