Residence Inn Merrillville

This residence Inn is well below Marriott standards. When we checked in, we were given a room and the room had two TVs, one remote and nothing worked. The dining chair in the room was peeling and needed to just be thrown out. The manager came down and tried to get the TVs to work and couldn’t so we asked for another room. We went to the other room. The TVs worked, but the air conditioner definitely did not work. It was a cool night so that was OK. However, the room was dirty. There was 6 in.² of dust in the nightstand that you could see from the living room. The carpet was stained. It just was not up to standards. When we went to breakfast, there were cups and napkins and trash underneath a bench in the main seating area that looked like they had been there for a while. The cleaners obviously do not look under anything to clean . The hot tub did not work. The property needs tender, loving care, many coats of pain are needed to cover up all the nicks in the wall, and the carpet all needs replacement. It’s just a disappointment.

The hotel needs lots of TLC. We stayed in a 1 bedroom suite that was not clean to Marriott standards. The indoor pool was out of order & the hotel & room decor old & tired. The advertised weekend breakfast was a joke. There was nothing at 8:30a & the area was a mess. It appeared to be a lack of hotel support staff. I expect more from a Marriott property and this one was the worst of my worldwide travels. I give it a 2-1/2 *

The room was dirty with stains on the carpet and dirt on the ceiling from the air vents. Breakfast wasn't good either, with minimal offerings. The pool was closed, and when asked, the staff had no idea why. The best thing about it was that the shower had good water pressure. We will never stay here or at a Residence Inn again.

Overall, this is a hotel to avoid. On the positive side, I appreciated the friendly check-in and the fact that we could get a two-bedroom suite. On the negative side: First, our room smelled really bad. The smell seemed to be embedded in the carpet. Second, all of the furniture in the room was quite aged, dented, flaking, etc. Third, in the morning, there was ONE employee who had to handle both the front desk and the breakfast area, even though the hotel was really crowded. She put out food once every half hour. It was gone within about 5 minutes. There was no milk or dairy because their cooling system was broken. Overall, I get the sense that the place is falling apart and poorly run. Go somewhere else!

The front desk and maintenance staff were very friendly. However the two bedroom suite was soooo old we did not want to sit on the couch or use anything in the kitchen. For $300 for the night it was way below standards!! The place just gave a “ick vibe. I would never stay here until major renovations are done!

I have stayed at Residence Inn, Merrilville Indiana over 100 nights over the past 6 or 7 years but NEVER again. This place has "changed management" and is now a dump. Don't waste 1 dollar staying here. There were toe nails on the floor near the bed where my wife was getting in. They advertise a "complimentary , full hot breakfast" but the only thing out at 7 AM were frozen sandwiches. The breakfast equipment was in disrepair. The midnight clerk could only point to the name of the manager on the wall and wouldn't even offer a phone number or his name. At least when the breakfast lady finally strolled in at 7:40, she grabbed a microwave, 2 sandwiches, and walked into the store room to feed herself. I called the Titanium line to get my 2nd night in this dump refunded and she asked where else in the Marriott chain she could find me a room and I told her "Motel 6, I will never stay at Marriott again and I have over 2000 nights in these hotels." They just don't seem to care anymore.

Unfortunately, this property needs a refresh desperately. The rooms are tired, with out of date furnishings and fixtures. However, we did appreciate having enough room for our family. We were in Indiana for a funeral and it was close by. That being said, the staff was friendly and helpful. Breakfast was adequate, though one morning it was not available, probably due to staff shortages. The area around the hotel is changing, so maybe it will be better on a future trip.

I gave this property two tries, but I won't go back. In my opinion, it is VERY OUTDATED, and needs a facelift in the worst way. Can't imagine how they keep their Marriott branding. -They don't have Mobile Key. Not sure how any Marriott branded property in 2024 hasn't come into the 21st Century and installed the Digital Key System -Not a Single USB Port in the entire room! -The TV's are very old, blurry resolution, and have the old Interface with Mario Lopez screaming at you until you change the channel. -The TV stand in the bedroom is so old, that there are four old screwholes where an older TV was obviously screwed down. I get that things change, but maybe take a piece of sandpaper to the very rough protrusions from the cabinet which snagged clothing, and scraped my skin. -The bedding and such appeared to be clean. -The porcelain sink in the bathroom was notably, crazed and broken. Very difficult to get things clean that way. -The kitchen dishes were notably FILTHY. Not sure how a housekeeper clears the room with how nasty things were. This stay, I had only a single frying pan that was not only visibly dirty, but had that feeling of old greasy build up on it. I had ordereed groceries and was making a big pot of soup for the chilly weather. Upon calling the front desk I was told he was by himself on property and he would have to try and find a larger pot. To be fair, he was friendly and welcoming, but seems odd at 7PM to have only a desk clerk, and no houseman, housekeeper or security personnel onsite. When I went to the desk, the soup pot had one very loose handle, and only a bare piece of metal on the other with a screw hole where the handle obviously once was attached. -They parking lot was pitch black without any lights on. The attached photos have picked up light from neighboring businesses, but it was DARK. Again, the staff were friendly. The breakfast lady on Sunday was especially friendly and welcoming, offering me some early breakfast items since I was leaving for work at the hospital before breakfast officially opened. If you don't care about the traditional amenities offered by a BonVoy branded property you might be comfortable here, but as a Lifetime Titanium/Ambassador, it was horrific!

This was an amazing stay. Jerry at front desk went above and beyond. He was friendly, patient, and made us feel very welcome on a traveling day. We are platinum members and we traveled with other family members who are new to platinum status. They were very impress with Jerry and the Marriott service. Thank you Jerry! We will recommend this to all of our friends and family! He is the MVP in our books!