Bloomington-Normal Marriott Hotel & Conference Center

The rooms here are very basic, but the location is excellent. We parked here and were able to walk to the Hancock stadium and the nephew's dorm.

I was annoyed that we requested a room for 3 adults and got one with a king sized bed. Most groups of 3 adults are not sharing one bed. If they are, good for them, but this wasn't our situation and we had to get a cot brought in. This was not ideal and I would have preferred 2 double beds, but it worked okay. We were in Bloomington to see a game and visit the nephew, not sleep.

The staff was very helpful when I thought I left behind a pair of wireless headphones. A woman from the front desk helped me hunt down the cleaning staff and ask if they had seen the headphones. This was very nice, but it ended up being my fault for leaving the headphones elsewhere.

I would stay here again because of the friendly staff and good location. The room could have been cleaner when we got there- the bathroom needed to be swept or vacuumed better.

CS WAS soo good! They have great hotel staff that work there. Almond is a great supervisor. She went above and beyond to give us good cs all the time we were there. Front desk was great as well too! So responsive and respectful with anything we need. Breakfast was wonderful. Bathrms are clean as well as the rooms. Fitness center looks nice. FOLKS, JUST RESPECT THEM and the ROOMS YOU STAY IN. HOWEVER, 1 NIGHT at the bar, I did get ignored believe it was Friday night. I felt disrespected at that pt. I'd rather live here a bit than where I live now. BETTER PEOPLE, RESPECTFUL AND MATURE PEOPLE!

STAY AT THE HYATT ACROSS THE STREET. I was honored to elected into my university's Hall of Fame; my room was to be covered by the university. A week later I'm still trying to clear up $1,200 is room charges, for not one but two rooms. Left 3 messages for the manager, no return call. Front desk staff undertrained. Robert, who promised me everything was taken of on multiple phone calls, but it wasn't. On top of that, once the 350 people attending the event in the hotel's ballroom emptied out into the bar area.....well, only 1 bartender to service the group. A complete debacle from the time I set foot into the hotel. And, I'm a Marriott Bonvoy member...if I treated my best customers this way, I wouldn't have a business.

We reserved our stay online at the Marriott for a King bed suite. When we arrived for check in we were told all beds were sold except for Double beds. We didn't understand how the room we held had been taken from us? Regardless, DO NOT STAY IN ROOM 705.

- the door and lock appear to have been previously damaged with the lock barely hanging on the wall. It does work.. however with a little force the lock would fall off. This needs to be fixed ASAP as it a huge risk for those staying in that room.

- we figured since it was two double beds we could push them together but for whatever reason one bed had an additional box spring making it much taller than the other.

- the center lights are broken and about to fall down. Please have these fixed!

- the coffee maker was very dirty, broken and did not have the pull out piece where you add coffee. This was frustrating however, across the street there is a Starbucks attached to the Hyatt.

- the only USB port in the room (yes only one!!) did not work.

- the shower head was FILTHY! It needs to be cleaned and it will function better as well. It's so dirty it is clogged and the water pressure is terrible.

- the sheets had red stains (blood, idk?). This terrified me but my husband and I searched the room up and down for any additional specs, dots or bugs and didn't find anything.

- we did find an old ball from a previous stay under the bed. Makes you further question the cleanliness of this hotel. Not ours so we left it.

- the front desk said for internet to select the guest option and enter your last name and room number. It prompted us to PAY $12+ for a day of internet? There was another network option for the Marriott that was free so we did that option. Saddens me we were directed to the pay option, especially after our reservation had already been bumped.

- note that the Breakfast buffet is NOT complimentary here. It's a standard continental breakfast buffet. I wouldn't have eaten here had I realized wasn't included. We weren't very hungry and got just some eggs, potatoes, juice, one piece of bacon and berries (GINORMOUS strawberries lol). It was $34 for two of us. Basically, if you're hungry sure... indulge but for a single serving before rushing out to work it was disappointing.

- The only saving grace of this hotel is some of the people that work there. The two gentlemen that worked in the lobby buffet were pleasant, as well as the woman bartender and the girl at our checkout. While we described these issues to the checkout staff she did ask us how to make it right. That said, we weren't sure and she didn't provide additional options on what could be done.

Stayed here for work. Really enjoyed the comfy beds and the blackout curtains (had to wake up at 3:30am so I had to go to sleep with the sun still out). Staff is very friendly and the lobby is very beautiful. Clean rooms.

While I hate writing mixed (or negative) reviews, there were enough not-so-good items at this property that I felt that I should share.

First let me state that the hotel does have a great lobby area and the meeting rooms (if you're there for an event) are well maintained and equipped. The guest rooms are nice, mostly feeling updated, except for the bathrooms that seem to still have original bathtubs and toilets.

What prompted me to write were a few things that just seem strange given the large number of hotels, of varying levels (# of stars) and how unique these issues were.

For starters, the front desk staff don't seem to be well trained. Don't get me wrong, they are very pleasant, but they just don't seem to know all of the things most front desk staff typically do as second nature. For instance, as a Gold Level Member of the Bonvoy family, usually i'm greeted with a thank you for being such a member and some sort of 'welcome' gift, e.g. a water bottle or discount code is shared with me. Didn't happen, and while not a big deal, it is an example of something maybe missing in training.

Another thing is that the restaurant seemed to be opened and closed without any posted hours. So when I went at 5:30 on a Thursday to grab a bite, it was closed. So I went outside of the hotel to get a meal and upon return at 7, it was then open. Later that evening, around 8:30, it was again closed. No hours were posted so guests had no way of knowing, without asking the front desk, which I did, and they weren't sure of its schedule.

Also strange was the fact that all 9 floors of guest rooms, every single ice machine was turned off which of course means no ice. So i went to the front desk and mentioned this and the staff seemed not to know this. So I then asked if there was some place that I could get some ice and they referred me to the bartender. Luckily, as mentioned above, this one time the bar (not the restaurant) was open, so I went there for a partial bucket. The bartender was friendly and helpful, but it just seems strange that no one seemed to know about this, yet I'd see several other people do the same thing over the course of my stay.

Finally, while I'm usually not that picky about the shower water temperature, lukewarm as a maximum is something that just doesn't seem right to me. So some advice for travelers staying here during the winter, take quick showers!

I'm hoping that some of the personnel issues can be addressed as the staff seem friendly and want to be attentive, they probably just don't know how. The building, while nicely renovated, does need to be maintained.

Unfortunately promised a lot of things I didn't get (lounge on Friday, high floor and campus view). Other than that, nice place, clean and a good stay. Perfect location for visiting ISU.

TV in the room would randomly turn off and wouldn't connect to all channel. Staff was friendly. unexpected charge from the restaurant on our bill.

We have stayed here a few times and although it is a convenient location to ISU and Uptown, the customer service has declined. We were put in a room next to a toddler who did nothing but scream and yell for hours. We reported this to the front desk 4 different times and they seemed less than interested in solving the issue. I left them feedback upon checking out and also in a follow-up email. The Director of Food and Beverage was kind enough to respond to my email with the standard, "our hope is that all our guests experience a relaxing and peaceful stay, and I am very sorry that this wasn't your experience." They missed the mark of their own mission statement: "To enhance the lives of our customers by creating and enabling unsurpassed vacation and leisure experiences." I will look elsewhere when traveling through Bloomington.

As you walk into the lobby you automatically get a nostalgic and magical feel for the ambiance. There is this homely scent that permeates throughout. The layout of the lobby is convenient as the reception desk and restaurant and convention area are in close proximity to each other. There is plenty of parking in a structure that has a bridge into the hotel. The rooms are spacious with ceiling to floor windows and a seating chair that makes for a great place to sit and relax. There is an in-door pool, a clean coin operated laundry facility and a good size fitness center. The breakfast buffet is just right in-line with a hotel breakfast buffet and worth the price. Almond at breakfast is the sweetest. Jaime at the Bar at night is so nice, makes having an end of day drink even better. The front desk is very helpful with information. I highly recommend this place as a stop for a long car ride, for business in the area and to host a group or convention. The general splendor of the hotel is by far the best in Bloomington Normal Illinois!! Stay here!

Dated. Dingy. Musty.

Drove 6-hours from Michigan and couldn't have been more underwhelmed when I arrived and checked in. The gentleman at the front desk was nice enough but the decor, carpet, elevators, etc. are very dated and everything feels a bit "dirty around the edges."

Like the lobby, the rooms have seen better days - my carpet was stained, walls had smudges, dings, etc. The bed was OK, bedding as well but the pillows were paper thin. I had to stack them all up and still have a broken neck, haha.

Woke up early and tried to work in the lobby... all the tables in the lobby with power outlets do not work so I had go across the street to the Hyatt, which was frustrating.

The only plus is that it's smack dab in the middle of Illinois State with quite a few restaurants nearby.

But, even with the location I can't recommend and will not be back. I'm a big fan of Marriott but this place needs too much work:(