A Wren Says

I decided to stay at that Courtyard by Marriott in Manchester, Connecticut. I had to be in the area and didn’t want to be overly lavish. I wanted to be smarter about my budget on this quick trip, so I booked it with American Express points. That was an extremely easy process. I was able to wade through multiple options in the radius that I needed to be in.

 I ultimately chose the Courtyard due to its proximity to the site I needed to visit and shopping centers. The hotel is in close proximity to two shopping centers, The Shoppes at Buckland Hills and The Promenade at Evergreen Walk. There is also a cute downtown area not too far away as well. Other than that it is a bit out of the way on a little side street and not in a terribly walkable area. Although, there are definitely sidewalks. I parked in the lot and discovered that there were some, ahem, questionable things on the ground. I moved my car so it wouldn’t seem like I was the one who left them. I’m not sure what that says about the area.

Inside at check-in I was provided with 2 welcome waters by the very pleasant front desk staff person. Then, I went up to my room. There was a strong paint smell when I entered the hallway. It was even more intense when I entered the room. I was very glad to have a patio to get some fresh air. I slid the door wide open and sat outside for some time as I ran the bathroom fan hoping that would help. When I left for dinner, I kept the fan going but closed the sliding door. Upon return the smell had lessened but it was still there. I repeated the same process and it finally went away.

As I mentioned, my room had a patio that overlooked a sitting area below. The patio door provided the only outdoor light. For security, there was a internal locking mechanism that prevented the door from being slid open from the outside.

The bed was comfortable enough. Nothing amazing, but I had no complaints. The room also had a fridge and desk and sitting area.

The bathroom had full size refillable bottles of products, instead of minis you can take home. I will say that I would not rave about the shampoo.

There was tiny gym. I was the only one in there at the time, so it was more than enough space for just me. I was doing floor exercises. It would have gotten a little tricky if someone else needed to come in, spacewise.

This is my noise complaint: The night before I left, I could really hear my neighbors. I needed to be up by 3 AM. I was not happy about it. I’m not sure if they were just that loud or if the sound proofing was just that bad. My only other complaint is the paint smell, but that is clearly not a forever thing and is sign they are maintaining the property.

I was heavily influenced to stay here because I used the AmEx site to book. I wasn’t overly impressed, nor was I overly disappointed. I would stay at the location again if I needed to specifically be in that area, if I was using points to travel. However, I’m not sure I would choose to say there on my own dime. From what I could see of the Manchester area, there are many more hotels and bed-and-breakfasts to try. (So I guess I’m saying while it wasn’t horrible I probably wouldn’t stay there just because I like trying new things.)

That was just my experience. Let me know what you thought of the property.