The Ithaca Marriott Downtown on the Commons is the kind of hotel, like the bland pictures on its walls, that no one would notice, or even recall, if it disappeared tomorrow. As a guest one senses that the staff works there because they couldn't find a better job anywhere else--don't expect to see the same faces if you return a few months, or a year, later. My family and I stayed overnight on a Monday in March. The valet attendant wasn't happy we didn't use his services. Instead we were given instructions on how to reach ”our parking garage” (as we were told by the hotel staff) a couple blocks away. It turns out this is anything but the Marriott's parking garage. Did I lack an ”elemental common sense” (as the staff person later suggested to me on the phone) for parking in one of the many empty spots with a small sign that apparently says something like, ”Parking reserved for Hotel Guests of Hilton Garden”? It was nighttime, after a long day of driving -- fatigue reigns in a parking garage with reserved spots for a particular hotel. Signs are misread as ”Parking reserved for Hotel Guests.” Or maybe I parked in that space because I was told by Marriott staff that it was ”our garage”? And wouldn't common sense today suggest Marriott and Hilton are owned by the same corporation that owns everything else? No, this was entirely this guest's fault: no ”elemental common sense.” And the price of this ticket: on top of the $12 a night parking fee, a $30 fine that the Marriott didn't think it worth offering to compensate. O, the inhumanity! The dry, stuffy air in the Marriott hotel room; the broken ice machine on our floor with a sign of apology (yes, they posted a sign instead of fixing it); their version of the Big Dig right next to the hotel so that guests can wake up to the relaxing sounds of a jackhammer. Fortunately, the room came with four complementary foam earplugs and a $10 voucher for the restaurant downstairs where you can buy a cup of lukewarm coffee, stroll outside and around the corner to one of the many vape shops, or take your kids on a field trip to the very adult gallery a two-minute walk away (next to the theater). To end on a positive note having nothing to do with the Marriott: Maru Ramen and The Milkstand are excellent restaurants and more than make up for any hotel hardly worth its overnight costs. Two stars as our children enjoyed meditating during the slow elevator ride to the tenth floor.
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