The last two Courtyards I have stayed at didn’t have luggage racks in the room. Normally they are found in the closet by the ironing board. When I asked the front desk staff they said they have been removed at the direction of corporate. This seems a strange move as the rooms are not designed to place luggage any other place than on the furniture. Does anyone know why Marriott has made this odd change?
Why would they remove a luggage rack in the first place? Very odd decision by the hotel chain, never seen such thing before, could be indeed a sign of our times?
Where are you supposed to keep your luggage? On the floor or the upholstered furniture? I would be upset not having luggage racks available.
I hope they reconsider? Does this mean this measure will be implemented at all Courtyard properties or only in some locations? Could be also seen as discretion by Marriott! [ From property to property ]
That is definitely an odd move. I always use the luggage rack, even when I just have a duffle bag. The last 2 courtyards I was in (Pittsburgh somewhere and Cleveland somewhere) both had racks.
I would be more concerned because putting the luggage on the bed or an upholstered peice of furniture encourages and facilitates the spread of bed bugs! I've been in Residence Inns where the standard luggage racks are MIA. In older properties, they still seem to have some for the asking, but I was told at a new location that they don't have them because (my interpretation of what was said) it's not part of the brand standard as an extended stay chain. I don't like this at all.
2-Diamond AAA ratings require that they have... "Multiple enclosed drawers; Total storage space can accommodate the needs of two or more guests." 3-Diamond AAA ratings require that they also have... "Sufficient space for one piece of luggage, such as: folding metal rack, bench, or credenza top." If they don't satisfy their AAA Diamond rating standards, let Marriott and AAA know. My expectation of Courtyards is that they should always be trying to maintain at least a 3-Diamond AAA rating.
Overall storage space especially for luggage shall be provided by hotels, it should not matter in which kind of hotel we stay, from economy, mid-scale, up-scale to luxury. Courtyard is a brand that is growing around the world, so I presume the luggage racks are here to stay in the majority of their properties!
Check into some 1 or 2-diamond properties and you might find that the closets don't have a door or curtain but offer unenclosed shelves. Aloft hotels don't have luggage racks, but they have a countertop above the A/C unit and a long, cushioned bench which can both hold luggage reasonably. I think it's ridiculous that even 3-diamond rooms often fail to have sufficient space for at least two suitcases.
Good point. I'm surprised by the explicit drawer requirement for AAA 2-Diamond as it could eliminate some of the newer modern design hotels, such as aloft and Element in Starwood.
I rarely unpack into drawers, and most of my Aloft stays are all short stays by myself. So I don't miss drawers at Aloft and find that particular AAA requirement a bit silly. But I would be interested in hearing how AAA is making an exception for Aloft. I don't object to the exception but am curious to know how it gets justified.
Is Aloft rated by AAA? Some of the AAA guidelines do seem a bit dated/out of touch with changes. I would LOVE to see a AAA rating guideline regarding speed and quality of internet for example.
These are just some of the Aloft hotels that list the AAA 3-Diamond Award on their awards page: Aloft Houston by the Galleria Aloft Portland Airport Aloft Tempe Aloft Dallas Downtown Aloft BWI I suspect that all Alofts are expected to meet AAA 3-Diamond standards.
How can they? They don't have drawers and the ones where I've stayed don't even have proper closets, just a little clothes hanging thingie across from the bathroom sink.
Clearly, AAA has made some exceptions to their usual standards. I'd be interested in learning more since I would think that the Aloft designers probably consulted with AAA inspectors before building the final product. I think that it would be fair to say that Aloft is intentionally not quite a "traditional" hotel. I don't think that the same could be said of Courtyards, though, which I think are meant to very traditional hotels.
