Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott Hotel

Reception staff were very friendly and helpful. Breakfast buffet started at 6.30am and was very good right through to even later at 10.00am - well presented and with all the trimmings as well as having a dedicated station for made to order omelettes. Breakfast room / brasserie, bar and general seating areas on the ground floor well appointed and cosy feel. Great views of the sea and beach from the 4th. floor family room we had but being in the roof line there were some head clearance issues with the sloping ceiling.

Both easy chairs (small armchairs) in room were the worse for wear with frayed edging and I would not give them house room in own home. Fairly big stain on the carpet discreetly covered by a small coffee table. Generally carpet was also not in great condition. Room lighting not particularly adequate and no room lighting controls at bedside so had to get out of bed to switch off the main lights and bathroom lights - reminiscent of a 2 star guest house not a top chain hotel. If you were standing in the bathroom washing your hands in the wash basin and someone opened the bathroom door to also come into the bathroom then you would be clattered by the bathroom door as the layout was so badly designed. I expect so much more from a Marriot room costing over £200 per night (including breakfast.) Gym club and indoor swimming pool area not really big enough for the number of guests in the hotel so always very packed and the changing rooms were overcrowded and not well maintained for the numbers of guests using them. Quite a number of sun loungers around the outdoor pool area were again the worse for wear and should have been replaced ages ago. Parking in the hotel grounds was a trial - designated spaces not really big enough for say, a Range Rover, and limited space for turning also a parking space was not guaranteed despite having to pay £12 for 24 hours parking.