We had enough Reward points for a free night at the Residence Inn, Plantation. We rented a car so the trip to this hotel was okay. Somewhat removed from the usual pre-cruise Fort Lauderdale action, but with the car we were able to do our wine, etc., shopping. We checked into the Residence Inn and then traveled by car a short distance to J. Alexander's for a nice dinner.

The biggest problem with the Residence Inn was that the two TV remote controls needed new batteries. One worked sporadically and with heavy button pushing; the other did not work at all. But we were there for a very short visit and we really weren't interested in watching TV, so we didn't bother to report the remote problem.

Overall, Residence Inn served our purpose well and we were able to return the rental car at the airport the next morning and get a cab to the cruise terminal. We were able to board the Eurodam after a short wait and had our Mariner's lunch in the main dining room. All was well!

Stayed here for an evening last week for corporate training. I really liked the quiet suite and overall it was a comfortable place to stay in Plantation. I've stayed at the Staybridge before and found the Residence Innto be quieter and more comfortable. The only problem I had with the place was that a doorknob was loose in the room - something that could be easily corrected with some maintenence. As other reviewers have noted it has a Macaroni Grill adjacent to it (though I found it to be pricey).
The double queen suite was spacious - in fact I could've brought my family with me and everyone would've had room.

Had a great workout in their small gym on the morning of departure. Machines all looked fairly new and in working order.

Breakfast was fine here too - basic scrambled eggs, hash browns, cereal and fruit.

Overall this was a good hotel. It's not a full service Marriott, but for a Residence Inn it gets two thumbs up.

Although I have stayed at worse hotels, this is not up to the Residence Inn/Marriot standards. We stayed in a 2 bedroom/bath room which was nice and spacious and itself a good set up. The beds were comfortable and bathrooms and closets spacious.

However, the carpets were very dirty, they needed either a huge shampoo or new ones, after 10 mins our socks were black! Also, there were small bugs crawling in the kitchen (although that is the only place we saw them). The hallway smelled old and perhaps of being fumigated. I understand that being in a warm climate there are going to be more bug issues but after staying in other hotels in the area they didn't have a problem. In general the hotel needs a major update/renovation.

The staff however was great, although upon check out when I mentioned the issues they did not offer any sort of compensation. I indicated to them that I didn't believe that the room was worth $200 per night, maybe $130 considering everything.

I would definitely look elsewhere when I am next in the area. I would not recommend this hotel for the price you pay and what you receive.

I am glad that I did not go by some of these reviews. I expect a Marriott to be above average and I found that this was the case. The employees were all very friendly and went out of their way to help in anyway. I found the hotel and the room to be clean with no problems. I would highly recommend this hotel.