Stayed here for Indianapolis Final 4 in 2010. Just minutes from Indianapolis. Carmel, IN is a VERY safe city near many parks, restaurants, and very nice mall (Keystone Crossing.) This Marriott is in a business district.

The hotel: very quiet, clean, comfortable, elegant, and kid friendly. Indoor pool / hot tub are fabulous and clean. Pool is heated. The hotel was VERY quiet, and Final 4 weekend was a great test of that. Definitely kid friendly. Completely non-smoking, no pets allowed, which are my first pre-requisites for ANY hotel when traveling with kids. Free internet and has a business center. Also has a rental car company inside!! Wow!

Room: stayed in a 1 bedroom King suite, with a door separating the bedroom from the living area. Parents traveling with kids: this room is awesome for kids!!! The kids sleep in their own bedroom and you can talk/watch TV or whatever, without disrupting their sleep, keeping the peace for everyone, including neighbors. I do not know about other parents traveling with kids, but I dislike tiptoeing around worried about waking my kids up. In this room, you just close the door to their room and they feel like they are at home! The living room came with a comfortable pull-out sofa bed. The room had a refrigerator, microwave, new granite counters, and new cherry furniture. There was a nice desk with pull-out table for dining, and a beautiful leather office chair. There were 2 additional cushioned chairs and a full size sofa sleeper. Two televisions were safely anchored to the dressers/cabinets. The bedroom had an updated radio with iPod dock and a lounging couch. Carpet in the entire room was new and clean. There was a nice balcony with sliding glass door to fresh air. The bedroom and living room each had their own thermostat control. Your kids can have the room temperature they way they want it, and people in the living area can have their own temperature preference.

Housekeeping: very thorough and detailed. They cater to your every whim.

Bathroom: small, basic, with a full bath/shower, VERY clean, nice tile. The vanity area was VERY clean, carpeted, and was beautiful granite.

The staff: very friendly, knowledgeable, and courteous. Parking was ample. The manager and other staff are easy to deal with, should you have special requests, and will do everything they can to appease you.