I recently spent 2 nights at the Wichita Marriott for business. I was picked up at the airport by the hotel’s shuttle. Javier was my driver and he was outstanding. He was a wealth of information and he was like a public service announcement for Wichita. By the time I arrived at the hotel, I knew about major industries (aviation/airplane manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, defense), the weather forecast, the population, and a little bit of history. It was a great way to come to a new city.

As I entered the hotel, I was a little amused at the “no guns” signs on the door. Entering the buidling, you are greeted with a warm lobby with several sitting areas. To the right are the facilities two restaurants, Cinnabar (breakfast and lunch) and The Black Angus Grille (dinner). To your left is the hotel desk. Check in was a breeze – it literally took less than a minute before I had my key card.

The hotel was fairly busy and I got a 5th floor room with a king bed. The room was nicely appointed with a large TV, a desk with wired and wireless (free) internet, a sitting chair, and bed with 2 nightstands. What it didn’t have was a refrigerator. I really wanted a fridge and there was room for one in the TV cabinet. I felt that this was a real detractor. The décor was fairly modern with mostly medium wood tones and some black and white art on the wall.

The bathroom had a toilet and bath/shower combo. Definitely some updating is needed here. I am still amazed that hotels use the cheap plastic toilet seats. The bathroom also had a drop ceiling which seemed out of place. It also had water damage right above the shower head – something that could have easily been fixed by replacing a tile. The shower did not get very hot (I had it all the way up and was still a bit cold) and there was poor water pressure. Additionally, the shower “sang” to me each morning (high pitched water noises).The floor was marble but the shower walls were 1990s drab, tan ceramic – they seemed out of place. Outside the bathroom was the sink which was surrounded by a granite countertop which looked very nice. It was odd having so many different stones in a small area. As an added (odd) touch, there is a bottle opener fastened to the back of the bathroom door.

The amenities at the hotel are nice – there is both an indoor and outdoor pool (outdoor pool is not open in winter). The pool is small but big enough to swim. There is also a hot tub. Adjacent to the pool is the exercise room. The exercise room has several elliptical machines and treadmills. There is also a universal gym and dumbbells. As a bonus, if you can’t access the concierge level, you can get some granola bars in the room.

Overall, the staff provided outstanding service. They were always quick to offer support. For example, one evening I wanted a soda and the vending machine on my floor was out. They opened the gift shop for me so that I could get a drink. I can’t compliment the staff enough.

In general, however the hotel could use some renovations.