I have been to Williamsburg 20+ times in my life, and in general I’ve come to expect less of hotels in Williamsburg than I would elsewhere. With few exceptions, hotels there are simply worn out. However, even with lowered expectations, the Courtyard did not at all impress me. Until a full renovation is done, I would not return to this hotel.

We chose to stay at the Courtyard for one night in late December to visit Christmas Town at Busch Gardens. The Courtyard is one of the closest hotels to the entrance of Busch Gardens, with less than a five-minute drive to get there. It is equally close to Water Country USA and just a couple of minutes off of I-64. While the location is definitely best for visiting the amusement parks, it is not far from Colonial Williamsburg either. It’s still only about a ten-minute drive to reach the colonial area. The hotel is tucked back with some offices and shopping centers. The Whaling Company restaurant is in walking distance of the hotel, and I guess the Starbucks and small eateries in the nearby shopping center would be as well. Some fast food and a couple more full-service restaurants are just across the main road (Pocahontas Trail) from the hotel. For even more restaurants than one could ever need, it’s a 10-15 drive to the popular Bypass and Richmond Road areas.

I arrived to check in around 11:00 in the morning. Right away, the front desk area didn’t impress me. The desk was messy and the door to the office behind the desk was wide open to show a messy-looking back office. This isn’t a big deal at all, but it just showed a lack of attention to detail that wouldn’t be found at a nicer hotel. Despite that, the woman who checked me in was very nice. She took the time to ask what we were planning to do in the area and ask if I needed any information about it.

We had booked two rooms at the hotel, and I requested that the two rooms be near each other. Since it was still morning and the hotel was pretty full the night before, I was told that we wouldn’t be able to get adjoining rooms if I wanted the rooms immediately. I was given the option of either waiting until later in the afternoon for adjoining rooms to be ready or checking into non-adjoining rooms immediately. I opted for the non-adjoining rooms, since I was only concerned with having the rooms relatively close together. It was more important to me to get into the rooms early, so I appreciated being given the option to decide. The woman at the front desk made sure the rooms were on the same floor and advised me where would be best to park for both rooms, which I appreciated.

There are two elevators, one near the lobby, and the other near the back of the hotel. I was directed to park around the back of the hotel and enter there for the back elevator, as it would be the most convenient option for both rooms. There is plenty of parking around the sides and back of the hotel. The side parking lot is sort of shared with the Quality Inn next door, so it is pretty large.

Our two rooms were on the 2nd floor, down the hall from each other. One room faced the courtyard area in the center of the hotel, which is the better view. The view includes the outdoor pool, gazebo, and other sections of the hotel. Our second room had a view of the parking lot, and beyond that the on-ramp to the Hummelsein Parkway. Even-numbered rooms have the courtyard/pool view, while odd-numbered rooms have the parking lot view. Some rooms have a small balcony, but neither of ours featured one.

Immediately after entering the room hallways, I was not impressed. The lobby definitely looks better than the rooms. The hallways are just old and poorly lit, with carpet that looks dirty. They’re calling out for renovation and had a very stale smell. The elevator was really beat up as well. It was small and dirty, and I had trouble simply getting it to move when I first went up to see the rooms. I abandoned it for the stairs, but it worked fine on subsequent trips to/from the room.

The rooms themselves were slightly better than the hallways, but not great at all. I’ve never been overly impressed by a Courtyard, but this one wasn’t even up to the standard of others. Both of our rooms had been partially renovated at some point in the past, but not thoroughly enough. The TVs are an old model, and the low piece of furniture on which the TV sits looks like it belongs in an old motel. Things like the cheap Asian-inspired art just simply didn’t seem to fit. Even though the room had been cleaned, it had a bit of a dirty feel to it that comes from being dated. The sink is outside of the bathroom, and appeared to be quite old. There was an old faux-wood light fixture above the sink, and the sink area was scratched and grimy. Thankfully, the rest of the bathroom was renovated and clean, although pretty basic. The beds and bedding themselves looked as if they have been updated, in the typical Courtyard motif. There is also a mini-fridge in each room, which is nice to have. Despite some updates, the overall feel of the rooms was cheap and dated.

Although I could have handled the dated room, the fact that I had a near sleepless night made me anything but a fan of the hotel. The climate control system in the rooms is an old unit without the ability to choose a particular temperature. Adjusting the knob between hot and cold was generally futile. I found it impossible to get the room to a comfortable temperature. I made the mistake of turning up the heat slightly at one point, which led to a huge increase in the room temperature. We spent much of the night fooling with the temperature, with no success in lowering it very much at all.

Also, be aware that this hotel does not have wireless internet. The hotel does advertise complimentary internet access, but it is only a wired Ethernet connection. There is no wireless available, which also dates the hotel. Any updated hotel today offers wireless internet, and I was planning to be able to connect wirelessly.

As with any Courtyard, breakfast is not free. A buffet breakfast is offered in the lobby for about $10 per person, and there is also a menu to order individual items from. We didn’t eat in the lobby restaurant, so I cannot comment on its quality.

In the end, I was left feeling quite lukewarm about this hotel. Other than a location close to Busch Gardens, I don’t see what it offers that is better than other hotels in Williamsburg. It is desperately calling for a full renovation. Small changes have been made, but it still feels dated overall. Several newer, lower end hotels have popped up in Williamsburg that are surely nicer than the Courtyard, probably at a lower price. I would think twice before staying here again. I had hoped for better and thought it was quite mediocre at best.

Lady at the check in was very friendly. Was able to get checked in early and quickly. Room was good except for location of the TV. It was to the side of the bed. Configuration of the room did make it difficult to locate elsewhere. Realistically did not have TV on much. Room was clean and very quite. Check out was smooth and quick also.

This was our second stay at this hotel for a visit during the weekend after Thanksgiving to go to both Colonial Williamsburg and Busch Garden's ChristmasTown. The hotel is very close to Busch Gardens - so much so that you can see one of the roller coasters from the road where you turn into the hotel, making it really convenient if you have plans to go there or to Water Country.

The hotel has many positive attributes - the staff is friendly, the rooms are extremely quiet, nicely maintained and clean and we liked the layout. I don't recall having a refrigerator when we stayed there 2 years ago, so that was a very nice addition.

The downside and deal breaker for us for staying there again in the future is that the hotel doesn't have WiFi in the rooms. When the web site indicated high speed internet, I wrongly assumed it had high speed internet. With two of us needing to tend to business during downtime in our room, having to take turns using our laptops doubled the amount of time it took. We were also disappointed that the rooms don't have a safe.

For those unfamiliar with the area, the hotel has a Starbucks and a pharmacy within walking distance and there is a Wendy's, McDonalds, KFC and Taco Bell right across the street. While closer to Busch Gardens than Colonial Williamsburg, it's still within just a few miles to the historic area.

I visited for a one night stay over Thanksgiving weekend with other family members. Reservations were easily retrieved and honored. A request for an early check in was honored for two of the three rooms reserved. A crib was in the correct room as requested. The front desk staff was efficient and friendly. The rooms were modern and clean with expected amenities. Although we did not use the indoor pool or exercise facility, they were available. There was a breakfast available for purchase. The hotel's location was perfect for those going to Busch Gardens and not far from the historic center either.