Sacramento Marriott Rancho Cordova Review

Booking & Stay Details

I booked the Sacramento Marriott Rancho Cordova on a Sunday morning through the Marriott app. Just before I started my long drive from LAX to Sacramento. During the booking process, nothing noteworthy happened. There was no mention of all the service shutdowns at the hotel I will experience later when I get there. Supposedly there was also an email letting guests know about the service situation at the hotel but if you book the same day, you are already past their cancellation policy. First, the email never arrived and since they are so worried about letting guests know, they should provide a way to cancel the reservation within 24 hours of making it as you have a chance to review the email. Of course, this means they put the effort in and send one out.

Location

The Marriott Sacramento Rancho Cordova is located about ten miles northeast of downtown Sacramento. It is located next to US-50, which will take you from Sacramento to South Lake Tahoe. There are a few hotels next to the Marriott and even more hotels just one exit closer to Sacramento, including a Hyatt Place. However, since I have already re-qualified for top-tier status with Hyatt and the still working on Ambassador Status with Marriott, I tried to test out this hotel. During my stay, Marriott was also running a bonus points promotion that made it also worth staying at a Marriott property.

Just a few steps from the Marriott Rancho Cordova is the Sacramento RT Light Rail Sunrise Station. You can take the light rail Gold line all the way to downtown Sacramento for an easier commute. Many restaurants and places to eat are just a short drive away from the hotel as well. 

Check-In

After parking at the main entrance of the hotel, I walked inside to check in. Nobody was at the front desk. I waited like two minutes and walked around the area to see if someone was there. I was the only guest checking in at that time. Then, an employee walked out of the back office but rather by coincidence than responding to me being there. He did not even notice me at first until I walked up closer. 

We started the check-in process. I asked if suite upgrades were available but there were no free rooms according to the agent. He was, however, able to put me on the top floor of the hotel. I had the choice between one $10 off coupon or bonus points. I opted for the points as I was hoping my Ambassador Status with Marriott would give me Club Lounge access. When I asked him about that, he told me that the club is still closed because of the pandemic. I asked what their alternative breakfast solution was, and I got told there is no restaurant for breakfast during the week. There is only breakfast available on the weekends at the restaurant. During the week, it is just a regular in-house Starbucks. By the way, he even gave me false information, as the restaurant doesn’t serve breakfast and is completely closed on Sundays. I was disappointed and he tried to make it up to me with four $10 vouchers for the hotel. One for every night of my stay. Do you know how much you get for $10 at Starbucks? About one cup of coffee if you add the tip. I just came from the Hyatt Regency LAX and their club lounge was closed as well but they offered instead an awesome breakfast buffet to Hyatt Globalists. At night, the Hyatt Regency had a happy hour for Globalists where you could get beer, wine, and soft drinks for free. You had to pay however for the food. At this Marriott nothing. Even the Marriott in Burbank reopened their club lounge. 

Guest Room 1 King (Room 1117)

The room was about halfway down the hallway from the elevator. As you enter you have the bathroom on your right-hand side. It’s a well-sized bathroom and offers lots of space. It comes with a shower/tub combo unit with a shower curtain. On the other side of the bathroom, you find the single sink vanity. On the wall is an antique-looking mirror. Other than that, you get the usual amenities here like a hairdryer, cosmetic mirror, and so on. 

As you continue the entryway into your room you have a wall closet following the bathroom door. It has two large sliding doors which also function as a large dressing mirror. 

After that, you enter the main bedroom area. The king-sized bed is on the right with a nightstand on either side. The headboard of the bed is just as big as the bed itself. Power outlets and USB ports are scarce in this room. The only ones easy to access are the ones coming with the alarm clock which sits on the nightstand. Following the bed is a sofa chair with an ottoman with a small table and light next to it. 

Opposite the bed, you have a work desk with an office chair. There is a power outlet at the base of the desk lamp. Next to the desk is a medium-sized refrigerator. Following that is a dresser which has a TV sitting on top of it. Next to the dresser is an elevated spot where you can set up your suitcase.

The wall next to the bed, towards the bathroom, has a small niche. Inside is a small table with another chair. On top of it is a coffee maker and ice bucket.

There is only one window in the room. It faces out towards the parking lot and because of the high floor room, I got a bit of a few of the surrounding area. Nothing interesting but overlooking a good part of the area.

Public Areas & Amenities

The lobby was very beautifully decorated and had an inviting vibe to it to hang out and take a closer look. There were not a lot of seating options. Only one right at the main entrance of the hotel before you walk left towards the front desk. The Sacramento Marriott Rancho Cordova has lots of meeting rooms from small to large. It is also a venue for weddings.

Business Center

The business center is hiding behind a door in the hallway to Starbucks. There is a sign outside, but it is quite easy to miss. Inside is a desk with one workstation and a copy/printer machine. There is an extra spot where you could set up your own laptop if you have to.

Fitness Center

It took me a bit to find the fitness center. Even with all the posted signs, I walked by the entrance door to the actual fitness center. The door is the first double door next to the Starbucks in the lobby. A place where I didn’t expect a fitness center. You need your room key to enter, and you will find a well-sized fitness center inside with all the typical workout gear. It also has a view of the pool area.

Outdoor Pool & Patio

The hotel has a beautiful outdoor pool area. It reminds me of the Marriott in Long Beach. The pool is large and has plenty of space around it to grab a deck chair and relax in the sun. There are also a few tables with chairs and umbrellas in the pool area. In the background of the pool area, you have a wall with a small waterfall, which is neat. 

A little bit separated from the pool itself is the whirlpool. It is a decent size and has lots of space around it to hang out and relax. There was a sign at the pool door that you need an appointment and wristbands to use the pool area. This was probably a leftover from more stringent lockdown procedures a while back. There was a group sitting at the pool and nobody had a wristband. Nobody ever came around the pool area to check for wristbands. Maybe because of their staffing shortage? The strange part at this hotel is that you have to use your room key to re-enter the building. There is no key required to get outside of the building to the pool area.

Dining

Breakfast

There is no breakfast at this hotel. Well, there is a Starbucks, but I don’t consider this as breakfast. Normally there would be a concierge lounge where elites could get breakfast but that is closed as well. The restaurant, Formaggio Taverna and Patio, doesn’t even serve breakfast, only dinner. 

Starbucks

The Starbucks in the hotel is nothing special, It’s just like a regular Starbucks with the same options. There are a few tables and chairs in the area to sit down and eat. The only difference is that you can charge everything to your room. 

Hours
Monday-Thursday: 6 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Friday & Saturday: 6 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Sunday: 6 a.m. – 2 p.m.

With these limited hours, the Starbucks here serves more or less just as a breakfast venue. I wasn’t even able to get a coffee after work. That’s pretty sad.

Formaggio Taverna & Patio

I was never able to eat at this restaurant. It was closed on Sunday when I arrived and during the week, we had business dinner at other places and not at the hotel.

Market

There is a small market next to the front desk. Inside is a limited selection on snacks and drinks as well as other things you might need during your stay here. 

Conclusion

Overall, I was completely disappointed. One of the worst stays so far when it comes to service and amenities. I booked the Marriott so that I don’t have to stay at a Courtyard, which is similar in terms of what their breakfast looks like. Actually, Courtyards serve an even better breakfast than this full-service Marriott. I left a day early and called in the morning to get a late checkout. My 4 p.m. check-out time was honored by the lady answering the phone in the morning. Housekeeping was informed about that change but when I checked out at the front desk, they didn’t know anything about it but there was no issue with my 4 p.m. late checkout. Later I found out that they still charged me for the last night’s parking. This hotel charges for parking for the full duration of your stay at check in and not on a day-by-day basis. 

As I was working a lot, it didn’t matter much that there wasn’t much offered. An open lounge would have been nice. A lounge doesn’t even have to be attended the whole time, just checked upon every now and then. Next time when I am in the area I will stay at the nearby Fairfield Inn or the Hyatt Place. I am currently staying at Marriott’s just to requalify for my ambassador status as I have already prequalified for my Globalist status with Hyatt.