Mill Lane, Cardiff, United Kingdom | (888) 710-7049
City center
location is a short walk from the main train station
Pleasant
restaurant serves locally sourced produce
The cafe bar features a menu of British favorites and an outdoor patio
Indoor swimming
pool, steam room, and sauna are nice perks
Air conditioned
rooms include high-end bath products and flat-screen TVs
Large multi-story
car park is convenient (though expensive)
Expensive fee for
Wi-Fi
Generic and dated
interiors
Noise from local bars can
be an issue
Rooms lack mini-fridges
This Marriott Hotel is a mid-range, chain property located in the center of Cardiff city. There's not a great deal to get excited about inside or out; uninspiring architecture and generic corporate-style decor can be found through most of the property. Rooms are adequate and mostly spacious, though lacking minibars, and some suffer from street noise. The restaurant is pleasantly decorated, the indoor swimming pool is a decent size, and multi-level parking is certainly useful for drivers. Overall, however, the hotel doesn't quite live up to the brand's typical upscale standards, and despite relatively low rates, expensive Wi-Fi, breakfast, and parking can add up and make this not a particularly high-value stay.
Scene
Modern redbrick chain hotel with generic corporate ambiance
Appearing more
office block than hotel, this modern redbrick property
is a bit bland. A glass-ceilinged portico points visitors to
the entrance and into the lobby -- an equally characterless, though perfectly passable, sparsely-furnished space with wood-paneled reception desk and ceiling spot
lighting. The hotel opened in 1986 as a Holiday Inn and was sold to InterContinental
Hotels Group four years later to become a Marriott hotel. Despite 2008
renovations, much of the interiors feel dated -- with the exception of the bar and restaurant A trio of elevators whisk a mixture of business and leisure
guests to one of the hotel's 172 guest rooms spread over 12 floors.
Location
Set in Cardiff city center, close to shopping, transport, and hip hangouts
The hotel is located
in the center of Cardiff, overlooking Mill Lane and a collection of hip bars and
hangouts popular with students and young revelers. The location is also
super-convenient for access to most of the city's shopping and entertainment,
with the Cardiff Central Market and St David’s shopping mall a couple blocks
away and Millennium Stadium less than 10 minutes on foot. Cardiff Central
Railway station is also just a three minutes' walk away, and numerous restaurants
and cafes can be found in the surrounding area.
Rooms
Typical traditionally-styled rooms with decent toiletries, though some noise
The hotel's 172
rooms are decorated in a typical but not unpleasant chain-hotel fashion with a
mixture of traditional styling and both modern and old fashioned furnishings --
though some are looking tired. Room have adjustable heating and air-conditioning, as well as flat-screen TVs, hairdryers, and tea/coffee facilities
-- though no minibars or fridges. While Wi-Fi is available, it's not free of
charge and pretty expensive. Bathrooms are clean and generally well-maintained
with shower/tub combos and high-end Acca Kappa bath products. Although all rooms
are double glazed and there's no intolerable traffic noise, late night
disturbances from the clubs and bars opposite have been reported.
Features
Good leisure facilities, biut expensive breakfasts, parking, and Wi-Fi
The hotel offers
a choice of three breakfasts: buffet, continental, and grab-n-go, though all
cost the same (rather high) price. The restaurant Zest has pleasant
surroundings and offers a range of locally sourced Welsh dishes for dinner and
Sunday lunches. Alternatively, Chat's Café Bar offers more relaxed dining of
traditional British fare as well an outside patio for alfresco eating. Leisure
facilities are decent, with a good-sized indoor swimming pool, steam room, and whirlpool, as well as free fitness classes and a gym. The main downside,
however, is the hotel charges an expensive hourly rate for even a basic Wi-Fi
connection. While the
hotel has a multi-story car park, daily rates are also pricey.