Residence Inn Merrillville

This used to be my favorite place to stay in Merrillville, Indiana. However, after a four-​day stay over Christmas, I’m not sure that I would ever return. I ended up changing rooms and was put in a room (room 223) that had not been dusted or maintained in a while. The closet door mirror was cracked, there were stains on the shower curtain, and a big brown ring on the lampshade. The sheets were also threadbare and my comforter had a big green piece of candy, gum, or some other food particle on it. The in-​room fireplace was also broken. Bummer! (See photos).
At breakfast the next morning, they were understandably short-​staffed due to it being Christmas. However, a house keeper, who was in housekeeping clothes (???), was trying to make breakfast and not doing a great job. There was no food left to eat and she was trying to defrost the Canadian bacon at 9AM. What??? On top of it, I’m not so sure I want housekeepers who have been cleaning bathrooms to be cooking my food in their dirty uniforms. I kind of felt sorry for her, because she was doing her best to accommodate everyone. She was really a very nice lady.
Lastly, this morning I went to breakfast in the lobby and once again, there was very little food to eat. On top of that, two guests walking around in the food area barefoot (gross). The female working the front desk only replied, «I’m sorry.» She did not address the issue. i’m not sure what happened to this hotel, but someone needs to come in and go through every room and also retrain the staff to report broken, damaged, and stained furniture. This room should’ve never been rented to us. Create a policy about entering the food appropriately dressed. Get it together Residence Inn!

We checked in at 2 am after arriving late to Ohare. This was such a easy drive to Notre Dame on game day, much better than the commute from Chicago would have been. Good breakfast. Doubt we will ever be back to a football game but would stay here if we are.

Sometimes reviews can be short. This is a nice, clean place although it’s a little confusing to get to. Close to the mall, better-​than-​average breakfast, wonderful staff.

I got to stay here for 4 months, May 2014-​August 2014, as far as lodging in the Gary, IN area this place is the best. If I’m sent here again for work I won’t come unless I get to stay at this place again. I practically live in hotels and this place has the best staff out of any extended stay hotel I’ve ever visited.

Ended up here after checking in and checking right back out at clarion inn which is behind Star theater we lived this place. Had our year old granddaughter and there is a kitchenette and a room divided from the bedroom. Pool a little cold. Breakfast was ok. I had cereal so you can’t mess that up. Wife had biscuits and gravy but she wasn’t impressed. But back to room. The bed was the best I’ve ever had in a bite and I’m 47. That’s a lot of hotels. Worth the 130 $ we payed. Kitchener helped out great with a baby.

As a business traveler I’ve stayed in Residence Inns and their competitors numerous times in the past. They really seem the same across the board as far as amenities and services so it comes down to maintenance, cleaning, and staff for me. The staff of this hotel was the nicest thing about it hands down – helpful, friendly, and they took pride in their work. Because of that alone I would come back. The pride showed through in cleanliness as well (while I was there I observed the front desk girl mopping the side entrance because of sleet coming in). The lobby computer and printer, often neglected in hotels, actually worked. The only criticism I have is the pool area. The pool is very small, the hot tub not very hot, and both nights there were no clean towels available (though the front desk was just outside the pool entrance and they provided more when asked). The door to the pool area requires repair – if closed, it would stick and be very difficult to open. Overall a good experience and I will be back!

This place is great! Very helpful and friendly staff clean comfortable beds great breakfast this place is a step away from home we had a fire and had to stay here with my three kids we loved it excellent all the way around and they only held one dollar on my card highly recommend this place for your family

My wife and I stayed here for a week in mid-​June because we are Illinois residents who had adopted a baby from Indiana, and could not take her across state lines until various paperwork requirements had been fulfilled. Our stay was great. First, the room was clean and well-​layed-​out. We had the two-​room suite, and so one of us was able to take care of our little girl in the middle of the night without disturbing the other, who was getting much-​needed rest.
Second, the staff was incredibly friendly and helpful. On the second day we were there, a manager whom we had not yet met saw us carrying her out of the lobby, and said, apologetically, «Oh, I haven’t had a chance to tell you congratulations!» When it came time to give her her first bath, I went downstairs to request an extra towel. The lady at the desk said, «Sure!» and returned with three towels. On the day before we left, the staff left a card congratulating us on our little girl under our door, signed by a multitude of staff members.
The pool was fine, though I am taking my wife’s word for that, as I forgot my swimsuit, and someone had to watch our daughter anyway. It is marred by those ridiculous handicapped-​swimming machines which I never see used but are ugly and take up so much space. If installing those is a choice of the company, fine, but I’ll bet they’re mandated by the state.
The breakfast was just ok, but then we weren’t paying for a bed-​and-​breakfast. It was certainly no worse than any of the hotel’s peers.
All-​in-​all, a much-​recommended place, should you find yourself in Merrillville for a great length of time.

There is only one reason I decide to stay at Marriott’s and that is for their consistency across the board with service, their consistency across the board with clean rooms and comfortable beds, operational and updated workout equipment, and their willingness to address any issues that may arise. My wife and I decided to take my three boys here for a day of swimming and lounging around watching TV/​Movies. We thoroughly enjoyed swimming and chilling in the hot tub, I even had an opportunity to run on the treadmill for a little bit… The food in the evening and in the morning was good and they had plenty to choose from. We got our money’s worth. Keep up the good work!

Jason and his staff took great care of me for the entire 3 months extended stay. The bed was comfortable and the rooms were quiet. I had all the amenities I needed throughout my stay. I was out and about during the day, but when I returned in the evenings, I was always greeted by their friendly staffs at the Front Desk.
Breakfast was plentiful in the mornings with a good variety to choose. The Manager’s Reception was always welcomed with different foods in the evening. It is nice that they offer this. I heard from other guests that also stayed here, that it is generous of the Management to offer this to their guests, you can say it’s like having a dinner comp’d for your stay. This is a wonderful gesture of theirs. On top of that, Josh and the staff would drop off fresh baked cookies in my room weekly. It’s so sweet of them to do this!
This location is quite convenient. We are right off of Hwy 30. There are many nearby restaurants to choose from in Merrillville. Westfield Shopping Center is down the road. I love the fact that Starbucks is closeby, across the driveway sorta speak. I walk over daily to have my Soy Chai Latte. There are grocery stores in nearby proximity for my weekly groceries and if I wanted to dine out, there was Cooper’s Hawk, Osaka and many other chain restaurants to choose from.
If I travel to Chicago again, I do not mind staying outside of Chicago with them again. The staff was always helpful in making my stay a welcoming one. Thank you!

My friend and I took our daughters to Chicago over spring break, mainly to go to the American Girl Place and to see museums, ect. W e are suburbanites and we decided to stay about an hour away from the city and drive in each day vs. staying in the city. Like any other 8 & 9 year olds, they LOVE going to hotels to swim. That didn’t happen. We checked in around 6:30 and there should have been enough time for them to relax, swim and have fun, however, when inspecting the rooms/​beds for bedbugs (which I always do when traveling), I found one crawling on the white comforter. I screamed for my friend to call the front desk. My daughter and her friend were hysterical, they know what bed bugs are and were crying that their spring break was ruined. The front desk clerk was nice and quickly offered to switch us to another room. Luckily, I had brought a travel size bed bug spray with us, knowing we would be in a hotel room. I sprayed this bug and the front desk clerk used gloves and placed it in a zip lock bag. I took several pictures of it also. I work in a hospital and see power point presentations all the time with pictures of bedbugs. This bug, to me, looked absolutely like a bed bug. About the size of a dark brown sesame seed crawling in the bed.
It took us quite a while to pack up 3 kids and all of our things and move to another room. Upon entering that second room, it took us quite a while to completely inspect for bedbugs. We were all done by 9:30 and by this time it was too late for the kids to swim. They were very upset. Needless to say, I didn’t get a good nights sleep… nightmares about bedbugs. Upon speaking to the General Manager Jason in the morning, he told me he couldn’t offer me anything until he got the result of a pest control company and he wasn’t very nice about it either. I had requested of him that he extend our stay for free for one more night. He reiterated that he «couldn’t do anything for me until he got the result of the pest control company». I explained that not only did the kids not get to swim, but also, I now would have to head to a laundry mat instead of home and wash all of my clothing to ensure I didn’t bring bed bugs into my home from their hotel. Add to that the fact that it was complete hysteria with 3 kids screaming about bedbugs, no sleep, ect.
So, while we were eating breakfast the next morning the pest control company came. I asked him if that was a bed bug and he would not tell me. He said he only reported to Hotel Management. The GM told me that they said it was a ‘beetle’. I should have taken the bug with me to have someone else verify this. The GM would not refund my nights stay, he only gave us a $ 60 credit which we had paid to upgrade from a 1 bedroom to a 2 bedroom. I don’t know if it was or was not a bed bug, as the GM did not let me speak to the Pest control company and he could have lied to me.
I called the 1 – 800 number for corporate Marriott and they told me they could not do anything because this particular Residence Inn was a franchise and not a corporate hotel. The GM e mailed me after I made this complaint and basically reiterated what he said to me in the hotel. He denied it was a bedbug and said they compensated me $ 60, and he felt that was enough. I will NEVER stay here again.
Add to this nightmare about the bug, was the fact that at their managers reception they always ran out of food, there was a lady in line with us and she said «Yeah, this always happens here», the again the next day at breakfast, they ran out of waffle mix, sausage, eggs and fruit. The manager actually left and went out to a store and bought fruit. It was very aggravating when trying to feed 3 kids that they kept running out of food. It took way way way too long to eat breakfast because of this.
Also, on our second night, I called the front desk 3 times to complain about the noise upstairs. Kids must have been jumping off beds, slamming drawers, ect. Front desk was nice and sent security up there to tell them to be quiet. They said a ‘large family’ had checked in. Upon my 4^th call to the front desk, no one answered, I assumed they were up at that room asking them to be quiet. My friend was awake until 3 am, at one point, thinking someone was breaking in our door it was so loud. I finally fell asleep (with the help of a pair of ear plugs and a muscle relaxer) after the 4^th attempt to call the front desk. Upon check out, the front desk did issue us some Marriott points to compensate for the noise. I don’t know if their hotel is poorly constructed, so that you hear all second floor noise, or it this family was doing acrobatics in their room, but our second night was about as sleepless as the first.
Between the bug found in the bed our first night and the noise all night long the second night we got no rest. We definitely would NOT stay here again.

Terrible service, the rooms was awful, and had nothing but trouble. Considering my company paid for a 35 night stay up front I’d expect a lot more!
Don’t waste your money on this dump!