Residence Inn by Marriott Memphis Southaven

First and lasting impression

Clean and in very close proximity to dining and shopping. With one exception the staff was engaging and pleasant. Surprisingly, parking was ample and well lit. The breakfast bar was able average with a decent variety of foods.

Upon arrival the front desk lady was extremely unfriendly, robotic and cold. My group acted professional and respectful yet the desk clerk seemed pissed off as if checking two guest in highly disrupted her morning. This lady seemed put out we were in her workplace. We arrived as a group with two of our foursome having checked in before us. When we came together as a group later in the day we all shared similar stories of the less than hospitable clerk. We revisited the discussion upon returning to the hotel later in the evening having been greater by a warm and friendly "Welcome back, hope you enjoyed your evening out" by the night clerk. This clerk was the polar opposite of the lady we encountered in the morning upon check-in. It's worth noting three of the four in our group are members one of whom used his rewards points to comp his four day stay. Despite staying for free we all strongly considered canceling our reservations and checking into another hotel. To be clear, we weren't looking to be entertained and I get having a bad day but as a frequent traveler being away from home a pleasant smile and warm greeting by staff does wonders while away from the comforts of home. In fairness the remaining hotel associates were friendly and engaging. The house keepers and maintenance staff seemed to make smalltalk and wished us a great day. Anyone of those individuals would've been a better front desk fit than the unpleasant woman we encountered.