Courtyard By Marriott Inverness Airport

While we did not get much time in Inverness, the location for our stay was perfect for an early morning flight. The room & bathroom were clean and comfortable. It was quiet and the kitchen bar was very convenient. We enjoyed a decent dinner and restaurant services were friendly despite how busy it was! I only wish the initial introduction and check in was friendlier. The two ladies at the desk didn’t smile, seemed a bit standoffish and generally annoyed. The gentleman at checkout was much kinder.

I preface this review by saying the room cost over £600 for 2 nights and needs to be judged as such. For that price I expect far better than what I got. We gave our name to check in and the first thing I was told by the receptionist was that my card had been declined, but I hadn't given any card to reception. Plus, the room was paid in full. After the receptionist confirmed this was true I asked if I needed to add my card to the room since we would be spending on site. I was told no card was necessary and we could pay as and when we bought things. We went to the bar for a drink and was told they don't take cards or cash, only room keys. So I had to go back to the receptionist to add the card to the room. The room... hairs on the towel, hairs in the shower and the table in the room hadn't been wiped and was sticky. The shampoo bottle was just an empty bottle with zero shampoo inside. For £100/night these issues wouldn't be a problem, but £300/night they are unacceptable. The one good thing is the lady host running breakfast was fabulous. And the breakfast food is nice too.

So seems like a nice hotel and it has EV chargers. I came to pick someone up after a very long drive. The restaurant didn’t look THAT busy but it was too busy to serve even a starter from 7 to 9pm apparently. The airport bar was shut so I had to dine on chocolate from the vending machine. They explained that all the rooms were full and everyone had ordered room service so it was the kitchen that was full. I did eat eventually and it was very nice.

Overall, not a bad place to stay. A little bit out of the city centre but there's bus stops right in front of the airport terminal and the train station a few minutes walk away. Staff were absolutely fantastic, kind, friendly and approachable and helped with anything I asked of them. Can't rate them highly enough. Food in the restaurant was a little bit hit and miss. Everything was presented well, but the flavour of some dishes was just a bit lacking - the chilli used on the chilli cheese fries for example, didn't really taste of anything and I only really got the flavour of the fries and the cheese. The lamb that was on as a special over the Easter weekend however, was delicious and a real stand out. Rooms are well equipped, the TV is pretty nice and you can log into your own youtube account to watch stuff which is a nice touch. The usual freeview channels are also available too. Beds were really soft and comfortable. I wasn't a huge fan of the pillows as they were also extremely soft, but that's a preference thing so I can't really hold that against the hotel. I did also have an ironing board, safety iron and fridge in the room(which were extremely handy), alongside the usual kettle, mugs, glasses and whatnot. A few scuffs and stains here and there, normal wear and tear for a busy hotel but nothing out of the ordinary for a well kept room. Wifi was good, never had any issues streaming shows whilst staying here. There were multiple networks available as well, though I had no reason to ever change from the guest network. The gym was small but reasonably well equipped. The treadmills and other equipment are perhaps showing their age a little at this point though and could probably do with replacing in the near future. The bathroom was well appointed, lots of complimentary toiletries, nice clean towels and a shower with great water pressure. Personally I liked the frosted glass door and partial wall, but I can see how some people would be uncomfortable using the bathroom with anyone else in the room as there is much less privacy with the design that is in place. My only real complaint was seeing AI generated posters on display around the lobby area. I would much rather have seen something made by staff in house, there's much more charm to seeing something made by someone who cares (which the staff here clearly do), rather than something bland and soulless spat out by an algorithm. As I was staying here for work, I can't really comment on pricing but I certainly did enjoy my stay and would definitely look to book in again should I need a stop over in Inverness for a flight.