The Bistro in the Courtyard by Marriott

I had an interesting experience here. I went with minimal expectations. It's a "default" destination for people who don't want to venture out from their hotel after all.

The person tending bar when I arrived was a pleasant lady who took my drink and food order:
Vodka martini and a Bistro Burger
I knew immediately there was a concern because I wasn't asked what vodka I preferred and whether I wanted it straight up or on the rocks etc.
the drink I got was (forgive me) disgusting. It was all vermouth and had a LIME in it.
I choked this down and ordered a whiskey instead since that's pretty much impossible to mess up :)

To make matters worse, the couple that came in after me not only got their burgers before me, they finished them before I got mine.

Another person arrived behind the bar in the meantime.
His name is "T".
He gave me a water without me asking, asked me about my food order, and offered me another whiskey (again without asking me what I had- meaning he had looked to find out).

He apologized for the food situation and got me my burger.

I over-tipped him to acknowledge the good service. I decided to let him know about the issues I had, and he insisted on making me a proper martini. It was perfect.

Turns out he had a family emergency, which is why he was not there when I walked in when they opened to take my order and provide proper service.

Give this guy and his place a chance. He clearly cares about his customers and the service provided here, which is all too rare these days.

Thank you T!!!

Very nice just got here but after going to many other Hotel's I can tell this is top notch high class.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Hannah was great. Service and food was the best

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Kayla and Hannah were awesome!!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great food. Awesome staff. Really friendly people who know the area well and great to chat with while sipping on a drink.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Kid got flatbread he really enjoyed it. I got buffalo chicken sandwich that was terrible.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 5

I created an account on TripAdvisor just to share how terrible this place is and why I’ll never in my life step foot here again. On Oct 3, I booked a double-bed room for the night of October 7. On October 6 at 2:24 pm I received an email from the hotel(Courtyard by Marriott at Shippensburg) welcoming me to the hotel. We arrived at the hotel on October 7 at 8:24 pm after a whole day hike at Ricketts Glen State Park followed by 3 hours drive to the hotel. Once we arrived at the hotel, we were notified that our booking wasn’t available. And that’s it. When asked further they told us that there was nothing they can do as we booked it from a third-party site(hotels.com). If you treat people who book via third-party sites as if they aren’t customers, why even partner with those sites? On top of that, if my information wasn’t available to you, how did you send me a welcome email with the itinerary number 24 hours before the check-in time? We were dead tired by the time we were at the hotel and that is how we were welcomed. The Level of utter irresponsibility, disregard towards our concerns, and unprofessionalism shown by the hotel, in general, was something I’d never expected I’d get to see from any business. Let alone from a business whose survival is solely dependent on hospitality. I asked to talk to the manager/s but I was told that they aren’t available. From what the front desk officer told us, the manager too said there’s nothing they can do. They abandoned us. I understand that problems occur but the way the hotel handled it was beyond comprehension. If my booking wasn't available why did you send me a welcome email? If there were problems, why didn’t you notify me earlier? Only had they notified me, I’d have arranged something beforehand. We waited there for almost two hours and left. We felt as if we were begging them to provide us with a room for free. We paid hundreds of dollars for a night and in return, we got to stay in their lobby for hours as if we were asking them for something for free. They didn’t value us or the money we paid. What if we were late and arrived there at midnight? How would you expect us to manage accommodation at that time? Marriott is a big brand and I thought it would live up to its name, but turns out I was wrong. I’ve stayed at more than 50 hotels and never had a hotel shown me this level of carelessness/irresponsiveness to its customers. I will never stay at this place. I won’t recommend this place to you either. Please, make sure to think twice if you are planning on staying here. Even more so, if you’re planning on booking from a third-party site.

Worst breakfast ever in any hotel i have been. Very long waiting time, badly cooked, very little choice. Beds not done for 5 days. Expensive. Try to avoid but the choice overthere is very limited. I have to say that after my review after their survey sheet they immediately contacted me. Good follow up.

My husband and I were in Shippensburg for a show at the Luhr Center at Shippensburg University last night. We've stayed at this facility in the past so elected to stay here again. The facility is still beautiful and was so clean that it may have been recently updated. What we noticed (as we find everywhere since the pandemic) is the business is short staffed. However, the few people working were outstanding in wearing multiple hats. A manager helped to tend the bar at the Bistro, the desk person cleaned tables and helped to serve our dinner, the young lady behind the bar was cooking breakfast as well as serving and manning the cash register, and a manager was cleaning rooms in the morning. In addition, every person was exceptionally friendly. I want to commend this work force for their ability to work together and keep this business running efficiently. I can only hope that this review reaches upper management of Marriott and these people are commended for their effort. The only thing I would improve was that the water in the swimming pool was too cold. We enjoyed the hot-tub instead.

Love that this Marriott had a restaurant in their hotel. Although a limited menu and only serving breakfast and dinner.. for us that was ok. Casual and modern decor. Tables and booths and seating at the bar. Full service bar. Outdoor seating at a firepit that is available as well. There was lounge seating on the other side of the gas fireplace. Servers were friendly and Amber especially was very attentive to our party of 7. I had the salmon and broccoli and it was done perfectly. The Bistro Burger was large,quality beef, on a briochebun and done perfectly. It came with French fries,served hot. The grilled cheese my granddaughter ordered had plenty of cheese. Although they have a 3 cheese one,she only ordered American Cheese. The Bistro Burger looked so good, we went back a 2nd time and I ordered it plain. Again, a really good quality beef.

We always stay at Courtyards when we travel because we always get a clean and comfortable room and this location did not disappoint. What stood out the most was the excellent customer service by the entire staff…it is always a treat to get such good consistent service. Conveniently located near highways is also a plus.

While the hotel had a bright side—quiet room, helpful staff and good location next to the university — our stay was marred by by several issues. The WiFi was extremely slow throughout the hotel, there were no cups in the room for coffee or to use for brushing teeth, no bottled water in room, breakfast in the cafe (which we had to pay for) was microwaved yet lukewarm. In addition, I called the hotel earlier in the day to inquire about the hot tub/pool hours. However, when we arrived, both were closed due to maintenance, which we were told was a common occurrence.

Our room was CLEAN! This is important to me, if a place is not clean, I do not go back! Hotel front desk workers were friendly and helpful. The hotel is maintained well. I would recommend. Right next to Shippensburg University, great location. Had Starbucks coffee , located in the lobby. Outside fire pit is a nice bonus.

In many years of travel to hundreds of hotels I've never experienced anything as awful as our check-in to this place (so that I've written to Marriott to complain--not sure I've ever written to any management this way before). If you're going to stay here--and there are reasons why you might--do not book through any outside party. We endured 35 minutes of the front desk guy complaining about such services, mocking us for having used one, and saying first that he didn't have the reservation, then that he couldn't process it, then that it barred his giving us the rooms we wanted, etc. Eventually a slightly more competent and kind colleague took over and got us pretty much what we'd asked for in the first place. I don't know whether, together, they were more rude or incompetent. They certainly showed no interest in COVID precautions. The hotel itself seemed fine and got us some good sleep when we needed it. It turned out to be a pretty long way from 81, and the GPS the next morning got lost on the campus of the adjacent university, for which it is very convenient--you might want to stay at the Courtyard if you're doing something there. But if you do, book with them directly, I'd say, and don't expect to be well treated once you arrive. (The couple of dudes drinking heavily at the bar at 11 seemed right at home.)

Overall, the hotel was very clean. The rooms, bathrooms, lobby and outdoor areas are well taken care of. The staff is very friendly. However, I did request when making my reservation - extra pillows and a pack and play - but did not get either. I also had to ask several times for towels only to find out there is in fact... a towel shortage - who knew. We stayed with several families for a baseball tournament, so a group of pretty rowdy boys, but they enjoyed it as did we. Also - we've had a few recent hotel stays where the room is "sealed" and marked as cleaned and sanitized... not the case at this hotel.