Hotel Duval, Autograph Collection

I always like to stay at the autograph collection when possible. Nice room, comfortable bed. Window was small making the room seem dark. Mandatory $ 15 valet. Friendly staff in the restaurant. Nice stay but underwhelming for part of the autograph collection. Probably wouldn’t stay here again when I’m Tallahassee. I would pick one of the other Marriott properties just out of ease.

If I could give them zero stars, I would. The only person who gets a positive comment is Alex, one of the managers who was very professional. However, the desk service was poor, and the valets caused nearly $ 800 worth of damage to my car, most of which was not immediately apparent UNTIL I got in and drove out of the parking lot (clearly they had run it off a curb or something — alignment was completely screwed up, and so I stopped, got out to inspect, and then saw the giant gash in my tire & rim from the same incident). The hotel’s insurance, Travelers, sucks royally and won’t pay the claim because I drove off (who walks around their vehicle with a magnifying glass when they pick it up from valet at «the nicest place in town»?). I can safely say I’ll never stay here again.

Hotel is very modern and nice but not great for families. Room was very small, beds were comfortable but very short for tall people. It had a very odd bathroom set up as others have mentioned, 2 glass sliding doors that do not offer very much privacy. Staff was very friendly but due to the size of the rooms/​beds/​bathroom I would recommend for a couple, not a family.

Three months ago our daughter got engaged and decided that her wedding would be in Tallahassee. We are from Miami and would be planning the small wedding for 50 guests. After looking at different options we decided on Hotel Duval. Her wedding was November 7, 2015 and it was exceptional. Every request my daughter made, every suggestion was followed. The venue was beautiful, the food delicious but the absolute best was the staff and in particular Ashley who took over the day of wedding ensuring that my daughter and her husband were happy and well taken care of. The always stay at Marriott, we own several Marriott timeshares but the services at Hotel Duval was the best we have ever had.

Pluses — great location and nice atmosphere.
Minuses — compulsory valet parking. $ 15 per day plus tip to have your car parked in a lot that is right next to hotel.
Breakfast — sit down breakfast with coffee served in a paper cup.
Bathroom set up is odd. Two semi opaque glass doors give the feeling one is using the bathroom on display in the room. Overhead shower head cannot be aimed and is uncomfortable.

Nice hotel. OK room. Windows were really small. Nice bathroom. Super sexy shower. Nice bathroom products. Very nice rooftop lounge. Also private lounge for Marriott members with free snacks. Valet parking only but I found easy street parking for free.

Really enjoyed the roof top bar. Has a boutique hotel feel. Chic.. Room was clean, comfortable. Housekeeping staff was friendly. Would definitely go back.

I pretty much agree with the other reviews.
The Hotel is clean, modern and chic. We had a queen room and it was quite small, but that’s fine.
The bathrooms were nice but also kind of strange and small. The river rock flooring is supposed to be good for your feet, although it isn’t the most comfortable.
Throughly, I did enjoy the Hotel for the night and would stay here again. Not just your average, basic hotel!

Not the best Marriott stay — especially for a gold member and frequent Marriott customer.
The Good:
1. 8^th Floor Lounge with awesome view
2. Location
The Bad:
1. Early Check-​In complete FAIL. I completed the early check-​in process only to go through the same EXACT process as normal check in when I arrived. The front desk person seemed utterly confused that I was confused about why I was doing the check in process and not just getting my key
2. I was given a handicap/​access room first. Why? Had to go back downstairs and request a different room. And none of my established preferences were in the first room (e.g. foam pillows)
3. New room also did not have established profile preferences. The receptionist again seemed confused when I pointed out that my profile had them stated and they were not followed. The room itself was odd — window is about 6 feet off the ground (oh, that’s what prison is like?!) and the bathroom has two sliding glass doors that are supposed to meet at a flush corner but don’t fully meet so you feel like you are using the bathroom in your room. The shower tries to look elegant by having rain shower head and rock floor but my guess is that this was a tricky way to save water — uncomfortable floor and can’t aim the hot water at you for long periods to stand in the shower and relax so you are out quickly.
4. The exec lounge only opens for breakfast and appetizers for about 4 hours a day. It should be open ²⁴⁄₇ or at least longer hours with sodas and water. Its ok to restrict the alcohol and food to a limited time but something should be available all the time.
Otherwise, the «library» portion of the lounge is comfortable with a fireplace, TV and pool table.
5. Food selection is ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE for a world class hotel. The starbucks and 8^th floor bar/​restaurant close too early and room service stops too early. There is no quick grab area — no prepared foods. The starbucks/​deli has NO vegetarian options — unacceptable. The vending machines do not have food, only drinks. I was shocked at HOW POOR the prepared and 24 hour food options were — I had to walk to the Walgreens. Really surprised at how bad this was.

I stayed at this hotel recently for business. It’s a nice hotel, everything was clean, but the rooms are set up in a strange way. I think they are trying to be a trendy boutique hotel, but miss the mark.
Shula’s steakhouse is in the hotel and the food and service was great.

Super fun. Dancing is totally permitted. The view inspires great moves. You’ll be bending and squatting and spinning like an Indian Dervish. It exists, I did it, and nobody laughed at me, just with me. In the governing side of town, where it can get kind of classy. Tallahassee ain’t nothing to mess with casually, she’s a beautiful southern bell you best marry if you’re worth your salt. Or else you get ripped out of there by some obscure but present burning. Many a giant has made it home. Where a thousand easy errands are at arms reach, and people mix like fishy stew. We really did our respective things and loved each other for it. We built makeshift families that brimmed with vitality. We were good to one another, and what happened is true.

This hotel is a pleasant surprise. It is fun and modern. The staff is very friendly, attentive and professional. Rooms are tastefully decorated, clean and quite. For our meetings, their catered meals were wonderful. Order the bacon!
The Shula’s 347 Grill serves a good mix of food and everything was tasty. Also check out the Level 8 rooftop deck and lounge.
Give this one a try next time you are in Tallahassee.

Extremely helpful staff. Great Shula’s restaurant downstairs. Complimentary water and airport shuttle pick-​up/​drop-​off.
Though the place has been recently renovated with a modern feel, it’s still ~100 yrs old. My coworkers and I discovered a lot of bugs in our room. :(housekeeping was very apologetic and did a thorough search which we appreciated. There were also issues keeping the A/​C off in our rooms.
It’s located within walking distance of a Walgreens, couple small eateries, and a fitness center. Not within walking distance to FAMU/​FSU though. The Marriott Residence Inn is at a better location and newer. I might try that next time, but overall, the staff at Duval was amazing!

This is an old historic hotel that has been renovated into a thoroughly modern signature-​type hotel.
The lobby and public spaces are very attractive and the hotel has a cool, boutique hotel vibe to it. The staff are all exceptionally friendly.
The rooms are similarly modern in design. I like the furniture and the bedding. The art on the wall is etched into glass panels and mounted several inches off the wall. Very cool.
The bathrooms, however, are a bit odd. I don’t have a problem with modern décor, so long as it is functional. I don’t find the bathrooms to be functional. First, there is no door but there are sliding frosted glass walls. You can have the bathroom completely open to the room or you can have frosted glass. Not a lot of privacy, so just keep that in mind.
The bathroom sink is clear acrillic so you can see right through it to the plumbing. Odd. But even more odd, there is no stopper for the sink. Huh? The show has a river rock floor (ok, I guess), and a «rain» type overhead shower. Cool to look at, but I hate it. There is a reason why shower heads work the way they do. You don’t want water pouring on your head the whole time you are in a shower…
The lighting in the bathroom is also very poor. I had trouble shaving properly…
Another odd thing — the room had the smallest window of any hotel I have ever been in. You sort of feel like you are looking out of a tank.

A great place to stay! The only thing that kept it from 5 stars in my opinion, is exactly what most of the other reviews have said, the smell. It is a very strange, artificial smell in the hallways. Other than that, everything is very modern and trendy, with clean rooms, great staff, and a Shula’s steakhouse. (Who can beat that?) If I ever come back through, I am definitely staying here!

It’s worth stay at for $ 139 a night (before tax) but does try to present itself as a hotel it’s just not.
The check in was very welcoming. Valet is mandatory.
Our first room was a corner room & it was the smallest room I’ve ever checked into. They politely moved us to a normal size room but it’s not a suite just cause it has a fridge.
The bathroom doors look cool but no way to muffle any sounds or lock them (glass on rollers). The shower floor is black rock that again looks cool but it’s a hotel — black isn’t favorable when I want to see it’s clean.
Bottom line, they are trying sooo hard. It’s clean, polite and somewhat odd. Worth the price but don’t expect true high class.

Positives:
Beautiful, clean, friendly staff, comfy bed, free wifi and great location!
Negatives:
*Overwhelming artificial aroma fills the place
*Extremely noisy air conditioning unit
*Digital thermostat, nearly impossible to work with especially in the middle of the night
*Glass bathroom doors. Cool concept however when your with another the privacy feels really lacking. No, you can’t see through them but they just slide together and it’s awkward. Not to mention if there are any noises coming from there your roomate will hear them.

Recently stayed at this very lovely hotel for one night on a road trip my daughter and I were doing. My daughter had found a reasonable deal on line so she booked it. When we arrived to valet I thought the price of $ 12 in and out per night was very reasonable. From the moment we entered to check in the entire staff were so friendly and helpful.
The smell of the hotel is what you might smell in a high end spa, it was quite refreshing. The hotel is decorated beautifully, very zen. Dark wood tones throughout, and red with gorgeous framed art in every room and hallways. They have Shula’s restaurant on the first level as well for a nice dinner you never have to leave the hotel.
We had a king size bed, refrigerator, and coffee maker in the room. The bed linens were soft and of good quality, the mattress was comfy and I found the room to be stunning. Others have complained about the bathroom design, yet I really enjoyed the design being right in the room separated by glass doors. The shower was awesome. The floor of the shower were river rocks and the water came from the ceiling like a rain forest. Good water pressure also.
My only complaint on the restroom in the room was there was no fan. Very odd, as I would never have wanted my husband with me. If he went to the restroom it would have been a nightmare not having any fan for circulation.
Free wifi and they offer breakfast which we did not take advantage of.
We changed quickly and went upstairs for happy hour at Level 8, which is a rooftop bar/​lounge. We had been to Level 8 many times in the past and we really enjoy it. We sat outside on the balcony where they have couches, tables, even heaters with a view of the city. Service was excellent and they offer a good happy hour. This is one of my favorite lounges in Tallahassee.
We very much enjoyed our stay at this lovely hotel. See you on our next trip.

They recently changed owners and I have not stayed since they did that, but I’ve heard things are still operating the same. This is the trendiest hotel in Tally. The rooms are interesting with the bathroom open to the room, it has sliders to close it off.
The breakfast they offer in the lobby is really good and they offer Starbucks coffees, latte’s, teas. They have a neat rooftop bar and Shula’s steakhouse as well — I’ve heard good things about both, but have not tried them as I’m usually busy on business.
They only offer valet parking. They part of Marriott’s Autograph collection so if you are a Marriott Rewards member you can get points.
Enjoy!

First Class! Great staff and very accommodating.
One of the nicest places to stay in Tallahassee.
Be sure to check out Level 8. Awesome view!

This is the only 4-​star hotel in Tallahassee, so one doesn’t have much choice. Luckily the Four Points by Sheraton and the Aloft are right down the street. The douche factor of the guests staying at this hotel is totally off the charts, by the way.
Service is very spotty. The valet service and managers are super-​friendly and efficient. The service that I received in the breakfast area (I won’t even dignify it by calling it a «restaurant») was non-​existent.
The «continental breakfast» that I was offered for free as a Lifetime Gold SPG member was defined as a small coffee. That sucks.
I will rate the Shula’s steakhouse that is on-​site separately, but suffice it to say that it is almost work the month – but not quite. No, I am not a cheapsake – I am even on a company expense account and I still can say this.
The hotel shuttle is a swank black Escalade that will also take you all of the way to the airport, so that is definitely a plus.
I know that I am rating their performance on a Saturday when there is a neurotic wedding party inhabiting the hotel, but they could really do a better job.
I don’t think that I will return. The Aloft will get my money in this town.

The Duval is a lot like a W. Similar décor, rooms set up the same, modern artwork throughout (the kind where you can’t differentiate the subject between a flower and a human genital), same kind of hoochie music playing in the lobby. The bathrooms are a little funny, with a lot of glass doors, etc… my only complaint about the rooms is the floor of the shower, which is done with these black rocks, sort of like big pebbles… kind of hurts your tootsies. But the rooms are clean and the staff is very friendly. I had to reserve a conference room for some meetings, and they were set up right on time and just as I had requested.
The Shula’s restaurant in the hotel isn’t quite as good as the Shula’s restaurants I have visited elsewhere, but it’s pretty decent. The service there is very good.