TownePlace Suites Albany University Area

We stayed here for 2 nights while enjoying some college hockey games in the region. The staff was really pleasant, and the room was clean and well equipped (mini suite with kitchen). The bed was not the most comfortable I’ve had, but was good enough. Breakfast was pretty limited the first day (I think they were understaffed), with much more selection the second day. Coffee was very good — that’s a must!

I have stayed at this hotel for two weeks at a time due to work since November 2014, a total of 10 weeks. My experience overall, unfortunately, has been mediocre at best.
1) Housekeeping is extremely variable and unreliable. Some days my garbage was emptied, some days not. Some days my garbage can would mysteriously disappear altogether, and polite requests-​to-​desperate implorations to replace it were met with annoyance. Annoyance!!! As though asking for a garbage can is being high maintenance. It was really nothing short of bizarre. I had to buy my own garbage bags in order to have a place to throw things out, and I have also taken to borrowing the housekeeper’s vacuum to clean my room MYSELF, due to their inability to vacuum regularly. Ain’t nobody got time for that!
2) I’ve stayed in: two different one bedrooms, one studio, and two different two bedrooms here. So I’ve had a fair sampling of all the various rooms. They are all decently sized and reasonably appointed. Beds are all comfortable. The kitchens are well stocked with necessary utensils. Some of the dishwashers work, some don’t. I’ve reported this, but to no avail. The bathtubs are uniformly clogged in every room I’ve ever stayed in, so a 10 minute shower invariably results in being ankle deep in stagnant water in all rooms. Not a big deal if you’re here one or two nights, but annoying if you’re here for weeks at a time.
Breakfast is quite good. Options are a wide variety of cereals, oatmeal, fruit, juices, boiled eggs, toast/​bagels, and sometimes scrambled eggs. The breakfast staff is very helpful and nice. I saw that some reviewers complained that the breakfast room is small, but I mean… what can they do about that. One of the girls who used to work the breakfast room is now at the front desk and she’s great. I can’t eat the same thing for weeks on end, so I usually no longer eat there, but it’s really not bad at all. Plus the price is right (free).
In conclusion, comfortable beds, quiet rooms, powerful heating systems in each room (which is important for Albany winters), well appointed kitchens, decent breakfast. Staff is extremely variable, ranging from super nice and friendly to haughty, unhelpful and rude. Housekeeping pretty much s-​u-​c-​k-​s, and if you’re going to be staying here for weeks on end with pets as I have been, I would recommend bringing your own garbage bags, a dust buster, and whatever else you need to keep your place clean, because they definitely won’t be doing it. At an average of $ 149/​night, it’s up to you to decide if that’s worth it.

I stayed here for work and it was very cozy and comforting. The employees are all very kind and the rooms are spacious and feel like mini apartments. It’s a great hotel to stay in with multiple people.

upon Arrival it wasn’t easy to see where the office was. we found our room easy enough. it was a bit run down. the kick boards well plastic stuff on the floor in the toilet room (separated from sink) was coming off and the light bulb made a racket. the two youngest kids slept on a pull out couch that was extremely uncomfortable. Though our oldest was ecstatic to have her own queen bedroom. The outlet on my side of the bed was loose, so the alarm clock plug fell out on it’s own constantly. I just relied on my phone for the time but it too was hard to charge in that outlet.
We tried breakfast there the first day. and it had awful waffles, the tables were very cramped, and not much else. only hard boiled eggs no other way no sausage or bacon or variety, decided buying fruit for the room was a better option. When I went to do laundry, the drier took forever, turned out it was broken. they were nice to start it for free and gave us popcorn and water for the kids. so that was nice. but I thought it was just me who hadn’t turned the drier on, but even after i did. it took 2 extra tried to get the clothes dry.
then while in a usual haste to leave on time. i left my phone charger and my daughter left her favorite nightgown. we realized the charger was missing about 2 hours after we left, but had only gone about 20 mins away. to the local mall. so called to go get it and was told they didn’t have it. to call housekeeping in the morning. when i did they still had no idea where they could be. so either housekeeping just throws peoples stuff out, steels it or is just awful about cataloging peoples belongings. So i have been without a charger and my daughter misses her nightgown, yes we should have been more diligent in our packing, but i really don’t understand why a maid can’t go through a room look for left belongings first. put them in a bag with date and room number on it. keep it a t least a week before donating. or whatever. very sad. over all it was on ok experience. the pool closing at dusk and being outside really upset the kids. it was cold in the shade and too hot in the sun. the like to swim at night and it closed at 8:15, over all kinda frustrated with this place. but i have had worse experiences, these were just little annoyances. stuff is replaceable, but i did notice a lot of doors in the hallways were pretty beat up and the closer you looked to detail the more you realize that maybe you are the only one looking at the details. I saw 2 different janitors on break but funny never saw them working… would i recommend this place? well if everything else is full and you need to get away for a couple days, and can find a good rate. it’s not awful, but I would even look next door to fairfield or all the many others in the area as well. every hotel has it’s ups and downs, bad weeks. it’s just what you are willing to live with for a few days.

Don’t be fooled by the pictures the hotel sales team took. I flew in and arrived at the hotel around midnight to join my husband. When I arrived, the garbage cans were overflowing. And not just one, but all of them. There was trash and cigarette butts all over. A water hose was just thrown in a bush. I assumed it was a busy night but the maintenance crew/​grounds would clean it in the morning. Nope. It just got worse. The only trash can that was emptied the whole weekend was the one by the front office. The hallways are hot and have a horrible smell. I felt like I was walking through garbage when I walked to my room. We were on the second floor. Our room door was off the hinges so we literally had to lift the door up just to close it. We reported this to the front desk Sunday morning to what appeared to be the front desk girl and a manager/​supervisor. The supervisor woman looked confused and said that was weird but they would let maintenance know. She had 0 empathy for us and never even greeted me when I walked through the front door. I felt like I was interrupting her. My husband reminded them of this that afternoon and also told them our toilet was coming out of the floor and needed to be secured. Two days later and maintenance never came by. The sales’ office is on the second floor (was right across our room) and every time I walked to or from my room, they were gossiping about people. We decided to take our business to the Springhill Suites in Albany which is LEAPS AND BOUNDS nicer and staff is much friendlier.
The only thing I enjoyed during my stay at Townplace was the kitchen in the room. It was very efficient. Their continental breakfast also exceeds the norm. Besides that, the thought of staying there again makes me feel dirty. Do not stay here!

Very nice place has kitchen in the room stove and fridge this would be a nice place to stay if your staying for a long time

We stayed in a two bedroom for two nights and thought it was very comfortable. The little galley kitchenette managed to squeeze in a small oven (not just a stovetop) and refrigerator with freezer. So no more cooking frozen pizza in a pot on the range. WiFi access was stable with a strong signal in our room. Facilities were clean and the staff was extremely friendly. Our son was given a little care pack that he loved. He actually wrote Mary, the housekeeper for our room, a thank you note. In in all, in my son’s words, I know we don’t live here but it’s like home. Of that is if you live in NYC and are accustom to «cozy» living spaces.

Very nice place to stay. Very friendly staff. Clean rooms. Easy access to highway.

I stayed here for the February Bar exam and it was a great experience. If you are taking the bar in Albany, STAY HERE! They have a shuttle that runs free all morning starting at 6 AM and picks you up for free after it the bar is done. The room is also comfortable and quiet. There is free wi-​fi and a desk if you need to/​have energy left in you to review. Also, there is a full kitchen and refrigerator if you bring snacks. Further, there is free coffee and snacks to buy in the lobby’s store. Essentially, this hotel was set up for bar exam takers.
I was expecting to arrive in Albany to a depressing hotel room but this was actually a pretty pleasant experience (as far as a bar exam could go). Also, there are several restaurants that deliver and the front desk will set that up.

It’s not the ritz but it’ll do. Great location and not a shady area as most places in Albany are! Right by 87 and 95. It’s very close to 2 malls, Walmart, target and lots of restaurants. The hotel and room was a little outdated but clean. We got a 2 bedroom but was disappointed that only 1 bedroom had a tv. They have breakfast but it’s nothing great. Laundry facilities, a big plus for me! The staff is very helpful and attentive. I had a few special requests and when I got to my room they were there along with a personalized note!

I am right now in this hotel and I must say that it needs a major overhaul.
The people are nice and so is the location, but the equipment is very old and the beds and the linen needs a revamp.
I really want to give a 2 because of the friendly service, but the linens I am sleeping in stops me from doing so.
I normally stay in a Marriott and have never come across a Marriott with such low standards when it comes to interiors and linens.

Great for one night — wouldn’t want to spend more than that here.
PROS
* Only 10,000 Marriott Rewards points
* Bed was pretty comfortable
* Kleenex brand issues — something that I really appreciate and rarely get, even in the nicest of hotels
* Free breakfast (also has some cons, see below)
* Clean (does account for something!)
CONS
* I’m sure the place was nice when it was built, but everything is really out of date. The kitchen reminded me of an icky NYC studio apartment… REALLY old appliances (1980s?)
* They forgot to put towels in our room, so we had to call and ask for them (and paper thin towels when we got them)
* No trashcan in the bathroom — only one in the kitchen, so sort of a pain
* The breakfast was in a small room, and was REALLY crowded. It reminded me of a soup kitchen. There was nowhere to sit, and three people deep to get food. They were good at making sure the breakfast was stocked, but it was really insane for what it was.

I was sent to Albany by my work to complete an intense 17-​week training from September to January. I was a resident at the Marriott TownePlace Suites the entire time. So this review is the real deal.
–Room: small kitchen with a stove, oven, dishwasher and good-​size refrigerator. However, it is stocked with limited kitchen supplies. You have 3 of all the dishes, glasses, mugs, and utensils; a few pots, and maybe a pan. Good for a week or two stay, but not stocked for anything longer than that.
–Housekeeping: Very inconsistent. I set up days that I wanted cleaning which worked for a little while, but then they started coming in almost everyday. I don’t mind them cleaning my room everyday, but sometimes I wouldn’t put things away because I wasn’t expecting them and they came in anyway. However, the entire time I was there, none of my things were taken or even touched. They are very good about not touching personal items. If I wanted housekeeping service later in the day, sometimes they would come back, sometimes they wouldn’t.
–Staff: Front desk is generally friendly. They gave me menus of nearby restaurants that deliver since I did not have a car all the time, and nothing is of walking distance. Since I’m from CA, I am not used to living in the snowy weather. I was going to airport early one morning to spend the holidays with the family, and a snow storm had just hit the night before. The front desk person graciously offered her help to shovel my car out of the foot of snow that had accumulated from the night before. I very much appreciated that.
At times, they were slow to respond to requests and/​or emergencies. My fire alarm went off several times, but no one called or came up to make sure things were okay. I called the front desk and asked someone to come up and turn it off, but by the time the person came up, it had already turned off on its own. I could not turn off the alarm by myself, so it went off for at least 15 – 20 minutes before it turned off on its own. Very annoying!
When I was visiting family at home, they allowed me to leave things in their refrigerator since I was coming back the following week. They also allowed my co-​worker to store a luggage in their office. Very convenient.
–Food: They have continental breakfast every morning, but not much of a selection: boiled eggs, packets of oatmeal, fruit that rarely looked appetizing (which was either overripe bananas or very old oranges), boxes of single-​serving cereal, old bread and bagels, yogurt and muffins which weren’t too tasty. Sounds like a lot, but the quality was not there at all. One good thing they had was making your own waffles using a pre-​made waffle batter. I wish they had some kind of meat, or at least better fruit. Again, its fine for a week or two, but not for an extended stay.
–Appearance: The green carpet needs to go. Overall the place is clean and presentable.
–Amenities: Cable TV with good channels. Free Wi-​Fi, even in the rooms (big plus!). Exercise room is ridiculously small. They describe it as «cozy» exercise room. However, you can get a real workout at a gym about 2 miles away for free, as long as you are a guest of the hotel. Coin-​operated washers and dryers on site, but no coin machines. Although there are two buildings, there is only one location for the breakfast, exercise room, and washers/​dryers. That could be a pain for someone staying in the other building.
Overall, it’s an OK hotel for a decent price. Big plus: I was able to earn big time Marriott points!

My parents always choose to stay here because they allow pets. Each room has a kitchen area, not that I have ever made use of that. The last time I stayed here I was in a handicap room so the bathroom was huge. The gym is 24 hours so that is very useful. The breakfast room is small and it can be hectic at peak hours. I generally just make a waffle and find a seat in the back. They never have fresh fruit like other Marriotts do but that’s okay. Some people use this hotel as an extended stay place so you will meet some families waiting for their houses to be built, etc.