Danube Trip: Marriott Courtyard Prague

Danube Trip: Chicago to Brussels
Danube Trip: Brussels Adventures and Getting to Prague
Danube Trip: Marriott Courtyard Prague
Danube Trip: Prague, Czech Republic
Danube Trip: Boscolo, Autograph Collection
Danube Trip: Prague to Nuremberg
Danube Trip: Viking River Cruise Boats – the Njord and the Bestla
Danube Trip: Nuremberg, Germany
Danube Trip: Weltenburg Abbey and Danube Narrows
Danube Trip: Regensburg, Germany
Danube Trip: Passau, Germany
Danube Trip: Wachau Valley and Göttweig Abbey
Danube Trip: Vienna, Austria
Danube Trip: Budapest, Hungary
Danube Trip: Hilton Budapest (Castle District)
Danube Trip: Budapest to Chicago

When deciding where to stay in Prague we naturally turned to our points and free night certificates.  We each have the Marriott credit card from Chase and that card comes with a free night certificate for a category 1-4 hotel.  Since the Courtyard is a category 4, it worked out perfectly for us.  We booked two free nights, each using our certificate.  We decided to splurge on the Boscolo, part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection, for our final night.

The front desk staff assisted us quickly.  They noted that they were completely full for the night and thus could not give us our preference of a room, which was a high floor away from the elevator.  They did say that we could have that type of room for the following night.  Knowing that we’d be spending very little time in the room, we opted to keep the same room for both nights.

We’d reserved a room with two beds and they appeared to be double beds.

Across from the beds was a desk attached to the wall and beside that was a wardrobe.  We had a connecting room and that door was right beside the wardrobe.  We did not hear any noise coming from the connecting room, for which we were grateful.

Positioned between the bathroom and the beds was a cabinet that housed the fridge and the safe.  On top of that was the setup for coffee and tea.

The bathroom was pleasantly large.  On the left side was the sink with an expansive counter and the toilet was just beyond.  On the right side was a tub with the shower.  I liked the curved shower rod and the shower head that was set up to slide as high or low as you’d want.  We did find it odd that the shower curtain was not long enough where both ends could be sealed off but that’s a small thing.  As is usual in Europe, the tub wall was taller than those typically found in America so it was a little more effort to get in and out.

The toiletries were Sea-of-Spa brand and I really liked their scent, which was citrus-y.

As tired as we were, we had no trouble sleeping soundly.  By the time we woke up, the room was quite warm.  We ended up leaving the window slightly open while we were out the next day, and that helped the room stay cool most of the night.

Even though I have Marriott Gold status (thanks to a status match from SPG Gold status achieved by spending enough on the SPG Amex card), breakfast is not a benefit at Courtyard hotels.  This is one of the reasons we don’t stay at lower-level Marriott properties very often.  At lower level Hilton hotels (like Hampton Inns) and Hyatts (like Hyatt Place) breakfast is included.  Marriott does include breakfast at their Residence Inn properties, but the Courtyard was the only category 1-4 hotel in Prague.

Breakfast was available in the restaurant on the ground floor and it was a fairly extensive spread.  It featured both hot and cold offerings including pancakes and French toast made to order.  Bacon and sausage were available in their warmers as was a tomato dish.  There was another island with pastries and cereals.  Cold cuts were on hand as well as a section featuring fruit and yogurt.

While it’s not fancy, the Courtyard provided us with everything we needed.  It’s just across the street from a mall where there was a currency exchange station.  A subway stop is underneath the mall.  The tram runs down the street right beside the hotel so it’s very easy to get around.  The downside to the hotel is that it’s not within walking distance of the old town but if you don’t mind a bit of exploring, it’s well worth the cost savings.