Service with a smile is apparently the rule at this engaging hotel. I have stayed there twice now and even though the room accommodations are somewhat old and need reburishing (the hotel is slated for major renovations this winter!) I thoroughly enjoyed my stay thanks to the attitude of the entire staff from check-in to checkout.

I could easily make this hotel a long term home on extended business trips and in fact stayed for close to 2 weeks on my last visit.

The rooms are smallish but the ammenities are just fine being the standard "Marriot - room that works". The concierge lounge is excellent and well worth paying extra money for if you aren''t offered the upgrade. I spent most of my evenings there and got to know many of the guests. This hotel seems to attract repeat visitors so it seems that others had the same opinion. I had no trouble getting a reservation but I''m not sure if this is the norm.

The hotel has one restaurant that is a little different from standard hotel restaurants. Sweet Lorraines Cafe has an excellent selection of gourmet food and I definately indulged my appetite. My favorite items included the Atlantic Salmon and the Farmer''s Pasta. One thing I didn''t care for at this restaurant was the lack of rolls. The restaurant gives you a piece of focaccia with and a mini orange muffin with EVERY selection whether or not it suits the meal. This is apparently because the owner doesn''t believe in bread! I talked to the restaurant manager about this issue and hopefully there will be a change soon. I got to hate that focaccia after several meals! The meals there are like artwork - you almost hate to touch them with your fork!

Saturday and Sunday mornings feature an excellent buffet. On other mornings standard breakfast fare is available - be sure to try the lobster scramble!

The hotel has the added attraction of being attached to Laurel Park Mall so you''ll always have something to do if swimming in the pool or spending time in the lounge gets boring. It''s also right at the intersection of I96 and Mile 6 so access to other suburbs is good. I had no trouble getting maps to shopping and other attractions from the hotel.

All in all this is a hotel I plan to return to over and over.