During my quest to fly Delta’s new Texas routes, I had an overnight stay at the Courtyard by Marriott McAllen Airport. With a quick overnight prior to my return flight, I wanted to stay close to the airport.
Booking
There are a few hotels near the McAllen Airport with four identified by Google as within “walking distance”. In reality, only the Best Western Plus is close enough to walk. A Fairfield Inn and Suites, Courtyard, and Staybridge are also close to the airport. You would want to take a shuttle if staying here though.
Since I’m chasing Lifetime Platinum status with Marriott, I quickly narrowed my choices down to the Fairfield and Courtyard. After checking Marriott.com, the Courtyard was much cheaper than the Fairfield. I booked my one-night, standard room for $126 five months before my stay.
Location
The Courtyard McAllen Airport is located a few blocks east of the airport entrance on Wichita Avenue. From the street it is fairly unassuming with very little exterior signage.
The property did appear to be undergoing some exterior work and the old style Courtyard signage was being replaced by the new logo. I assume that once this work is completed the branding will be more prominently displayed.
The hotel does have an airport shuttle, shared with the neighboring Fairfield, though it doesn’t run on Fridays and Saturdays. I had to use Uber to and from the airport which was less than $10 each way.
Lobby & Check-In
I arrived at the hotel well after midnight after an extremely bumpy Delta flight from Austin. Since I knew I was arriving after midnight, I sent the hotel a message through the Marriott app which they acknowledged.
Upon entry, I had to wait a few seconds for the desk employee to come from the back to check me in. After confirming my ID, and asking if I’d rather have the food and beverage credit or bonus points, she handed me the keys to my room and pointed me towards the elevators.
The lobby itself was decently sized and had a few different seating areas with couches, chairs, and cafe and bar style tables. The lobby was dark when I arrived so my photos are from the next morning.
On the side of the check-in desks is a blast from the past with a computer available to print your boarding passes.
Room
I was assigned Room 231, a standard King Room located on the 2nd floor. Upon entering the room, the mini-bar and bathroom were off to the right while the bedroom was directly ahead.
In the bedroom, there was a large closet/storage area along with a desk to the left. The king sized bed was on the right and a pull out sofa bed was near the window at the back of the room.
The room was on the smaller side but the layout was fine for one person. Not sure if I would like the setup when traveling with a group. The king sized bed was flanked by nightstands and lamps built into the headboard. The wood color was a little dated still appeared to be in good shape.
One nightstand had an alarm clock while the other featured a phone and notepad. Power outlets and switches for the lights were mounted on the wall.
Across from the bed was a pull-out sofa with an ottoman and small side table. While I didn’t sit on it once during my stay, it looked comfortable enough.
The
To the left of the TV was a wardrobe which had a few shelves, hangars, hairdryer, iron, and ironing board.
The view wasn’t great, though it was quiet. It didn’t face the airport or the road and instead faced the neighboring hotel’s parking lot.
Back at the front of the room is the mini-bar area. A microwave, small refrigerator, coffee maker, an ice bucket, and glasses. The bathroom towels were also stacked on the half wall here.
Across from this was the lone sink for the room, just outside of the bathroom.
Inside the bathroom, the toilet was located on the left. Towels were hanging on the rack above it.
Finally, there was a small shower which was possibly a conversion from a tub at one point given the shape. I appreciated the full glass doors as many hotels seem to be going to half doors.
Toiletries were 39° NORTH branded and mounted on the wall in refillable bottles. The brand is Courtyard’s in house brand and, if you really really love chain hotel toiletries and want to be confused as to which bottle is which, they have it for sale on their website.
The room was perfectly serviceable for a quick overnight stay and the bed was quite comfortable.
Food and Beverage
There aren’t many options for food and beverage since this isn’t a full service hotel. However, if you’re feeling peckish there is a small market available next to check-in which has candies and snacks.
If you’re looking for something more substantial, on the far side of the lobby is the cafe. This is also known as The Bistro. It features coffee, pastries, and assorted breakfast items in the mornings and has some light dinner items and alcoholic beverages in the evenings.
Pool and Fitness Center
The main focal point of the hotel is the pool located in the center of the property. The hotel completely surrounds the pool and can be accessed from doors off the lobby at the front of the hotel and by the fitness center at the rear. I first visited the pool area in the evening and it looked like a nice place to go for a quick dip.
However, during the day, you could tell that some if the exterior construction work was happening in the pool area. Chairs were shoved up around the exterior and the bottom of the pool had some dirt built up in it.
The fitness center is fairly sparse. It has two weight benches, some assorted free weights, two treadmills, ellipticals, and a bike. Since this was a quick overnight I didn’t use the gym but I would have been disappointed if I was here for a few days or more.
Summary
The Courtyard McAllen Airport is a little rough around the edges due to ongoing renovations and staffing issues (This was the reason given for the shuttle not running on the weekends).
The room was comfortable for a quick overnight stay and the price and location were right, hence the reason I ended up booking. If I had a longer stay in McAllen I’d look for another property but this one is perfectly adequate for a quick overnight.
