The Waterman

"After years of staying at great MOXY properties around the country (and world), we were really disappointed by The Waterman. The rooms are FUNKY; don't get me wrong, part of The Moxy's charm is cozy rooms. But other locations do a great job of making cozy (i.e., small) layouts comfortable and efficient. At The Waterman, it's shockingly bad; Large TVs float on the wall to the side of the bed, making it almost impossible to watch (especially for the person on that side). The glass wall (not just the shower door - but the actual wall) of the shower is on hinges, and has to be moved in order to access the toilet. Overall, it's just too weird and uncomfortable. Additionally, and to our shock, there's no bar. Part of the charm of The Moxy is a great bar and free welcome cocktail. While the front desk at The Waterman were incredibly friendly and offered a welcome canned beer, it's just not the same - so much of The Moxy's appeal is in the communal spaces offered - which The Waterman completely lacks. In short - don't bother with this spot. There's no shortage of great accommodations in SB, and this - sadly - just isn't one of them."

"The hotel is in a great location & is also pet-friendly. We have stayed here 2x now due to the location & convenience. The rooms are very small & cozy. The bathroom is a bit odd, you cant use the shower & toilet simultaneously due to the moving glass shower wall. The rooms have an upgraded feel & comfortable beds. The windows do open & give a nice breeze. Both times I have stayed on 2nd floor in King rooms. They did give us 2 tokens at check-in for complimentary drinks & also a card that provided complimentary coffee and breakfast at Helena Ave Bakery. I stay at Marriotts frequently & have earned titanium status. I redeemed my free-night award to stay here and it was totally worth it. I would stay at this hotel for pleasure but not for business. There isn’t a true work-space. Both of my rooms have had a desk but no chair."

"Bugs!!!!!!!! This is the worst experience I’ve had at a Marriott hotel by far. When I arrived there was a ton of construction and even though there were about 4 cars in the parking lot they said they couldn’t check me in before the 4 PM check in time. When I checked in the girl said I had been upgraded for being a gold member and would be in one of their queen rooms. I booked the queen room so I’m not sure why she’d try and tell me this was an upgrade. When I got to my room I think I actually laughed out loud, it was the smallest hotel room I’d ever seen. There is barely enough room around the bed to roll your suitcase to a place where you can open it. The bathroom was worse, the toilet is so insanely close to the shower & the shower didn’t have actual doors or much structure so the water goes everywhere. When I checked in she asked if I wanted daily housekeeping and I said that I did. Both days the room was not cleaned. When I came back to my room on my 2nd day I noticed bugs in the shower and on the bathroom floor, I went to grab my suitcase and saw more of them!! I went to the front desk and was able to get a new room for my final night. I’ve noticed that Marriott hotels don’t clean daily even when you request it(this is the 3rd hotel where I’ve had this issue). In this case, If the room had been cleaned properly we may not have had a bug issue at all or it would’ve been caught earlier. I will never stay here and and would never recommend it to anyone."

"Location is outstanding. Rooms were on the smaller side but not a deal breaker. Just didn't like that one side of the bed is up against the wall. We were on the first floor and it was noisy but not from the street. Not sure what the front desk was doing in the early AM but it was loud enough to wake us up, two nights in a row. Parking on the weekend was a nightmare. We arrived back at the hotel mid afternoon and there was no parking. Was told to park in a 90 minute lot and try again. Apparently non-guests park in hotel parking. There was no signage to let people know not to do this until we asked the front desk where we should park. Then they went out and put signs up to let people know. This was a bit frustrating both days of our stay. We were given a handicap room but didn't know that tell we got to the room. Shower head was extremely low for my 6 foot plus husband. So overall, there was just a general lack of communication from the front desk. I'm glad we tried this hotel but there are so many better options in SB then here that it is doubtful we'll be back."

"On one side the hotel is well located. A walking distance to the beaches and trendy Funk Zone neighborhood BUT on the other side it's right by the highway. Which make it impossible to relax by the pool. IMPOSSIBLE. It's so noisy you will feel your lounging chair is on the highway shoulder. We were hoping to chill by the pool in the afternoon after a long bike ride but the highway traffic noise was simply unbearable. They charged us near $500 per night trying to make you believe you are in a chic hotel because the decor is cute BUT you are not. The experience is somehow very similar to a Holiday Inn by the highway. With just a bit more soul. Other things to note: the window in our room was broken so no access to fresh air, the TV was not working either and couldn't be fixed (we called maintenance), we couldn't just read in a cozy environment because the bedside lights were also out of order. The only light working in our room was the bright ceiling light (think emergency room light). So what you get is a comfortable bed. That's it. From what I saw on the website, I was expecting more. Oh, and I forgot, we had two bottles of conditioner in the shower. No shampoo. No big deal but at one point all the malfunctions add up and ruin the experience. If you pay more than $200-$300 / night you will be highly disappointed. They will also charge you $6 for a stupid muffin in the morning!!"