I had the opportunity to stay at both the Marriott and Hyatt Downtown in one visit to Indianapolis. Based on my research of hotel ratings and reviews, I didn't hold high expectations of Marriott, while I was really looking forward to staying at Hyatt. Everything got reversed: I was very pleasantly surprised by Marriott and slightly disappointed by Hyatt. Marriott has a nice spacious lobby, tastefully decorated with many comfortable sofas on which to louge on. On Saturday night it seemed like a very popular hangout spot for convention attendees. At the center there were two carafes full of ice water, one seeped in lemons and limes, the other frozen strawberries. All guests had access to them, and they made a most welcome refreshment in the hot, balmy weather. A watchful staff kept the carafes full at all times. I especially loved the strawberry flavored ice water. Checkin was a quick and welcoming process. Front desk attendants were cheerful and plentiful. I waited only a few seconds before being called up by a backup attendant (vs. at Hyatt there was only one attendant and a line of 2 people waiting to check-in. When I finally made it to the front of the line, the attendant cavalierly said the person in front of me went to his car to get a slip of paper and told me to just use the automated check-in machines). I believe the Marriott rooms may have recently been renovated because what I saw doesn't coincide with descriptions given in previous reviews. The room was quite open and spacious (Hyatt rooms on the other hand, due to design flaw, gave off a closed-off claustrophobic feel). The large windows were spotless and held a great view of the Canal (Hyatt room windows were quite dirty). Even with two beds, there was still plenty of room for T-shaped desk, large armoir complete with mini fridge and safety deposit box, and a sofa. Bedlinens were plush and comfortable, including down comforter and the bed cover. I usually hesitate to touch the bed cover in most hotel rooms. But I had no trouble with this one -- it looked new, clean with a nice contemporary design (Hyatt bed cover on the other hand looked dated and just a tad on the old side, and there was no down comforter). The bathroom too was quite spacious, enough room for large mirror and three-sided countertop that was big enough for a small carry-on. Air conditioning was preset at a nice comfortable level and relatively quiet (Hyatt air conditioning system allows you to choose the settings, but it's a tad on the loud side and rattles). Hotel parking is quite expensive - $19/day. But there is plenty of streetside parking. The streetside meters are monitored only during regular office hours, so essentially you get free streetside parking after hours and on weekends.
