Marriott Notre Dame

This is a great hotel for the price. I most offer a disclaimer and say this would be a 5-​star rating, but it just doesn’t feel right since hotels already have a rating system and this was not on 5-​star standards, but was a 4-​star for a 3-​star price!
I have stayed here once for business and already booked three separate weeks in December. As a point of reference, I will be comparing this hotel to a few different Hampton Inns I have stayed at. They are both in the same price range, both owned by a major hotel chain and both offer free breakfast.
The lobby is by far the nicest out of any hotel I have stayed in for it’s price range. There is a huge flatscreen located to the side of the front desk near the elevators that continually shows news and weather updates. This is great for a quick glance on the way out to see how the weather is going to be.
This is by far the best free breakfast I have had. They have multiple options available, and they are not just cereal. They have the ability to make waffles, something that seems standard now in a free hotel breakfast. I was shocked to see they also offered those microwaveable breakfast sandwiches. They had 5 different varieties to choose from, so if you choose one of every day of the week. They also had an assortment of fruits and yogurt. My favorite by far was the prepackaged fruit. They had Del-​Monte grapefruit with no sugar added, which means minimal sugar. I am a huge grapefruit fan so I approved!
Next, hallways leading to the rooms are nice as well. They do not have the same boring carpet that every hotel has. I specifically remember the black and florescent green carpet. When you remember carpet, the hotel must have been impressive.
The room itself was pretty standard I feel. They had nice 32in LG flatscreens in every room. One thing many hotels surprisingly don’t offer is high definition channels for all of those nice TV’s they have. The Fairfield Inn is the exception. I was shocked, yet again! (See the common theme?)
This hotel won me over when I went to check the bathroom and notice the shower was the size of a normal bathtub. Again, shocked! The shower had a large glass door too, which really gave it a futuristic look. The only drawback was the «U» shaped handle on the outside was broke on the top. (another reason to justify a non 5-​star rating) The bathroom countertops were completely granite. Another shock was the Pantene Pro-​V shampoo and conditioner. Name brand toiletries in this type of hotel was completely unexpected.
Clearly one of the best features of this hotel was the location in relation to the Notre Dame campus. I am not a fan, but it was pretty cool to see the stadium across the street out of my window. Also, right next to the hotel is Eddy Street commons with a few bar and dining options.
Overall, this hotel was great. If you are going to be there for an extended period of time, get the long-​stay studio. The fridge and microwave are worth it!

We stayed here when this place had only been open about a week (they were still putting the finishing touches on the place when we stayed there).
Great location just across the street from University of Notre Dame (you can see the football stadium from the motel and walk over there).
There is also a mixed-​use, retail/​residential development next door (some stores open… others still in the process of opening), which is handy if you want to grab some quick take-​out burgers, pizza, or tacos. This development also has a nice Notre Dame bookstore with a small coffee shop… so you can walk over and pick up a T-​shirt or ice tea.
We booked one of the small suites, which had a nice little sitting area with a sofa bed, chair, and flat-​screen television. There was a second flat-​screen TV in the sleeping area.
Other nice amenities included free wireless Internet ($ 5 per day for higher speed wireless, although the free wireless worked just fine for us), free parking, and a decent breakfast with the room. The common areas were attractive, spacious, and had wireless access as well. The room décor was sleek and modern – a good bit nicer than your standard chain motel décor.
The pool was a bit small, but I appreciated the fact that I didn’t have to schlep through the lobby in my swimsuit to get to it.
This motel is right on a main road, but it was surprisingly quiet in the room. Traffic noise was not an issue… and we really heard very little of the heavy rain and thunderstorms they had in the area during our stay.