Norfolk Waterside Marriott
A riverfront downtown hotel offering scenic water views, renovated suites, and walkable access to the dock.
The verdict
Pick a traveller type to re-weight the scores and re-rank the rooms around what you actually care about.
Norfolk Waterside Marriott offers a prime downtown setting right by the water, paired with scenic river views. Guests appreciate the clean rooms with light pastel decor, well-made king beds, and polite front desk staff. However, reviewers complain that the property can be very expensive with tacked-on fees. In addition, the on-site dining is limited to an average sports bar style restaurant, and some guests report concierge hiccups when arranging tours. 1286
Every line below traces back to something a traveler actually wrote — open a line to read the original sentence and follow it to the source.
What travelers noticed
- Guests consistently praise the prime location for being just a couple of blocks from the dock with easy walkable access. 6
- Reviewers highlight the pretty river views situated directly behind the property. 17
- Rooms feature light pastel decor with seashell wall art, crystal lamps, and convenient USB outlets on nightstands. 1210
- Front desk staff provide a polite, warm Virginia welcome with helpful restaurant recommendations. 12
The catch
Who it's for
- — Cruise travelers boarding at the nearby dock
- — Visitors wanting scenic river views downtown
- — Guests booking upgraded suites with sofa beds
Skip it if
- — Budget travelers looking to avoid high rates and extra fees
- — Guests seeking destination dining beyond a sports bar style restaurant
Seen on camera
8 moments · 2 videos · Norfolk Waterside Marriott
Each moment is pulled at the second a cited reviewer said the words. Play it here, or open the original video at that timestamp.
“so first initial thoughts of the bathroom room it's kind of small I was expecting it to be a little bit bigger but when…”
youtube.com2:58“I like that there's a smart TV that has the Netflix option already built in I always recommend bringing your fire stick…”
youtube.com5:10“it's fine it's practical and the design is pretty simple I do like the backsplash I don't know if you call it a backspla…”
youtube.com5:21“so you have the view of the river right behind it's actually really pretty”
youtube.com8:59“the room was nice I just think that some of the functionality was a little bit different than what I'm used to but it's…”
youtube.com12:38“this is their upgraded Suite this is gigantic there's a sofa bed here extra chairs TV over here desk with extra Outlets…”
youtube.com0:12“overall I do like the hotel for its location I really liked the heated pool I liked the gym and the room was nice”
youtube.com12:31“staff was very nice very helpful kind and we actually lost our key and they got us a new one really quickly”
youtube.com12:52Frames are citations: each one links to its second in the source video, attributed to the creator who filmed it. Nothing here is supplied by the hotel. Creators who want a moment removed can ask and we take it down.
Paying $3 more direct is likely worthwhile if you value Marriott Bonvoy points, status credit, or on-property benefits.
Prices shown are an estimated range, not a live quote — the booking site confirms the real rate for your dates.
This sits inside our estimated range for this hotel.
Confidence: low · modelled estimate, not a live quote. Check the supplier for the real rate on your dates.
Score breakdown
How the 82/100 is built, category by category — each one with the strongest thing travelers actually said, and the source it came from.
Bathroom
85- “Again, the bathroom here was pretty usual of a hotel such as the Marriott but it was clean and spacious with plenty of towels and standard toiletries.” 12
- “so first initial thoughts of the bathroom room it's kind of small I was expecting it to be a little bit bigger but when we were coming up on the elevator I think that this is maybe a hotel that's been here for some time and has been renovated I'll look it up just to be sure and tell you in the morning but it did seem a little bit smaller than I expected” 12:58
Location
93- “I second the Marriott. We took the hotel package from Celebrity and spent 3 nights there. It was wonderful. They are just a couple of blocks up the street from the dock and you can walk to just about everything from there.” 6
- “Guests love the river views and prime location but agree the hotel could use an update.” 7
Room
81- “this is their upgraded Suite this is gigantic there's a sofa bed here extra chairs TV over here desk with extra Outlets this is huge you could easily put a roll away there if you needed” 100:12
- “Stay at the Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel. Try to get a room facing the waterside. The view is beautiful.” 2
Service
82- “At reception we received a warm Virginia welcome and staff were enthusiastic with restaurant recommendations and helpful tips which was handy as we arrived late and wanted to grab a quick bite.” 12
- “staff was very nice very helpful kind and we actually lost our key and they got us a new one really quickly” 112:52
Bed & Sleep
84- “extra chair nightstand very nice king size bed very well made another TV there are Outlets USB outlets on the side as well as regular standard Outlets on the lamps” 10
Value
79- “The Renaissance, a Marriott property and 3.5*, available on Hotwire for $69 (plus tax and fees for a total around $85), seemed like a good deal as well.” 4
- “I mentioned The Founders Inn as I believe it may be the only 4* hotel in the Hamption Roads area, so the Hotwire price of $133 (plus tax and fees for a total around $175) seemed liked an excellent deal.” 4
Where it is, how to reach it
Details checked 2026-08-30
Where it sits
Norfolk Waterside Marriott and the 1 other hotel we cover in Norfolk. Hover a marker for the hotel; click to open it.
What’s nearby
Landmarks and transport around Norfolk Waterside Marriott. Distances are straight-line, so walking times are approximate.
- MacArthur Square — 2 min walk · 0.2 km
- Town Point Park — 4 min walk · 0.3 km
- The MacArthur Memorial Museum — 4 min walk · 0.3 km
- USS Norfolk Bell — 5 min walk · 0.4 km
- USS Wisconsin BB-64 — 6 min walk · 0.4 km
- Civic Plaza — 6 min walk · 0.5 km
- Norfolk International AirportORF — 9 min drive · 8.9 km
- Newport NewsZWW — 19 min drive · 19.4 km
Stay value
How this property reads against the hotels we cover alongside it. Measured on review evidence, not on a nightly rate.
Falls short of what $$ usually buys
Scores 6 points below the mid-range median of 88, across 564 hotels in the same bracket.
- This hotel
- 82
- Bracket median
- 88
- Index median
- 90
Based on 564 comparable hotels.
Which room to ask for
What reviewers say about where to sleep inside this building — by room number where one is named, and otherwise by floor, wing, aspect and position. Every line opens onto the quotes behind it.
- 2 mentions
No location within the hotel draws repeated complaints yet.
Where travelers agree — and don’t
The topics reviewers split on most. A wide bar means your experience depends on which room you get — or whose opinion you trust.
View the 33 things travelers said behind this verdict▾
Quotes run exactly as travelers wrote them — spelling and all. We trim for length, never for tidiness.
- “I second the Marriott. We took the hotel package from Celebrity and spent 3 nights there. It was wonderful. They are just a couple of blocks up the street from the dock and you can walk to just about everything from there.” 6
- “The Radisson is located across the street from public housing (the projects). On the other side is the Greyhoud bus terminal. I would not feel comfortable walking in this area after dark.” 4
- “NOTE: Skip the Norfolk Radisson! It is right on the fringe of a terrible neighborhood (parking lot is surrounded by 10 ft. tall fencing to keep thieves out).” 6
- “Guests love the river views and prime location but agree the hotel could use an update.” 7
- “This is also a Marriott property (Delta) and I think it's in a great location, not too far from stuff in Norfolk (the airport is maybe 10-15 minutes) and you are right on a pretty part of the bay with lots of great restaurants and a very locals vibe :)” 8
- “NOTE: Stay away from the Norfolk DoubleTree. Although the hotel is lovely, it is located inside Military Circle Mall (yes, inside a shopping mall) that is troubled with gang activity (shootings in the parking lots approx. once per month; two bombs have gone off in the mall in the past 18 months).” 6
- “That location will essentially require that you have a car; or be OK with a lot of Uber/taxi costs (pro tip - rent from a rental agency NOT at the airport for a huge cost savings). There isn't really anything walkable around there.” 8
- “Hotel overall was good (well-located, easy parking) though fairly large.” 2
- “The Radisson offers a cruise package with parking: http://www.radisson.com/offers/displayDetail.do?offerId=451755&hotelBrandCode=RAD It probably wouldn't be my first choice for location, because it's further from the terminal and the main downtown/Wateside area.” 4
- “The light pastel decor made the room feel lighter and less corporate than some other large hotels. Plus, touches like the crystal lamp and wall art with seashells and water-themed images provided a more personal, homely feel.” 12
- “the room was nice I just think that some of the functionality was a little bit different than what I'm used to but it's not to say that it's you know not something that you can make work for you especially if you're a Solo Traveler I think that would work really well” On camera112:38
- “it's fine it's practical and the design is pretty simple I do like the backsplash I don't know if you call it a backsplash but behind the bed it's not a headboard” On camera15:21
- “this is their upgraded Suite this is gigantic there's a sofa bed here extra chairs TV over here desk with extra Outlets this is huge you could easily put a roll away there if you needed” On camera100:12
- “Can't go wrong with a big suite at the W in south beach” 13
- “Stay at the Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel. Try to get a room facing the waterside. The view is beautiful.” 2
- “I stayed at that Marriott a couple times too. It's ok - it has a sports bar style restaurant which is about as average as you can get, small indoor pool, etc.” 8
- “I actually have the tea! Like pictures of rats that ate through the stockpile of candy in coffee break, or table cloths that had ants all over them.” 2
- “The Founders Inn is a very nice property, just not a lot happening around it. They have a great restaurant on site, but you have to cross 8 lanes of traffic to get to the breakfast shops across the street, not great if you don't have a car.” 4
- “I complained to the manager and you wouldn't believe how they treated us. Gift amenities to the room, bottle of champagne his guest for lunch in the dining room and even had the chef come out and meet us to see that everything was OK. Then we were given the manager's card and told to call ahead if we were coming back so he could be sure we were treated well!!! Now that is what I call good PR!!!!” 6
- “The Renaissance, a Marriott property and 3.5*, available on Hotwire for $69 (plus tax and fees for a total around $85), seemed like a good deal as well.” 4
- “If you want fees they got you!” 2
- “I stayed at the James Madison last November, it's an older hotel, not exactly the nicest, but for one night it was a good deal.” 6
- “a. The Norfolk Waterside Marriott is a very nice hotel, but very expensive.” 6
- “I mentioned The Founders Inn as I believe it may be the only 4* hotel in the Hamption Roads area, so the Hotwire price of $133 (plus tax and fees for a total around $175) seemed liked an excellent deal.” 4
- “The Marriott is very nice and right near the pier.” 6
- “At reception we received a warm Virginia welcome and staff were enthusiastic with restaurant recommendations and helpful tips which was handy as we arrived late and wanted to grab a quick bite.” 12
- “I had a problem with the concierge there because I had called ahead and he told me not to worry that we could book tours when we arrived. As it turned out we couldn't get the tour because we hadn't booked ahead. I was really upset due to our limited time there.” 6
- “Had one weird incident where hotel staff came to our room and insisted on giving us extra pillows that we called down to request...we did not.” 2
- “staff was very nice very helpful kind and we actually lost our key and they got us a new one really quickly” On camera112:52
- “Again, the bathroom here was pretty usual of a hotel such as the Marriott but it was clean and spacious with plenty of towels and standard toiletries.” 12
- “so first initial thoughts of the bathroom room it's kind of small I was expecting it to be a little bit bigger but when we were coming up on the elevator I think that this is maybe a hotel that's been here for some time and has been renovated I'll look it up just to be sure and tell you in the morning but it did seem a little bit smaller than I expected” On camera12:58
- “so you have the view of the river right behind it's actually really pretty” On camera18:59
- “extra chair nightstand very nice king size bed very well made another TV there are Outlets USB outlets on the side as well as regular standard Outlets on the lamps” 10
What we still don't know
What we can’t tell you yet, said plainly. These close as we read more coverage of this hotel.
- No reviewer has named an individual room number here yet.
- Nothing reliable said about room types.
- Nothing reliable said about floor level.
- Nothing reliable said about building or wing.
- Nothing reliable said about which side it faces.
- Nothing reliable said about position on the floor.
- 6 sources carry no publication date, so we cannot tell how current they are.
Ask about Norfolk Waterside Marriott
Answered only from the coverage cited on this page. If nobody has written about your question, it will say so rather than guess.
How much we read
Deep coverage · 20/100We read 0 sources for this property, covering 0 traveler mentions, boiled down to 0 traveler insights worth knowing. Last checked 2026-08-30.
Watch this hotel
We keep reading Norfolk Waterside Marriott. Tell us when you're staying and we'll follow it until then — you'll hear from us only when the verdict is rewritten, the score moves, or new reviews land. No daily mail, and the watch closes itself after your stay.
Sources
Everything quoted on this page, grouped by traveler insights, outlets, and video & podcast. Counts beside each group show everything we’ve read of that kind; no one kind can carry the score on its own.
6 of 6 summary lines above are traced to specific quotes. The rest summarise the read as a whole rather than any single document.
View all 13 cited sources▾
Everything quoted on this page.
- 2Norfolk, Va Marriott- mixed reviewsreddit.comForum thread2026-01-17Recent5 quotes used
“If you want fees they got you!”
Read originalreddit.com - 13Property recommendation on east cost : r/marriottreddit.comForum thread2025-03-15Recent1 quote used
“Can't go wrong with a big suite at the W in south beach”
Read originalreddit.com - 8Visiting home : r/norfolkreddit.comForum thread2024-08-12Ageing3 quotes used
“I stayed at that Marriott a couple times too. It's ok - it has a sports bar style restaurant which is about as average as you can get, small indoor pool, etc.”
Read originalreddit.com - 12REVIEW: Norfolk Waterside Marriott, Virginia | helenwritespassportstamps.ukReview site2018-02-17Ageing5 quotes used
“The light pastel decor made the room feel lighter and less corporate than some other large hotels. Plus, touches like the crystal lamp and wall art with seashells and water-themed images provided a more personal, homely…”
Read originalpassportstamps.uk - 9Hotels Near Norfolk CruiseTerminal?boards.cruisecritic.comReview site2006-05-23AgeingRead originalboards.cruisecritic.com
- 4Findings of TWO Hotels in Norfolk Waterside Area//boards.cruisecritic.comReview site2006-03-14Ageing8 quotes used
“The Radisson is located across the street from public housing (the projects). On the other side is the Greyhoud bus terminal. I would not feel comfortable walking in this area after dark.”
Read originalboards.cruisecritic.com