Griffin Gate Marriott Resort & Spa

Lexington, Kentucky

Swimming pool and gardens
King Room
Guest room
Hotel exterior
Swimming pool and gardens
King Room
Guest room
Hotel exterior

The hotel

With its roots firmly in Bluegrass Country, this golf and spa resort’s wrapped in a landscape dominated by equine delights and Kentucky Bourbon Trail sights. Before you reach them, you’ll pass the hotel’s 18 hole golf course; designed by Rees Jones, son of legendary golf architect Robert Trent Jones, it comes with the near-mandatory 19th Hole, where breakfasts and light American lunches are served. Dining elsewhere at Griffin Gate Marriott Resort means prime steaks and seafood at JW’s, coffee and pastries at Starbucks®, and poolside refreshments at Top Deck. The pool bar accompanies the swanky outdoor pool and patio, but you also get an incredible indoor pool to swim in, with stunning views through its dramatic glass wall; and they’ve even thrown in a full-service spa for good measure.

Amenities

  • Bar
  • Spa
  • Swimming Pool
  • Valet parking
  • Fitness Centre/Gym
  • Laundry Service
  • Internet Access
  • Golf
  • Tennis
  • Restaurant

Where is it

In the Griffin Gate area of Lexington, not far from the Downtown district, the hotel is around 6km from Explorium of Lexington, with its interactive children’s fun, 8km from Kentucky Horse Park, and 15 minutes’ from Keeneland Race Track. It’s also close to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

Hotel information

409 rooms and suites on 7 floors. All with air-conditioning, LCD TV with cable channels and premium pay-per-view movies, WiFi access*, alarm clock, telephone, coffee maker/tea service, hairdryer, and iron and board. Cribs, play yard, and rollaway beds available*. Guest Rooms with 1 king-size or 2 queen-size beds, sleeping maximum 4 adults.

JW’s Steakhouse (steak and seafood menu; breakfast, lunch and dinner). 19th Hole (American light bites menu and bar; breakfast and lunch). JW’s Lounge (American appetizers, cocktails, and Kentucky bourbon; lunch and dinner). Starbucks® (with free WiFi). Top Deck (poolside snacks, sandwiches, and drinks, seasonal; lunch). Room service* (6.30am-12.00am). Local restaurant dinner delivery*. Outdoor pool (seasonal). Indoor pool. Whirlpool. Patio with fire pit. The Spa at Griffin Gate* (full-service spa with beauty salon and barber, steam room, and children’s and couples’ treatment options, reservations required). Fitness centre. Griffin Gate Golf Club* (18 hole golf course designed by Rees Jones). Sports court. Tennis*. Concierge. Babysitting service*. Valet/dry-cleaning services*. Laundry facilities*. Gift shop. Vending machines. ATM. Safety deposit box (at front desk). Complimentary WiFi. Valet parking* and self parking* (payable locally; subject to change).

This hotel has a resort fee of $15 plus tax per room (per day (payable locally, subject to change)

Resort fee includes: - Bicycle storage - Internet access

*Denotes local charge

Rating summary

  • Location Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Sleep Quality Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Rooms Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Service Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Value Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Cleanliness Image of the Tripadvisor rating

Traveller rating

  • Excellent (399)
  • Very good (276)
  • Average (148)
  • Poor (59)
  • Terrible (31)
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Marriott Motel- beware!

Jun 20, 2020 Allison D Chicago, Illinois

Let me start by saying, my husband and infant baby and I checked out of the Griffin Gate Marriott and into Embassy Suites across the street after 1 night into our 3 night stay. The Marriott was so disappointing and for a JW pretty awful. To start, we checked into our room with a balcony and found standing water on the balcony, a door that… Read more
Let me start by saying, my husband and infant baby and I checked out of the Griffin Gate Marriott and into Embassy Suites across the street after 1 night into our 3 night stay. The Marriott was so disappointing and for a JW pretty awful. To start, we checked into our room with a balcony and found standing water on the balcony, a door that didn’t open and a horrible view. So we asked to change rooms and they moved us to the 5th floor with balcony. We had only a view of the parking lot but at least we could use the balcony. We then found our mirror had pieces of it that were breaking off and the balcony mirrors were filthy. This morning we asked for extra bath towels and toilet paper since running low....they never came. We left for the day to visit horse farms and came back hot and tired....to a dirty room. At that point we were fed up with the run down hotel and poor customer service. At checkout we told them about the cleaning service not coming and they stated that due to covid 19 the staff was not cleaning during the stay but only after. That’s ok if that’s your policy but we were never informed of it and our room should have been stocked with extra items like towels, toilet paper, Kleenex because of this very reason. Anyway, don’t stay here- not worth it at all covid or no covid this was a rundown shoddy hotel that claimed to be a resort. The only good thing was the resort fee was waived due to covid. Pictures include lack of refilling toilet paper and towels as well as returning to an room not cleaned. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Amazing Experience - thanks to Nathan

Jun 6, 2020 wormercc

I want to personally provide a highlight for Nathan, the Senior Rooms Manager at the Front Desk of the Griffin Gate Marriott. My family of four was traveling back to Chicago after a long drive, and this was our stopping point - and Nathan helped us find a great room and even brought the luggage cart around to the side entrance for us. Total game… Read more
I want to personally provide a highlight for Nathan, the Senior Rooms Manager at the Front Desk of the Griffin Gate Marriott. My family of four was traveling back to Chicago after a long drive, and this was our stopping point - and Nathan helped us find a great room and even brought the luggage cart around to the side entrance for us. Total game changer because of great staff. Would recommend him to anyone. Clark Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Glory days long past

Jun 6, 2020 vicecity333

Very disappointing stay at Griffin Gate. It's as much of a 4 Star hotel as McDonalds is a sit down restaurant. I work in property management and I notice things more often, however there were multiple things they haven't been taken care of in this hotel. Spider webs hanging from ceiling in the hallway, ripped patio umbrellas, asked to unplug and… Read more
Very disappointing stay at Griffin Gate. It's as much of a 4 Star hotel as McDonalds is a sit down restaurant. I work in property management and I notice things more often, however there were multiple things they haven't been taken care of in this hotel. Spider webs hanging from ceiling in the hallway, ripped patio umbrellas, asked to unplug and plug the tv back in to try to make it work (which it didn't). If this was a 2 star hotel, I wouldn't be upset. Unfortunately, it's somehow maintained it's 4 star rating from the 1970s. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Social Distancing Getaway

May 31, 2020 HappyFamily43082 Westerville, Ohio

We spent two nights at the Griffin Gate at the end of May (shortly after the Governor let us cross the Ohio River). Needless to say, a hotel stay under COVID guidelines is a little different. The staff was very gracious and accommodating. We're Platinum Elite. We were upgraded to a seventh floor room with a golf course view. The actual room would… Read more
We spent two nights at the Griffin Gate at the end of May (shortly after the Governor let us cross the Ohio River). Needless to say, a hotel stay under COVID guidelines is a little different. The staff was very gracious and accommodating. We're Platinum Elite. We were upgraded to a seventh floor room with a golf course view. The actual room would rate a 3-4 of 5 based on its need for a freshening up. However, it had lots of drawer space, comfortable beds, and an adequately sized bathroom. I would have liked more than a desk chair for relaxing and more outlets as our family travels with a lot of devices. We had to use a white noise app when sleeping to drown out the conversation in the next room. No housekeeping due to COVID, but they quickly delivered towels when requested. The concierge lounge was closed, but they offered grab-and-go breakfast, which worked for us. The grounds are lovely, but the pool is currently closed due to COVID. My husband and son enjoyed a round of golf, while my younger son and I played horseshoes and roamed the hotel. Brunch at the Bistro was very good. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Extraordinary Customer Service

Mar 13, 2020 thomas8443

I've booked the Griffin Gate Resort for a business trip to Lexington and needed to ship a prototype for my meeting to the hotel. The prototype was shipped on a pallet, so not really easy to handle and therefore I reached out to the hotel and checked if this is possible. I got right away a direct contact in the shipping&receiving department, who… Read more
I've booked the Griffin Gate Resort for a business trip to Lexington and needed to ship a prototype for my meeting to the hotel. The prototype was shipped on a pallet, so not really easy to handle and therefore I reached out to the hotel and checked if this is possible. I got right away a direct contact in the shipping&receiving department, who checked the whole ressort if my shipping already arrived and provided me with daily updates. He also informed his whole team about the incoming shipment - to keep me updated while he was out of office. In short - one of the best customer service experiences I've ever had in the US!!! Read less