Excited to try the Element brand. Booked 2 nights and as a Gold Elite member of Marriott I was advised that subject to availability at check in I would get a room upgrade. As we pulled in there was only 1 car in site plus on the app every room type was available, so automatically being offered an upgrade at check in was likely, however the Uninterested guy at the desk completed the check in without saying much, returning with my bags shortly later I asked if I'd received an upgrade and he said no, I then had to remind him that as Gold Elite I usually get one at check in, he said he'd have to check if one was available & then he was able to upgrade me. Totally unnecessary situation if he'd just done his job properly. Most places I stay know when I'm arriving and proactively have the upgrade done. The whole place is stark and white, the foyer is lacking warmth and personality. There is no sound, no TV playing the news or weather, no music, only hear whatever sound is coming from the employees phone from whatever they are watching. The room was nicely furnished and spacious, again very white. The sleeper sofa was very firm and having a low back was uncomfortable. The bed was amazing, nice and squishy and comfortable. The bathroom was well appointed, shower pressure was weak through and dribbled down the back. Wall mounted conditioner was empty, the other 2 were full. The room cleanliness left a bit to be desired. Water spots in the kitchen on the floor, black footprints on the wall somehow in the bathroom and bedroom. A water left behind in the fridge & some dirty socks left in the draws. Finally long black hairs in the shower, really stand out in the stark white bathroom. Enjoyed the blackout blinds however they were mounted crooked, so one side is touching the window frame & the other is a 1/2 inch off the frame, sounds like nothing but allows light in at both the top and bottom due to incorrect mounting. A level might have been needed. A magnet by the door said to come down for the On the rocks social gathering 530pm - 7pm. We popped down at 6pm, bar area is empty, breakfast area is empty, no sign of any drinks or snacks. The same uninterested guy at the front desk watching me walk around looking for something but never offered assistance. Finally gave up and was about to leave for dinner and I see a few wine bottles but the market, odd place, I walk over, see a few bottles with the smallest sliced baguette and tiny cheese bits. No glasses or plates just toothpicks. I went back to the front desk and spotted the wine glasses behind him, asking him for a glass of wine. He came out with his silver thimble to measure the exact portion of wine. We have our wine and toothpick of cheese and tiny baguette and sit down, no ambiance whatsoever, just stark silence. Returned after dinner, went to bed, slept well, only some light coming in. In the morning went down for breakfast. Coffee was just over lukewarm from plunger machine. Fresh coffee machine was broken. The food "carts" were on the empty side, mini muffins & mini apple turnovers? Never saw the apple turnovers either morning & the "fresh" mini muffins were on the stale side. Bagels were just plain & were also small sized. They had 4 kinds of cereals in glass jars, top shelf was almost out of reach for a lady one morning. Hot items in the mini kitchen were 2 sausage patties & 2 triangles of French toast. There was a cook who offered avocado toast or an omelette, we each ordered a different one. The fillings offered for my omelette was just zucchini, sausage patty & kale, I held the kale as I'm not a fan, omelette was ok given the lack of fillings, it was so small it fit on a saucer sized plate. The avocado toast had kale & 1 egg served not on toast but a smaller English muffin half. Would have been better without the kale. I get the brand is all for sustainability and eco everything, but not many guests in Branson are Kale eaters. This morning the kitchen was closed, they had prepared tiny bite sized "egg frittatas" with kale & chopped sausage patties, left over from the day before. They tasted slimy as too much non stick spray had been used when making them. This morning the bagels were empty & there were 3 mini muffins left. Again the coffee temperature was just over warm, so clearly it's how they prefer to serve their coffee. Went down for my silver thimble of wine (no offer of local beef as advertised), and whatever miniature snack they were serving on a toothpick that night, but to my surprise there was no "on the rocks", they said it was only Mon - Thurs night. I mentioned the room magnet did not mention that it was not available Fri - Sun. Overall I'm glad I checked out the Element brand, but it's not for me. It's too stark, too white, no personality. The staff here were not personable either. read more