Danfords Hotel, Marina & Spa

We love how our wedding turned out! Brianna was always very quick to reply to any questions I had and was always so nice even when I had to change the seating chart three (or more) times. The venue was beautiful and was exactly what I had envisioned for my nautical themed wedding. My group loves our beers, and they were happy to swap out our options to include craft beers. We had 100 guests and it was the perfect size. I was wondering how they would fit everyone in the outdoor ceremony space, but they all fit perfectly, it still felt intimate but wasn’t tight at all. I was originally disappointed that we had to have the cocktail hour inside due to threat of rain, but it was still beautiful and the weather held out, so we still were able to enjoy the deck. I loved how the dance floor was separate from the tables, you were actually able to talk when you were sitting and weren’t on display when dancing, but unfortunately people missed some things (cake cutting, parent dances) since they couldn’t see if they weren’t paying attention. We stayed in the Presidential Suite that night and it was beautiful, I just wish I hadn’t stayed up so late partying so I could’ve enjoyed it more in the morning haha. We had left a couple things in the bridal suite that didn’t make its way into my boxes at the end of the night and we had to hunt them down a few days later. I was a little upset that no one contacted me about it, but I had ultimately gotten everything back so it’s not a big deal. Overall, I would recommend them over and over and I’m kind of upset that I’m not going to get married again because if I did I would definitely have it there!

We just had our 10/01 wedding there and it was amazing! The location right on the sound was fantastic for anyone wanting a wedding with a nautical vibe. The decor is fantastic as was the food! Cocktail hour included so many choices and was on the balcony overlooking the marina. Dinner was amazing, definitely go for the filet mignon, it was so tender you didn't even need a steak knife. Vicky, the maitre d', was great to work with and was so on top of everything. Dominique, our bridal attendant, was also great and so attentive. Because of them we felt we could truly enjoy the day and not have to lift a finger! Danfords has recently gone through an ownership change, but you'd never know it because everything ran so smoothly. Having a wedding venue that is also a hotel was fantastic for getting ready before the ceremony, some decompression before cocktail hour, and was so easy for guests after the reception was over. I would love to attend another event at Danfords in the future and would recommend it to anyone looking for a wedding venue!

Just had my wedding there 8/14 it was amazing! The entire staff went above and beyond to make my day so special, especially Vikki. The room itself was setup beautifully she made sure we had everything we needed. The food was fantastic, the bartender was great, and so was the bridal attendant. They did just switch owners but we would not have known that, nothing we had planned was affected by the new ownership.

Extremely disappointed. Horrible customer service. We hosted our wedding reception there. Many months of planning and promises. We were charged $160 per person to have the wedding of our dreams, and we were served anything but. Let's begin where apparently the venue has changed hands, sold to a new management. Day of wedding reception...arrived at the agreed time at 3pm, and reception hall was not ready! Not set up! we had to step in and finish the set up while our guests waited downstairs. They went to the normal bar in the hotel to have a drink while they waited, and where told that they had a very limited supply of alcohol!!!! Apparently the new management refused to restock until previous owners alcohol was depleted!!! Maitre D' Vicky had no control over the situation. She was rude and extremely disrespectful. ZERO people skills!! No ice for the guests, No steak knives for the Filet Mignon, Cake was not served to our guests, and the list goes on. Literally too much to type. I am appalled that they would consider themselves a fine dining catering hall. The only thing that was amazing was the view, that's it!!! Please Please, for those considering having an event there... go elsewhere!! Mcdonald's would have done a better job.

My husband and I were married here. Worst experience EVER for a venue. At the end of our reception, the waitress came up to us in front of ALL our family and said they didn’t charge us the right amount and we owe $500. Our entire family was in shock. It ruined our wedding, and my mood as a bride. I was so embarrassed and disgusted. I told them I’m not paying it, we paid what we signed under contract in cash... I told them to send me the remaining bill and I followed up by calling management absolutely appalled that their staff had the audacity to bring up THEIR ERROR on my wedding night in front of guests and family. They ended up not charging us the $500 they miscalculated... but the fact this happened was completely unacceptable. I tell every single person I know not to give this place business. I honestly can’t wait to redo my wedding vows because I have nothing but horrible memories thanks to Danfords....

We had the best time having our wedding block at Danfords! First off, the location is beautiful! We also worked with Alexa who was amazing! She was extremely sweet and so responsive. One time I was being a crazy bride and asked how many plugs were in the suite we were planning on getting ready in and she went and counted them all to confirm (lol). We also had our next day brunch in one of the rooms and Alexa made it go off without a hitch! We were extremely happy with our time and experience with Danfords. If I could give any advice it would be to try to reserve as many rooms as you will need for your hotel block since it is a small hotel and books up fast. You will not be disappointed!

Had my daughter’s baptism here just last week. Worked with Lyn at first then Christine for party planning and both ladies were very easy to talk to and accommodating. Also special thank you to Vicky the maitre Dee there, she was so sweet and helpful during the whole party, made all our guests feel comfortable and the place was clean and pretty in pink for my babygirl. Beautiful scenery outside, all my guests raved about the place and the food was delicious! Thank you Danfords! - Luna’s Mom

very attentive and easy to work with!

I am so happy we picked this location. The ballroom was massive and perfectly fit our 180 guests. There was a beautiful area out back for pictures or an outdoor wedding (we did our ceremony at a different location). Lauryn was our day of coordinator who we met with for our tasting ahead of time and worked with along the way and she was great! The foot was incredible and the hotel even provides some choices for table top décor. On top of all of this they had some of the more reasonable prices when you consider that you get food, drink, and location for one price per person. It made coordinating everything MUCH easier. So glad I chose them!

We honestly cannot say enough positive things about Danford's. Words cannot express how happy we are with how everything on our wedding day happened. After our original wedding venue cancelled our wedding, we were beyond stressed and luckily were able to get our date at Danfords. And honestly, everything happens for a reason and I think our wedding at Danfords was better than anything our original venue would have given us. They were so understanding and accommodating throughout the entire planning process. Lynn was always so cheerful, friendly, and there to give helpful advice when working together. The staff in catering and events always knew who we were when we called. Our maitr'd and bridal attendant were there for me, my family, and my bridal party the entire day of my wedding, ensuring we had everything that we needed. The venue itself is beautiful, all recently renovated. Our guests complimented the outdoor cocktail hour space and the decor. All our guests raved about the food! We definitely suggest doing the mac & cheese bar at cocktail hour - it was the best! Our bartenders were fast and the drinks were delicious. It is a smaller space - we had 130 guests and I feel like that is around the amount the ballroom can comfortably fit. However, they did just take over the space at Port Jefferson Country Club & we know that is a bigger reception space, so definitely something for brides and grooms to keep in mind if planning a larger wedding because I'm sure their food is just as amazing as Danfords. We are looking forward to visiting Danfords more often for family events and will recommend them to all of our friends and family planning events in the future. Thank you thank you thank you so much for everything!

What a horrible experience dealing with Lynn from Danfords. But once they gave us someone else, it was magic again. I would definitely do it all again at Danfords so to be fair to them, you should read the whole review to see how they came through and made us happy. I did not want to be negative since we absolutely love this place and the food was great and Vicky the Banquet Manager was phenomenal but there is much to say about the absolute stress and utter disrespect that we received from Lynn Fisk. Lynn’s lack of attention to detail is only second to her inability to actually listen to her clients. I have never, NEVER, had to raise my voice to anyone that I am doing business with in order to be heard, with the exception of when I spoke to Lynn. This actually happened twice. To place it in context, she dropped the ball and of course place the blame on other people, not one, not twice but three or four times. 1) we arrived for our tasting and the restaurant was completely unaware of our appointment. 2) Lynn offered us a water front room for two nights because she didn’t book us a room for the wedding party to get ready in the day of and because their were no suites available. Then called us and said they have the tower suite available and she will “give us the same deal”. I told her the same deal was for free since that’s what she told me and then she wanted to withdraw the offer because he intent seemed like she was trying to sell me a $700 room for $300 or about x2 nights. She did end up giving us the tower suite for two nights at no charge and it was a wonderful room. 3) we had a problem with the hotels 3rd party booking hotline not giving our guests the accurate rate and booking our guests on other weddings room blocks. She always told us it’s not her department and passed us on. She also didn’t disclose to us that only a certain percentage of the rooms are the cheaper price. But that was easily fixed. 4) Most importantly and the topic that stressed us the most. With only 4 days until the wedding, when I was the one that was confirming all the details with her, she told us that our once agreed end time for the after party bar cannot be accommodated and that our wedding will have to end two hour earlier. It seemed that she didn’t even clear it with the bar and beverage department manager to see if he even has staff that would stay and keep the bar open. She had promised us that we would have the bar open until 4am for our after party and I mean PROMISSED it to us. When attempted to talk with her since she was lying to me saying that this was never a deal we made she said that we changed things around and purchased extra time in our ballroom and that it negates the bar staying open downstairs. Okay so you think she should have disclosed that to us. NOPE. I tried talking to her at this point and she just takes over me anot listening to what the customer is saying, I’m willing to admit fault. About Lynn: Such a stubborn person. It was like working with a used car salesman. I am in financial services and when my livelyhood depends on my clients, the least I can do is have my ears open when they tell me what they want. The venue was great and everyone raved over all the food. Especially the Duck and Steak. The party was amazing the design of the hall with the dance floor was a bit odd and cut off the flow a little bit I would choose danfords again and it was an absolute charm that we will cherish the rest of our lives.

We had our wedding here on July 21, 2018. We met with Lynn, Catering sales manager. She was beyond amazing, planning our special day from beginning to End, Vickie & Jamie were with me for the entire day. They were extremely helpful in making my day magical! Everything went as planned and the rain held off until the evening. It was absolutely perfect, the ceremony on the brick patio, the ballroom, the food & cocktails and all guests raved about it. And Alexa assisted us in planning a brunch for the next day which was also delicious. We were more than pleased.

I held my wedding ceremony and reception at Danford's on 9/9/17 and I could not have asked for a more perfect day. The ceremony was beautiful with all of their local flowers and their new ballroom outdoor deck was perfect for our cocktail our. Their staff was very attentive and helpful the whole day and the food was AMAZING! Thank you Danfords!!

I'm giving Danford's 4 stars. Pros: We had a very nice rehearsal dinner in one of the smaller private meeting rooms that are separate from the main restaurant/building. They did a great job with that. The weather was nice so they set up cocktail tables and a bar just outside the room on the cobblestone footpath. The flowers outside were beautiful. I can't complain at all about the rehearsal dinner. I believe my mother-in-law had no trouble dealing with them and setting everything up, but I can't really comment because I do not know. All of our wedding guests also had a lot of fun in the hotel bar after the wedding was over. Cons: We had our room blocks here as well (50 rooms or so, some for 2 nights). Everyone was separated in different buildings all over the campus. Some of my bridesmaids were even across the street. My suite (the "fireplace suite") never quite got cool enough (on the top floor), and the entire hallway and staircase of the building wasn't air conditioned at all. Walking out of my room with my hair and makeup done on one of the hottest days of the year, I was instantly melting climbing down the 3 flights of stairs in my heels & gown (no elevator either). I also have to say that considering we booked up a majority of their hotel and swarmed the hotel bar as an unofficial after-party, you would think we would have received a little more special treatment being the bride & groom. No one from the desk helped me bring my luggage and things up to my room, nor down to my car after the weekend. No special congratulations or sign in the room. Even when I checked in, it was just like I was any other person on any other day. All of this being said, I think Danford's is a beautiful and quaint hotel that is different than your standard chain hotel would be. It has its pros and cons, but overall I would give it 4/5 stars.

I had a great experience with the Kingsgate Marriot. I used it as the primarily hotel for my wedding and it turned out great. They handed the hotel gift bags out to guests for free. They kept me updated on how many rooms were left in the block. They don't charge for unused rooms in your block. They upgraded our normal room to a suite as the bride and groom. The hotel itself was very nice and clean and all of the guests partied in the communal area after the wedding (They didn't put any guests on our floor which was fantastic!). The rate was also incredible. Only $109 per night with a wedding block. The only downside is the area. It is in Clifton, but once you are at the hotel it doesn't even matter.

The Kingsgate Marriott is a fantastic team. We chose the Kingsgate Marriott for the following reasons: 1. We had a significant amount of out of town guests so we wanted to minimize travel and have them stay in the hotel. Facilities were fantastic. 2. They offer a wedding coordinator who manages all of the details on the wedding day. 3. The facility is an event (conference) center. They know how to run events and therefore there team is prepared and flexible. They also have many different spaces for use for your event and if you are a UC alum, there is a discount. Downside, it is a conference center so the rooms (both the suite and the ballroom) don't have natural beauty. Courtney was our event coordinator and she was truly fantastic. She has a great mind for details, creative problem solving, and was super responsive all the time. When I "just didn't care" she was able to come up with awesome solutions to reduce stress. Cary was our event manager and she is top notch. Cool and authoritative, she got things done even when we didn't think it could happen. She also gets excited about the details and takes ownership in the overall appearance of the event. We came in way under budget due to lots of creative thinking by this staff in terms of centerpieces and linens, lighting, use of the bar and restaurant, in-season specialty cocktails. The chef is excellent and the food was great. We were really happy with our wedding events and the Marriott treated us like celebrities which felt pretty awesome.

I was very impressed with my interactions with Christine. She was willing to work with me on pricing, etc. I really enjoyed working with her. The food was amazing. the room was a bit small and the "captain" was not helping to organize my party of 35. She asked me to have the guests seated and I'm the bride and its our rehearsal dinner. I didn't think I should be the one to ask everyone to be seated. Some times we were left alone and my guests poured their own drinks.The dinner taking was a bit disorganized as well. Overall though, the place is located in beautiful Port Jefferson. We saw the ferry come in and out, the sun setting. We were upgraded to a balcony bridal room right on the water. the night before the wedding though it was impossible to get any sleep- I did not sleep for a minute-- because there was a high school reunion going on. I was devastated. I called down to the main desk and they said they would send security. Nothing happened. In retrospect, I should have called the police myself.By 4 am, the noise finally stopped. I was so upset and anxious, I waited until 6am to get ready. the hair and make up team was coming at 6:30am. I ran on nothing but coffee and adrenaline for the wedding. Needless to say I was ready to sleep at 6:30pm, which is a shame because I wanted to spend time with my out of town guests (friends and family). We stayed the next two nights which were great and peaceful. We woke up with the sunrise, got brunch in their hotel, which was very good, and walked to the beach. We enjoyed the town very much.

Kingsgate Marriott was Amazing. It was everything I had ever dreamed of for my reception. All the staff were great. I loved working with them! Beautiful venue!!

I fell in love with Danfords the moment I saw it. But the wedding coordinator lynn made me feel that my wedding was not as important as every other wedding that was being held there, even right up to the day of my wedding. I wanted chair covers and was never told that I was the one who had to order them, we told them numerous times that we had but allergies in the bridal party, and on more than one occasion and it was written on our contact.the day of then wedding they brought a fruit and cheese tray with nuts on it into the hospitality suite. It was just another wedding for them and they didn't care who was unhappy. I spent a lot of money there for the wedding and for the brunch the next day and they screwed things up multiple times and tried to blame everyone else and not take responsibility for it and fix it. I was very disappointed by the time my wedding was over. It's not like I rushed in 6 weeks before my event and booked it I had my wedding booked there over 2 years before and they still couldn't get things right.

Danfords entire staff was professional and so helpful throughout the entire planning process. Always on top of things! Lynn and Christine, along with the rest of the staff were very attentive and accommodating. I have severe food allergies and the menu was changed and catered to those allergies which was such a relief! I also was in a severe car accident 1 month before the big day which had me off my feet for the last few weeks leading up to the big day and they helped out so much with setting up the hotel rooms and making sure the ballroom was perfect for my wedding. The food was incredible! My guests are still talking about it! Not only the cocktail hour but the reception as well! If I had to do it all again, my husband and I agree we would choose Danfords and their staff to do it all over again. Such a perfect day!

The Kingsgate Marriott was a wonderful place to have our wedding ceremony and reception. Nestled in the beautiful landscape of the university of Cincinnati's Campus, the hotel boast a lovely outdoor fountain where our wedding ceremony and cocktail hour took place. the reception ballroom provided a very large space for 150+ guests with two large projectors to show pictures and videos throughout the event. the staff was very hands-on and catered to our every need.

Took forever to call back for information, then told me at the last minute that the ballroom was not available on my wedding day. Had the nerve to ask me to change my wedding date.

We had the most amazing wedding and it was 100% thanks to Danfords and their staff. Everyone took care of not only the bridal party, but every guest had amazing things to say about the attentiveness. In a beautiful setting, we had the "unfortunate" tropical storm on our wedding day, but everyone there went out of their way to make sure no one knew there was ever an outside ceremony and cocktail hour plan. It was personal, beautiful and we would do it all over again

Our wedding day was amazing and we have Kingsgate Marriott to thank for most of it! Our wedding coordinator, Nikki, made sure everything was taken care of the week of the wedding, arranging drop-off, set-ups and everything else with our outside vendors so we didn't have to worry about it. From bringing in a special beer to having a visit from the Cincinnati Zoo's bearcat, they worked with us to make our dream day perfect. If I needed anything the day of the wedding, the staff there was ready and waiting to take care of whatever it was. It was so nice to have the wedding and reception in the same location and hotel rooms for our guests as well. I cannot say enough wonderful things about the Kingsgate Marriott and their staff. Thanks for an amazing wedding!!

This venue was perfect for us. It is located in the village of Port Jeff which was where we had our first date! The venue only holds about 100 comfortably which was perfect for us because we didn't want a super large wedding.

WE HAD A GREAT REHEARSAL DINNER. THE DANFORDS DID A BEAUTIFUL JOB. THE VENUE HAD AN AMAZING VIEW. THE FOOD WAS AMAZING.

I really enjoyed working with the group of coordinators at the Marriott. They were extremely professional and made sure I was one happy bride. They kept saying how it was my big day and they were there for me. They made sure I was comfortable with everything before the day of my wedding. They were also in contact with my vendor vendors to organize when set up and tear down could take place. They did more than I expected and were so friendly and responsive. You definitely get what you pay for - good food and great customer service!

We had our rehearsal dinner in one of the private rooms at Danfords. It was the Soundview room. There were about 35 of us and it was perfect! The banquet chef was amazing! He made the most wonderful dishes, everyone loved the food. And the desert was so cute! Great presentation & a perfect location!

Held our rehearsal dinne and brunch there. Many if our guests also stayed there overnight. They were very accommodating. The food and atmosphere was great.

the view was great, service was great, the setup was beyond wonderful and the host was very pleasant and detailed