Review: Courtyard By Marriott Reykjavik Keflavik Airport (Clean & Convenient!)

For the fourth hotel stay of my Iceland to The Residence via Cambodia trip, I spent one night at the Courtyard by Marriott Reykjavik Keflavik Airport, a 150-room property that opened in 2020, located near the country’s major airport. I was alone on this stay — after an awesome five nights in Iceland, Ford had taken an evening flight back home, and I had an early flight the following morning to continue my review trip, so there was value in staying near the airport.

Ultimately the Courtyard by Marriott is a perfectly pleasant hotel that’s in line with what you’d expect from the brand. The property is modern, it has friendly service, it’s conveniently located (with a free airport shuttle), and it has two dining options (though neither is actually run by the hotel). Let’s get into the review…

Booking the Courtyard by Marriott Keflavik Airport

I paid cash for my stay at the Courtyard by Marriott Keflavik Airport, as the rate was around $200 for the night. That’s not cheap for an airport hotel, but Iceland is also really expensive, so I thought that was reasonable enough.

If I had redeemed Bonvoy points for the stay, the rate would’ve been 39,000 points for the night. For what it’s worth, I value Bonvoy points at 0.7 cents each, so paying cash was the better value here.

Courtyard by Marriott Keflavik Airport location & shuttle

The Courtyard by Marriott Keflavik Airport is located in the town of Reykjanesbaer, essentially a suburb of Keflavik. The hotel is part of what’s essentially a local shopping plaza, with several businesses being next to the hotel.

The hotel is located really close to the airport, and the drive to the terminal takes under five minutes. The hotel has a shuttle that’s complimentary for Marriott Bonvoy members, and runs daily from 4:30AM until 8:30AM. Yes, that covers the morning airport rush, but I do find it a bit odd that there’s no shuttle in the afternoon, given that there’s another bank of flights then.

Either way, I had a rental car, so that wasn’t actually a factor for me. Parking at the hotel is complimentary, since you’re basically parking in a strip mall parking lot.

Just to clarify one further point — keep in mind that Keflavik Airport is quite far from the actual city of Reykjavik. It’s around a 45-minute drive, and it covers over 30 miles, so that’s why you’ll want to be strategic with where you stay, depending on whether you have a layover of one-night, an early flight, or whatever.

Courtyard by Marriott Keflavik Airport lobby & check-in

After walking into the Courtyard by Marriott Keflavik Airport, I found myself right at the reception desk, where I was promptly checked in by the friendly staff. While most of the ground level is dedicated to the bar and restaurant area, there’s also a bit of seating off to the side.

Interestingly, it’s my understanding that many of the rooms at the hotel are occupied by US military forces who work at the air base at the airport, so you’ll see that the lobby has a lot of art and design touches in recognition of that.

I also appreciated the Marriott Bonvoy Boeing 737 MAX above the revolving door at the entrance. 😉

The lobby had a little grab & go shop, where you could pick up a drink or snack 24/7. Options ranged from Doritos to Moet.

Soon enough, I had keys for my room, and headed to the elevators, located next to reception. There was some additional seating there, along with a staircase.

Courtyard by Marriott Keflavik Airport guest room

The Courtyard by Marriott Keflavik Airport has four floors, and I was assigned a room on the top floor. I appreciate how the hotel has quite a bit of natural light on each floor, including a seating area before even walking down the hallway.

I was assigned room 452, located down one of the corridors, at the very end, and on the right. All rooms at the hotel are the same (“deluxe rooms”), but I guess on account of my Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador status, I was at least assigned a high floor corner room.

Rooms at the hotel are marketed as being 237 square feet (22 square meters), so they’re definitely on the compact side, but sufficient when traveling alone. The room featured an entryway with the bathroom to the right, and the rest of the room straight ahead.

The room boasted a reasonably comfortable king size bed, a chair with an ottoman and a side table, and a wall-mounted TV.

In the corner of the room was a luggage storage rack, plus the little refreshment area, with an empty mini-fridge, an espresso machine, and a tea selection.

The room faced a wide open space, so it was a calm and pretty view, though there wasn’t necessarily much to see.

Waiting on the small side table was a welcome gift, presumably on account of my status. This consisted of several cute little treats from Iceland, and it had to be one of the nicer welcome amenities I’ve received at a limited service hotel.

The bathroom was back toward the entrance, and was also compact. It had a sink, a toilet, and a walk-in shower with a half glass shield (which is always such a dumb design, since it causes water to splash into the rest of the room).

Toiletries were in reusable, wall-mounted containers, from NIRVAE.

Courtyard by Marriott Keflavik Airport gym

The Courtyard by Marriott Keflavik Airport doesn’t have a spa or pool (unsurprisingly), but it does have a 24/7 gym, located on the lobby level. It’s a basic facility, but better than nothing. It has a treadmill, a bike, an elliptical, some (light) free weights and a bench, and some medicine balls.

Courtyard by Marriott Keflavik Airport restaurants & bars

Officially, the Courtyard by Marriott Keflavik Airport has two dining outlets:

• There’s ROKU Restaurant & Bar, which is located immediately next to the lobby; this is where breakfast is served, and it’s also open for dinner, with an Asian theme
• There’s Langbest Restaurant, which is located next to the hotel, so you have to exit the hotel to access it; this is open for lunch and dinner, and it’s an Italian restaurant

What’s interesting is that neither venue is technically part of the hotel, in the sense that space is simply being leased to a third party. So while breakfast is served at ROKU, if you come there for a drink or dinner, you can’t make any room charges (even though the restaurant is in the lobby).

Anyway, due to my early departure, I wasn’t able to check out the breakfast, though I did have dinner at ROKU. It’s a pretty nice space, with a bar and lounge area near the entrance, which has couches, high-top tables, and more.

There are then a couple of additional zones with dining tables, so the restaurant has a decent capacity.

In the evening, I first had a cappuccino, which was barista made, and delicious.

Then for dinner, I wasn’t terribly hungry and was trying to be somewhat healthy, so I ordered some edamame and a salad. The edamame was fine, while the salad was definitely on the basic side, but did the trick.

For what it’s worth, the hotel serves breakfast daily between 6AM and 10AM, though I left the hotel long before that, so wasn’t able to check it out. However, I was impressed that even at 4AM, they had freshly brewed coffee and some pastries that guests could take with them, at no cost. It’s always nice to see little touches like this, since they’re not strictly necessary, but they’re definitely noticed.

Bottom line

The Courtyard by Marriott Keflavik Airport is a good option if you want to stay near Iceland’s primary international airport. The hotel is pretty brand standard, and there’s not much that stands out about it, positively or negatively.

Fortunately parking is free, which is nice. On top of that, the hotel offers a free shuttle, though only over very limited morning hours. The hotel also has two dining outlets, though neither are technically part of the hotel, in terms of being able to charge things to the room.

I did appreciate the little touches put into the guest experience, from a thoughtful welcome amenity, to coffee in the lobby at 4AM. If you’re trying to stay near the airport, I’d recommend this property. I should mention that while perhaps not as nice, if you want the most convenient hotel for staying near the airport, you’ll want to consider Aurora Hotel, which is located on the grounds of Keflavik Airport, just a short walk from the terminal.

What’s your take on the Courtyard by Marriott Keflavik Airport?