Martin’s Crosswinds

I had a very nice time at Martins Crossroads, service was similar to a cruise ship. Everything was well prepared, & staff were very friendly, respectable, and helpful. If and when I ever get married I think I’ve found my all in one banquet hall.

I dont see how you can be a wedding/​events banquet hall company but have a voicemail and phone prompt like a big corporation. Press 1 press 2 press 3, how about i go somewhere else that will provide me personal assistance for my important event. Yes for that reason alone i wouldnt do business with them. I needed some important information for an event that was being held there and was not able to get through to them because of their answering phone. They. REALLY NEED TO CHANGE THAT!

Beautiful venue with the finest décor. I’m in the lobby right now in a snugly leather chair. The food is amazing and service over the top. Five stars well deserved.

We came here recently for a LARGE company party.
Located next to the Holiday Inn in Greenbelt, the outside of this place has a rat pack sort of vibe. Not so much once you get inside.
We checked in in the lobby and were pointed in the direction of our ballroom. This place is massive. Not only was our large celebration happening, but there was also a wedding reception AND a retirement party.
Our ballroom was gorgeous. High ceilings, lots of molding, and bright, sparkling chandeliers. The staff did a fantastic job w/​the lights and spacing. It felt roomy even though we had a LOT of tables packed in. My company paid for an open bar (yeah buddy!) so we had a red/​white wine option, a few domestic, macro beer choices, and some mid shelf liquor options.
The food was great. Usually I find that food a venues like this is hit or miss, this one was a hit. We started w/​veggie and cheese/​cracker tables, as well as some passed apps (I was only able to try the bacon wrapped brisket). Then the main courses came out. I’m pretty sure my company opted for every option they had. We were offered a slider bar, a pizza bar, a chicken/​beef carving station, salad bar, and taco/​fajita bar. I wish I could say that I made it to all of them, but I didn’t. The fajita choices were actually very good, as were the salad options. At the end we were offered a dessert bar w/​chocolate fountain. Of that, the lemon meringue petit four-​esque cakes were my fave.
If you’re looking for a reception venue in MD, give this one a gander!

I had my wedding RECEPTION here on July 5, 2014 1:30pm — 5:30pm at the Maryland Room (the room overlooking the garden).
One thing you guys need to know about me is that I am frugal and I love to get my monies worth (who doesn’t?). My husband and I got engaged on April 2014 so we had very limited time to find a venue — we went to many different venues and none of them fit our budget (very important) and what we wanted. Since, our maid of honor and my step-​in-​laws got married at the Crosswinds, we figured to check it out…
Most of the reviews you read here are true: Martin’s mass produced weddings/​events and décor is a bit outdated. However, these reviews are coming from folks who attended an event … a wedding is not cheap and if YOU’RE paying for it (not your parents), then you might want to take a closer look at this place.
So let’s talk pricing and the experience before, during and after:
Pricing: The minimum guest is 100 people, either 100 guests shows up or not, they will charge you for 100 people. You do not pay for the room, you pay for the food multiply by 100pp (per person). You get to choose either buffet style or platted (prices are the same) and then you can add your add-​ons. You have an option to upgrade your entrees to prime rib/​crabcakes, lobster/​crabcakes etc. etc. I chose buffet-​style (because if my guests are still hungry, then they can go grab seconds) and it was $ 46.25pp and the price includes basic appetizers: fruit plate, salad or soup.
Please note, we received a deal for some of the add-​ons, so prices may vary:

ADD-​ONs: hot hors d’oeuvres ($ 5.50pp) have plenty of options such as pigs in the blanket, fried calamari etc. when you do your tasting, I highly suggest the meat knish, everybody loved it.
4hours open bar ($ 17.55pp) which is the in-​house liquors. You can upgrade to premium or deluxe. If your guests does not care what type of vodka they have in their mix drinks, then I highly suggest doing the in-​house liquors.
Ice cream bar ($ 3.00pp)
Champagne toast ($ 2.00pp) the head table automatically gets champagne however, if you want your guests to have champagne then this is the price you pay for.
Wedding cake ($ 3.25pp) they will cut and serve it for you.
DJ for 4 hours ($ 475) and they use DJ Delights
I brought a roasted pig from an outside caterer (Paul Kee) which was included in the carving station and I paid $ 75 for Martin’s to cut and serve.
Experience:
Before: You have to set up an appointment. Arriving at your appointment, they have reserve parking for you. Our event planner was Kim Cleveland and she was friendly, straight-​forward and helpful. A couple days before the big day, I dropped off my items to Kim such as favors, seating chart and place cards. Martin’s will not put the place cards (according to your seating chart) in each individual tables for you. But they will put the favors in each table. They will give you a sheet where you can list the time frames for example, cake cutting at 2pm. And yes, they followed that sheet to the T.
During: Part of your contract, you get a personal bridal hostess that will cater to you and the bridal party and a bridal suite where you can get ready or hang out. Our bridal hostess, Katrina, was AMAZING — she truly gave us the Martin’s experience. In the suite, there were wine/​champagne/​sodas and if you bought the hot hors d’oeuvres, they serve it there too. And yes, your guest are eating their apps while they’re waiting for you. The head table gets serve food and drinks so you don’t have to get in-​line. The décor of the buffet was simple yet appealing to the eyes. As for the table décor, you get to choose the linen and napkin colors and automatically comes with a floating candle centerpiece. The décor automatically comes with the contract — if you want it to customize your way then you are allowed to come in an hour early to do set ups. When the party was over, Katrina made sure we had all our belongings, she did not leave our side until we got in the car. Martin’s gives you a nice food basket with champagne.
After: Since we had an issue with DJ Delights at first, Martin’s called us to apologize and asked how they can do better. Long story short the issue was that since we had very limited time frame, we were having communication problems with DJ Delights. We got it resolved and DJ Gavin did a FANTASTIC job at the party! Martin’s sent us this membership card that we can use to get a free champagne bottle every time we attend a Martin’s event. How cool is that!
Overall, we and our guests had a great time. Definitely worth the money, and this statement comes from a frugal person.

Took a tour of this place as a possibility for my upcoming wedding. I drove by the outside at night, and it is simply breathtaking. It has the most elegant chandeliers that create a fairytale effect when lit up. The light just dances off the mirrors and windows. The place is very well maintained inside and looks much better in person than in photographs.
Our coordinator, Olimpia, was excitable and brought excellent energy to our planning meeting. She pretty much sold it for me actually. Sure, the place is gorgeous. But its all about the quality service. She made me feel a giddy anxiety for my wedding like I was 16 years old. She had no problems making needed suggestions. And advising us ways to extend and stretch our budget. The packages and options are vast and quite affordable for all of what you’re getting. This place is a deal and can be VERY budget friendly.
It is certainly not the most unique wedding venue, a lot of folk have had their weddings here, but once you experience their service you understand why so many have trusted them in the past. Their biggest downfall, in my opinion, is their floral and décor packages/​options. Sure the building itself creates fabulous ambiance. But Martin’s moreso focuses on the catering rather than the decorating. My advice? Call someone in to make this place exactly how you want it! Or if you’re not a very picky bride – just go with what they offer.
I have not put my deposit down yet so I have not had the full Martin’s experience. I will update in about a year when my fabulous wedding is over! Hopefully, I’m still feeling this good about it.

On two occasions (the second being yesterday) I’ve attended a charity luncheon for over 400 guests at Martin’s. From my vantage point, the afternoon went off flawlessly. Martin’s is a gorgeous place– a huge spacious lobby, beautiful dining rooms, excellent service, and high quality food.
I’ve often wondered how a banquet facility can serve up 400 high quality hot meals simultaneously. They have it figured out –great lunches of stuffed chicken, potatoes, string beans, and a slice of prime rib. And for dessert an amazing creation of chocolate cake and cheesecake — fresh and moist and perfect.
The room and tables were beautiful, the sound system and video system were flawless.
I have nothing but praises to say for Martin’s Crosswinds.

This is a nice, spacious venue. I worked an event here doing make up for a hair show. The staff were friendly. The food that they served was decent. There was plenty of room to work and move around. The lighting was not the greatest however considering that the majority of events here are weddings, it’s understandable.

I’m a wedding planner, so I know just about ever venue there is to know around the Washington DC, MD and Virginia area venues. I send allot of brides to this venue as well as Martin’s other catering halls in the surrounding area, and I tell you, you can not beat the service, food, locations and price. I enjoy the venue so much so, I recently got married there and my guest loved it!
If your looking for a great location, food, atmosphere and Outstanding Customer Service. Look no further. Tell Them… Shovana, with Extravagant Affairs sent you.

Had our Christmas Party there. The food was good but what made the night was the people who worked there.
Service was awesome, from the gentleman who met us at the door to the bartenders. Made all of us feel welcome.
Edited to add: I can see how some people would say there was a lot of noise coming from the other side of the building. Someone was having a noisy party but hey, that’s what it’s about.

We had our company Christmas Party at Martin’s and everyone was very pleased with the service, décor and food. I must commend Martin’s for throwing in a projector and screen for us when we forgot ours, FREE! Thanks again!

Disappointed with our wedding reception. The customer service at Martin’s was great during the planning process. The actual reception, however, had several awful mishaps that caused us a lot of stress that day, when we just wanted to relax and enjoy the evening. If you are considering using this venue for your wedding, please read and carefully consider some of the issues before making your decision.
As mentioned by a few other reviewers, the walls are not soundproof, so during a few of our toasts and a song performance (moments that were supposed to be touching and sentimental), we could hear the booming, disruptive bass from the other room. I saw some of our guests couldn’t concentrate or hear what was going on, and I saw my mother and Uncle get up and start talking to one of the Martin’s staff about this issue in the middle of my reception. As a bride, I just wanted my family and guests to enjoy the reception, so this was extremely stressful for me. One of our guests, who has planned many weddings in Chicago, walked up to my mother and told her that this noise was unacceptable for a reception venue.
Later, Martin’s claimed that they asked the other event to turn the music down, but by then it had already disrupted our night. Our reception coordinator did offer us an extra hour of open bar to compensate for this, but I would rather just have been informed in advance about the walls and concurrent events going on. I met with some members of Martin’s company recently to discuss this issue, and they explained that there was a misunderstanding in where we were placed that evening. I understand mistakes happen, but we spent a lot of money and time planning, trusting that a major error like this wouldn’t happen. This reaffirmed my feeling that our reception was well below the standard of excellence that Martin’s claims.
Some other mishaps that night: I ordered four vendor meals, but my photographer and videographers had no idea where they were supposed to sit, so my day-​of coordinator had to look at the seating chart and find a way to squeeze them in a table with our guests (faith c. was my day-​of coordinator, her review is also listed here, and she also notes how the noise ruined the mood.). Other minor things that I was disappointed in: the favors were set up incorrectly, even though I had specified the setup in the reception details, so my friends told me they were scrambling to fix the favors on the tables before the reception started. The guests told me they ran out of coffee when the cake was being served?!
Some positive things about Martin’s– it is a large venue. They offer extra portions of food for free to the guests, and we also ordered a cheese display that my guests liked. My husband and I were also disappointed in the taste of the food. It wasn’t spectacular but it wasn’t disgusting.
After posting a review on Unilocal and Google Reviews about Martin’s, they did contact me to resolve this issue and offered compensation for some of the services. We were surprised that they made the effort to contact us, but when we read the terms of the agreement, we found one caveat: in order to receive the compensation, my husband and I had to sign an agreement that stipulated that we were not to say anything negative about the company or its food, either publicly or written. This made us reconsider the issue, and we felt that the compensation they offered was not adequate for the disappointment we felt with our reception and what the agreement was asking of us, so we declined. This makes me skeptical of the glowing 5-​star reviews from other clients under the Google reviews, because I wonder if they were also offered the same agreement.
As I mentioned earlier, the people at Martin’s that helped me with the planning process were great and very friendly, and the venue is lovely. I just wish that the details that we so carefully planned were executed properly on the actual day. I know no wedding event goes perfectly, and mistakes and misunderstandings can happen. But although Martin’s hosts hundreds of events a year, this is the only wedding reception we will ever have, and we spent a lot of time and money planning this and trusting that they would carry out their services. Many of my guests still remember and bring up the noise that disrupted our evening. As a bride, you don’t want this to be the impression left in your guests’ memories of your special day.

Had my engagement party here last month — everything went smoothly ! Robin, our planner, was excellent and made sure every detail was taken care of. She answered all my questions and concerns. I heard the food and dessert was good, and everyone had a good time. I have been to several weddings here also, and it’s a beautiful place.

Went to a wedding here. The décor is nice, but overall, you get the impression that they do «mass produced» weddings. Im not sure how to explain it exactly, but I guess if you are on a tight budget, this is the place.
If Mr. Right comes along some day, I doubt I’d choose this as the venture for my wedding, but it obviously serves its purpose.

I definitely think Martin’s is more of a budget-​minded approach wedding factory. For some, it serves the purpose and I won’t knock you for that, but I have never found the food to be very tasty, or the approach to be detailed oriented, but hey for some it’s fine. It just wouldn’t work for me.
They also did not serve the cake when I was there, but placed slices in wax paper bags in a basket towards the exit. I was not a fan of that!
My exchange student also had his senior banquet here. Now for a high school event that is in addition to prom, and senior breakfast, this is a really nice venue.

The main reason that I i’m giving 2 stars is because the rooms are NOT sound proof. So while we were at our reception and eating dinner, listening to the toasts, etc all you could hear was the bass music from the receptions next door on both sides. It really ruined the mood. Martins should look into sound proofing their rooms.
Some other drawbacks that I noticed while helping my friend plan the reception were: they don’t let you choose the room that you want, so it’s possible that you may not get a room with a chandelier.
They didn’t have a vendor table prepared even though my friend paid for one, so we had to squeeze the photographer, etc into the seating arrangement with the guests.
They don’t provide a locked room for the bride/​bridal party’s belongings so after the bride and bridal party entered the reception, they had to drag all their things into the reception place as well– which really made the front look cluttered.
Overall, they have a couple different rooms for events and the ones with the chandelier look very nice. I’ve been here for 2 different wedding receptions and a work meeting. The food is decent and the staff is nice and from what I was told, the prices for a wedding reception are very reasonable. The most recent event that I went to was this past weekend for my friends reception. The bartenders weren’t very friendly but they were nice enough to keep the bar open past when they were supposed to. The staff made sure to look after the gift table and wouldn’t let anyone take them at the end of the night without consulting with the bride and groom and having the person sign for the gifts– which I thought was a good idea so that gifts don’t get stolen.
If you do end up using Martin’s, just hope that no loud event is going on at the same time.

Went to an appreciation dinner held here on a Saturday night, with about 100 guests. Martin’s is an event (e.g. wedding) destination, not a restaurant, per se. Let me address my thoughts by area:
— PHYSICAL: beautiful furnishings, e.g. marble floors throughout, including the rest rooms. Very classy look to the place. Minor nit … there are two main event rooms, one on each side of the building, and there are not both men’s & women’s rest rooms on both sides, so guests from the other event (one gender anyway) will continuously be wandering past the entrance to your event on their way to the rest room. If I were a woman, this would probably bother me even more. Also, the bass line of the music from the adjacent room was 100% clear in the room I was in, and very loud, to the point that it made our speaker difficult to hear. That wall needs to be better sound-​isolated.
— APPETIZERS: Average quality. Served buffet style in chafing dishes. Nothing special here. Commercially-​prepared.
— DRINKS: The bar is capable of delivering very high quality service and selection (very large and well-​appointed), depending on the hosts’ preferences. Very nice.
— MAIN COURSE: I had the salmon and chicken plate. The food had a very «commercial» feel to it. The green beans came tied up in a little bundle with string, which gave them a very «I came pre-​prepared» feel. The twice-​baked mashed potatoes were dry and bland, and I usually am a big fan of them. The salmon was delicious. The chicken, however, was bland and ill-​seasoned. While I did not have the prime rib, a couple of other guests at my table did, and it was both thin (certainly less than ½″ thick) and very fatty-​looking. The guest seated next to me ate about three bites of his, and was very disappointed with it.
— DESSERT: Total home run, here! It was a very moist and delicious slice of devil’s food cake with a great «twist» … three layers overall, of which the top and bottom layers were the cake, and the center layer was cheesecake. So, dessert combined my two personal favorite desserts in one. I savored the whole thing.
— SERVICE: The staff I dealt with were all courteous and helpful, well-​dressed, and well-​organized. There was a senior staff member assigned to the entrance area, to direct guests to the appropriate room upon arrival and to help with any other issues that might arise. He was a very nice and helpful man. Nice touch.
— OVERALL: Since I am viewing this, from my perspective, as a dinner venue, my disappointment with the quality of the food (except the superior dessert) offset the excellent service and physical layout (except the rest room layout and thin walls). Therefore, overall I rate Martin’s three stars.

MARTINS RUINED MY WEDDING.
While planning for my wedding, Martin’s staff was nice and professional. We THOUGHT we had made a good choice because we were given the impression that Martin’s knew what they were doing.
However, my wedding day was a disaster. Here are just a few reasons why I will never trust Martin’s with another event again:
–they accidentally poured apple cider instead of champagne
–a waiter ran over my father in the middle of his speech with a salad cart
–the room was lit up like a high school gymnasium through the whole thing
–the DJ booth BROKE. IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR FIRST DANCE! and then twice more after that. He didn’t play any of the music we had on our must play list, and at one point left for 10 minutes and kept us all in silence.
–2 of the dishes for our buffet weren’t put out until after everyone had started eating
–The bartender ran out of alcohol selections and garnishes.
–The music from the wedding next to us was SO LOUD, that I missed my Maid of Honor’s speech
–The birthday party on the other side of us had someone getting arrested — so my guests had to step over someone getting handcuffed to walk to the bathroom
–people crashed our wedding
THIS IS THE WORST PART: My husband and I contacted Martins to discuss the series of unfortunate events that made up our wedding day. They never even apologized. They accused us of making this stuff up. AND THEN they had the guts to say, «well you should be saying ‘thank you’ to us for the free apple cider.» Larry Cake is a horrible soul-​less and money-​hungry manager. He has no regard for his customers. We didn’t get our money’s worth, and Martin’s made almost no effort to correct the situation.
DO NOT USE MARTINS FOR ANYTHING.

I got married here, so I obviously liked the place, though it was the contract where they nickle and dime you down to each guest, décor and food where it can get pretty expensive. I wanted a small wedding, maybe 50 people max, though I was told I had to have a minimum of 100, in order to use the chapel ballroom. The place is really nice though. I happened to have gotten married on a popular weekend and there were 4 brides on my day. things got hectic. I had guests unsure where to go. the BIG pro is that everything is all inclusive, but the BIG con is that i could clearly hear someone else’s wedding while mine was going on. All in all, the pros outweighed.

I attended a wedding here as a guest. Both the ceremony and reception were held here. During the bride and grooms vows all you could hear was the wedding party in the next room over. Apparently, they were in the middle of their reception. The guests were unable to hear anything beyond the loud music next door. I would have been extremely disappointed if I were the bride and groom. I know I will def not be having my wedding here!

Great facility to throw a formal event
My dad has thrown a corporate Christmas party here for the past 2 years. Both times, I enjoyed myself… not just because I was around family and friends but also because Martin Crosswinds serves some really good food along with excellent service from the servers. It has a very nice and elegant setting inside and out. Its also really easy access to guests that live within the Baltimore/​DC area… its close to highways 295 and 495. Out of town guests? There’s a really nice Holiday Inn right next to it (
). If you or anyone you know is considering throwing a formal event in the DC metro area, this definitely the place to come.

Great staff and service
Facility is spacious and well appointed
If u need a complete package for a wedding reception, go see Olympia

I have to preface this review by saying that #1: I used to work here (not a great experience, but that is neither here nor there), and #2: I had my wedding here.
Martin’s Crosswinds really is the place to be if you’re on a budget and you want a nice looking place that is affordable. They offer packages which include a DJ, centerpieces, and wedding cakes. When I planned my wedding, I was extremely busy with trying to graduate a month prior to the wedding, so I didn’t have a lot of time. Martin’s saved me a a ton of time with these packages. I booked the DJ and the Cake and the centerpieces, and quite obviously the food, through this place. They also could have arranged transportation, but we found an alternate solution. The food is decent, nothing special, but its plentiful. You get what you pay for in terms of food. You can even have the actual ceremony at the hall and save even more money. Other than that, I had a beautiful wedding at a very nice reception hall and paid not even half of what most brides are paying today for their reception.