Fair Enough – Rediscovering a Forgotten Marriott Brand

Fairfield Inn and Suites

I gave up on Marriott’s Fairfield Inn and Suites brand ten or so years ago.  I’d had my share of blah properties with rock-hard beds.  After multiple stays ended with back pain, I decided it was time to look elsewhere for my limited service needs – mostly Holiday Inn Express, Hampton Inn, and a plethora of Choice brands.  But based on a delightful stay at a nearby Fairfield Inn and Suites, I’ll reconsider the brand with our future travel plans for a few different reasons.

Reliable Value

I recently stayed at the Fairfield Inn and Suites Virginia Beach Town Center, a rather economical award redemption on Bonvoy’s lower end.  The property’s a bit over two and half years old.  Rooms started at 15.5k points for the night I visited, but I ended up paying 17k since I procrastinated on the booking.  Compared to the cash rates, the redemption obtained a 0.9 cents per point return, which would’ve been higher if I hadn’t put off the reservation.  That’s nothing eye-popping but solidly over the MtM average valuation.  I don’t overly pay attention to cents per point valuations, figuring that any redemption that meets my goals is a worthy one.  But while I’ve noticed outsized value has come along with some of our high-end Bonvoy award stay goals, it’s nice to see solid return near the bottom.

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Refreshing Design and Decor

Okay, given my layoff with Fairfield, anything looking newish is better than what I remember.  But still, I appreciate Fairfield’s fresh feel, at least in this one instance.  The entire property felt bright and airy.  Plenty of different common spaces dotted the first floor – a welcoming lobby, lounging space adjacent to Town Center Taps, and the large breakfast area.  Plenty of windows exuded more openness.  I caught myself wanting to linger in the Fairfield common areas – something I can’t remember ever thinking of the brand.

My Fairfield Inn and Suites Room

But the inviting room kept me from loitering too long in the common spaces.  Admittedly, I may be grading the rooms on a curve.  A Marriott Nightly Upgrade Award cleared in advance, and I received an Executive King Studio room.  I had a dedicated sitting and working area separate from the bedroom.  Speaking of the latter, I appreciated the simple luggage storage with drawers beneath.  The television mounted perfectly above the storage space promoted a clean, streamlined look.  The bed offered strong lighting on each side.  Speaking of said fixtures, they all worked – something so uncommon in hotel rooms these days that I’m pleasantly surprised when they do.  Most importantly, the bed was much comfier than my previous Fairfield experiences.  Perhaps it’s a low bar, but I didn’t leave the hotel with back pain.

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The workspace is remarkably functional – a wide desk, lamp, and plenty of connectivity.  The room’s second, large television is jarringly close to the desk.  I had to roll back from the space to take in the football game visuals when taking a break from writing.  This is perhaps the only nitpick I have with the room, something that probably doesn’t bother most.  I appreciated the large couch and coffee table, another area to lounge which made the space feel larger than it actually was.  It was cozy enough that I unintentionally fell asleep, one of my favorite things.  Again, while this was a bigger-than-usual Fairfield room, I could imagine easily enjoy a smaller version.

Lastly, the perfectly-fine bathroom still offers bar soap – an endangered species I still enjoy.

Serviceable Breakfast

A not-terrible limited service hotel breakfast might as well count as satisfactory.  Based on my recent stay, I’d slot Fairfield right in there with Hampton Inn’s offering, or perhaps a bit above certain Hampton locations.  As with many hotels in this range, Fairfield overbreads guests.  But unlike others, Fairfield offers plenty else to pick from, including multiple protein options, plenty of fruit, and Dannon yogurt.  I liked the property offering a variety of individual, generously-sized breakfast cereals.  There’s no grinding away cranks attached to poorly-mounted cylinders of who-knows-how-old mystery cereal/dust.

I tried a small amount of eggs, which were expectedly just okay.  I hopped to the egg/swiss/muffin sandwich thingy, which was tastier and not as unhealthy as I expected.  For just a few seconds, I flashed back to Fairfield’s Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwich days.  But like my college-age metabolism, that time’s gone.

Lots of Little Things

At check-in, the perky front desk agent volunteered a 4 pm late checkout based on my Platinum status.  I was pleasantly surprised how easily I obtained this.  I simply asked for a late checkout, and she offered 4 pm right away.  Perhaps this says more about other Bonvoy properties where this becomes a huge negotiation to get even a 1 or 2 pm late checkout.  Regardless, I appreciated having a whole 24 hours at the property. The fitness center offers the usual cardio equipment and more free weights than I remember.

Fairfield Inn and Suites – Conclusion

Some of you more familiar with Fairfield may think I’m overstating the positives.  But in my view, we live in a world where competence has become quaint.  When a hotel quietly delivers on everything they offer, I glow about the experience, no matter how many stars it holds.

Of course, this is just one experience with Fairfield.  Inevitably, they’ll come back to earth when I visit more.  But I’ll look to cherry-pick Fairfields here and there, and I’m happy I’ve gotten a new/old option back in the fold.  Are you a Fairfield Inn and Suites fan?  Why or why not?

Disclosure: Miles to Memories has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Miles to Memories and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.

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