I stayed here 2x (July 25-26 and Aug 8-9) as my family is making a cross country move and this is the halfway point. The 2nd time, I booked the wrong dates, which was my fault, so when I arrived I paid for a new booking. I still had the reservation for the wrong date, so I tried to change the date to when we would be coming down to close on our old house (Aug 27-28). I did book 3rd party, but I called both the hotel and the 3rd party to try to change the dates. 3rd party spoke to someone named Quay who said they changed the dates with no additional charge. I called the property the next day and they were unaware of the change. 3rd party site reached out on my behalf and they refuse to make the change without additional payment. They also refuse to refund me, even though I stayed twice and made payment for my mistake already.
The only negative thing about this hotel is that it was a little hard to find. It certainly wasn't rated as high as it should be. The room was spacious, well appointed with glassware, silverware and tableware. There was a table on rollers tucked under a counter that, when rolled out made a dining area; almost every light fixture had charging ports in the base; and the bed and pillows were very good. Breakfast was great - two choices of omelettes, cheese and western, sausage, hot cereal, cold cereals, yogurt, fresh fruit, waffles, several bread choices for toast and several choices for coffee and juice. It was refreshed often, so food was not stale. The indoor pool and exercise room make it a great choice for an extended stay. Nearby are many restaurants and the Short Pump Shopping Center. It would be a great place to stay to visit the historic homes of Jefferson, Madison and Monroe.
I wanted to like this hotel more because there are some good things. The staff was very helpful and friendly. The location is very good; you’re within walking distance to many restaurants, some shops, and a Whole Foods. Parking is free and ample. The rooms are good sized. There’s a nice little exercise room. They have a pool table in the lobby. But of the Marriott brands I’ve stayed at, I think Aloft isn’t going to be a go to for me. This hotel is relatively new - the receptionist said about 5 years old - but it’s already needing a few touch ups when you actually look with a keen eye. The room has “IKEA” style furnishings. The beds are on a metal platform and the mattress slides some when you sit instead of staying in place. The mattress itself was on the softer side, but if you stayed toward the middle, it was a little firmer. The bathroom vanity area and bathroom itself is all lit by one light switch, so when someone uses the area, the residual light shines into the bedroom. The phone in my room didn’t work properly, so when I needed to call the front desk, I ended up having to use my cell phone. The ironing board in my room wouldn’t stay up, so I had to lay the board on the bed to iron. The nightstand light didn’t work (when I told the front desk, they apologized and put in an order for it to be fixed). There’s some noise on the street that you can hear, especially when it’s gardening day. And lastly, I realize there are bugs in the world, but there was a roach in my room after my first night 😬 When I called the front desk to have someone come clean it up after I killed it with my shoe, they were very apologetic. They moved me to a different room on a different floor and didn’t charge me for that night’s stay. They said they were going to fumigate the room and not have anyone stay in it and that they haven’t had that issue there before. It’s super gross, and I was only able to stay my remaining nights by telling myself that a guest may have inadvertently brought one in their luggage and it crawled under the door. That was my hope and the necessary mental gymnastics for staying. I realize other hotels likely have similar situations, but it’s not something I’ve experienced at a Marriott before. I don’t know that they could’ve handled it any better, but I was on edge the rest of the stay.
HHudsonmccrawWe enjoyed our overnight stay here at the Fairfield. We liked that the hotel is right off of I-95 and is located to many restaurants. We found the room to be comfortable and accommodating. Everything was in solid working order and impeccably clean. The staff at this hotel obviously must be doing a solid job of maintaining the rooms and public spaces, as that was what we saw during our stay. They were helpful & welcoming. This was our first stay at this hotel, and we are confident that there will be more stays in the future. We look forward to coming back soon.