Stay Report: Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Virgin Zion National Park (Virgin, UT - October 2020)

  Stay Report: Fairfield Inn by Marriott
Virgin Zion National Park 
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

I was traveling to Zion National Park and was staying there for one night, and when I looked online Fairfield Inn was giving the best rate and the reviews looked decent.  I have stayed at Fairfield Inn before and generally they were decent but I never really had high expectations; but my last stay in Houston at the Fairfield Inn exceeded my expectations (see review here).  That was my mindset going on - a decent hotel that provides complimentary parking, complimentary breakfast, and complimentary wifi.  It was very easy to book the hotel through the Marriott website, and once booked it was easy to manage through the Marriott app.  

The hotel is actually located in Virgin, Utah which did not seem that far from the park on Google Maps but when driving it did take about 15-20 minutes (depending on traffic).  The location is beautiful as its surrounded by nature and a background of mountains.  All of the hotels in the area have the same general look, which is nice because it makes it uniform and also does not impeded the nature scenery.  The look is very wide but not very tall - and the Fairfield Inn had two floors.  The look is more like an old-school motel with a courtyard in the middle and rooms surrounding, but the hotel looked and felt updated and modern.  As you enter the lobby, the check-in desks are to the right while straight ahead is the kitchen and dining area.  There are hallways to the left and right that lead to the guest rooms as well as other amenities, and there are entrances on either hallway and in the middle of each hallway to the rooms.  The check-in process was not that great - the barely college-age workers did not have any customer service skills at all and their uniform also looked unkempt so it was not a great representation of neither the hotel nor the brand.  From the outside and inside, the hotel looked modern and updated so I received my key, a paper to the amenities available, and made my way to the room.

The room itself was an updated version of the standard Fairfield Room.  As you opened the door, on the left-side was the bathroom while straight ahead was the main part of the room.  The bathroom had the sink on the left-side and a long counter that connected to the half-wall which provided some privacy to the toilet.  There was a walk-in shower on the right-side and hooks for towels/clothes next to the shower; the shower contained Paul Mitchell refillable shampoo, conditioner and body wash (there were the same products at Courtyard in Atlanta - review here - and they were very nice).  Usually there is a closet across from the bathroom but this time there was an open/updated closet between the closet and the room.  Half of the closet was open and provided more space to the room while other parts were closed to allow privacy; and part of the closet was connected to a storage area on which you could place your luggage.  The new design to the closet looked nice and updated and still kept the amenities of an iron, ironing board, a safe, a fridge, a microwave, and a coffee maker + coffee.  Further into the room, there was a king-size bed on left side of the room with a nightstand on either side.  Across from the bed was a large desk with a chair, and above the desk was the TV mounted on the wall.  Right next to the desk was a stand with a luggage place on top and drawers on the bottom.  The room provided a lot of amenities for the guests to enjoy, it was spacious, the bed was large and comfortable to sleep in, there were plenty of outlets spread across the room and next to the bed, and overall it was a nice and comfortable room. 

Fairfield Inn has some standard amenities at all its hotels including complimentary parking,

complimentary wifi, complimentary breakfast, and a fitness center.  The fitness center was open despite the pandemic, but there were signs asking everyone to keep safe and were a mask; the fitness center was big, had lots of updated equipment and had a water station.  The parking was vast and you could park next to a variety of entrances; the wifi was complimentary and fast enough to stream videos and check email.  Fairfield was still providing complimentary breakfast, but you stood in line to select from the limited menu and then you took the items back to your room to eat.  You could choose cereal, bagel, muffin, and/or fruit as well as coffee and/or juice and there were toasters and cream/sugar on the side for guests to partake it.  While it was not a vast selection, I am glad that Fairfield was still able to provide this service to guests.

Overall, it was another pleasant stay at Fairfield Inn.  They seem to be upgrading and updating their hotels and the renovations seems to be improving the experience.  This hotel was updated; the rooms were nice and spacious; there were plenty of amenities for guests to enjoy; and the hotel was spread out so you could practice social distancing.  The hotel did have plenty of signs asking guests were masks and there were plenty of entrances that you could utilize.  The only negative was that it was a longer drive than expected to Zion (but you also avoid traffic) and the check-in experience was not great; but other than that it was a great trip.

Stay Report: Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Houston Intercontinental Airport (Texas - September 2019)

Stay Report: Fairfield Inn Houston IAH Airport

comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

I fly out of Houston Intercontinental a lot, especially for long-haul travel, so usually when I travel I like to arrive the day before my flight to get a proper rest and ensure that I am ready for my flight.  There are many hotels in and around IAH airport and I have tried many of them trying to find a good one that I can consistently use.  I am looking for a nice and clean hotel that has good rooms, decent service, usually allows a later checkout (since the flights are later in the afternoon/evening) and free parking; complimentary breakfast is a bonus.  While this list is basic, it has been a struggle finding a decent hotel that fits this criteria (you can see reviews of my previous stays on this blog).  I was traveling internationally in September out of Houston so needed a hotel, and all the places that I have normally stayed were either sold out or ridiculously expensive.  The only decent hotel that was affordable was the Fairfield Inn Houston IAH Airport.  I have stayed at Fairfield Inn's before and they are a mixed bag - some of them are nice but some of them look like upgraded motels and that is what I am looking for - so based on this I was hesitant to stay but it was only one night so I went ahead and booked it.

Booking and managing the hotel was very easy through the Marriott website and the Marriott app.  The morning of my arrival I was offered the chance to check into my room through the app, but I decided to wait until I got to the hotel.  The hotel is located off the same road as the airport, but on the other side and is set a bit back from the street so it is a bit secluded (and surrounded by trees, so does not look all that safe especially at night).  The hotel shares a parking lot and compound with a TownePlace Suites (also by Marriott) and it was a bit confusing as to which way the Fairfield Inn was and where the main entrance to the hotel was.  As soon as you entered the hotel, you can tell that the hotel had been updated and modernized as everything look updated and new.  As you entered into the lobby, on your right was the sitting area for lounging as well as the sitting area for the breakfast in the morning.  Further ahead on the left was the check-in counter, and then continuing down was the business center on the right and the elevators to the left.  Like I said, the lobby looked updated and modern and fresh so it gave a nice first impression to the hotel.  Check-in was quick, I received my key and took the elevator up to my room.

The hallway to my room was very long so it seemed like the hotel is very large and expansive.  After I finally got to my room and opened the door, there was a bathroom on right hand side and a closet on the left.  The bathroom was standard with a sink, a toilet and a tub but the size was large and it was spacious.  The bathroom also had towels and bathroom toiletries from Paul Mitchell.  The closet was spacious and had options to hang or shelves to store the items, and there was an iron and ironing board in the closet as well.  Further into the room, there were two double beds on side of the room with a nightstand in the middle.   Across from the beds was a chest with drawers on the bottom and a TV on top, as well as safe on the bottom.  There was a desk next to the chest and then next to the desk was a stand with the fridge at the bottom and microwave and coffee maker on top.  The room provided a lot of amenities for the guests to enjoy, it was spacious, the beds were large and comfortable to sleep in, and overall it was a nice and comfortable room. 

Fairfield Inn has some standard amenities for the guests to enjoy at all its hotels including complimentary parking, complimentary wifi, complimentary breakfast, and a fitness center.  This hotel had all that plus a business center, with complimentary printing, as well as meeting rooms.  The fitness center was in an odd location, right next to guest rooms, but was spacious and had tons of equipment and room to work out.  The parking was vast (although you may not want to park right next to the forest); the wifi was complimentary and fast enough to stream videos and check email; and the breakfast was a standard complimentary hotel breakfast which means it was not fantastic but had decent options for an average breakfast.  As my expectations were low, the quantity and quality of amenities that the hotel had far exceeded my expectations and I was pleasantly surprised.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by my stay at the Fairfield Inn IAH Airport.  Based on my previous experiences with the brand, I was not sure what to expect so I kept my expectations low; however, my expectations were far exceeded by the hotel.  The spacious rooms, the updated decor, the comfortable beds, the decent breakfast, and the location right next to the airport were all pleasant aspects; and I cannot think of a negative aspect of the hotel.  I will definitely stay here again and hopefully I have the same great experience as I did this time.