Fairfield Inn & Suites Salmon Arm

There are lots of USB charging ports, so just bring your own cables. The room was tidy and clean, though the washroom could use some improvement.

I only need three things from a hotel: clean, comfortable and quiet. Fairfield failed badly on all three. The breakfast was included, but I wish I hadn't bothered; it was as lacklustre as the rest of the place. The bathroom was dirty, with rust and grime on the shower rail and an extraction fan vent so clogged it looked as if it hadn't been cleaned in months. The shower was a joke, with either very low pressure or an overly restrictive flow limiter, and barely lukewarm water. When I asked for the manager, I was told she didn't even work at the hotel. My wife and I were checked in by Jon, who didn't greet us or show any enthusiasm toward guests. Only one of the two elevators worked. When we entered our room, the bed looked so dishevelled we first thought someone was already staying there. The bedding was old, threadbare, grey and unironed. The air conditioner was so noisy that we thought we'd sleep more peacefully with it off and the window open. But the room was next to the highway, so it was a choice between AC noise and traffic noise. Neither was a good option.

After checking out, I realized I'd left something in the wardrobe and contacted the hotel right away. They said their housekeeper hadn't found anything, even though it was right there in the closet. I can't tell whether staff didn't check properly or someone kept it, but the hotel took no responsibility and made no effort to help. Extremely disappointing and careless. I won't stay here again, and I don't recommend it.

We had a pleasant stop here on our road trip back to Vancouver. The rooms were spacious and laid out well, and the place seemed very well maintained. The breakfast buffet was a nice extra for my family and me. There was a false eyelash cluster left in the bathroom sink, which looked odd. Still, the hotel's cleanliness seemed fine overall, and it wasn't enough for us to make a fuss. Housekeeping might want to keep an eye out for things like that.