Spark by Hilton Cincinnati Fairfield

It’s basically somewhere to sleep and head out. The facelift looks nice enough, but the pool wasn’t just being maintained, it was gone, and the hot tub had been filled in. The gym equipment was broken and the room didn’t look cleaned. Breakfast was almost nothing: some cereal, four bagels, four muffins, and hard-boiled eggs I wouldn’t eat. I’ve stayed in worse, though.

The place isn’t clean or well maintained. Late at night the lobby smelled strongly of weed, and by morning the whole third floor had that unpleasant smell. I’ll look for somewhere else next time. Watch the bathroom door handle: it’s installed backward, so it locks from the outside. Don’t lock yourself in. The lights over the bed didn’t work, either. The wall heat and AC unit was unplugged, and when I turned it on, it smelled terrible, so I left it off.

Breakfast was the weak point. The sign said warm breakfast sandwiches could be bought in the shop, but the bagels were rock hard and only cinnamon raisin was available. There were peanut butter and jelly packets but no bread. The oatmeal station suggested nuts and berries, but neither was there. A few cereals, hard-boiled eggs, oranges, and apples were available. The yogurt machine sputtered out plain yogurt, with no toppings. Oatly oat milk was a nice option, at least. You could manage, but it wasn’t a filling breakfast. I felt bad for the soccer team heading to a game, since there wasn’t much to give them a boost. The room was spacious and clean, and the hotel, though older, has been freshened up. The fitness area was clean, with sanitizer spray and towels. It had lighter dumbbells up to 25 lbs and an outdated pulley machine with a questionable pin on the chest press, so use that at your own risk. I wish there’d been a floor mat. The new Peloton bike wasn’t running yet, but someone at the desk said it should be fixed soon. It has Delta clips. The pool was open and looked fine.

We were disappointed to find the indoor pool out of service, since we’d booked mainly for it while traveling with our children. We had to move hotels. Still, the staff made a stressful situation much easier. Vick was exceptionally kind, welcoming, and helpful, and helped us with the refund and a discount on the night because of the inconvenience. The team made us feel at home from the moment we arrived, and it was sad to leave. Their warmth, professionalism, and willingness to help meant a lot to our family. Thanks for taking such good care of us.