Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Atlanta Vinings/Galleria

Not a pleasant stay. The room felt dated while the hotel was under renovation. The TV gave me trouble, the mini fridge wasn’t cold, and there was a faint smell I couldn’t identify. Outside light still came through, and the small washroom had very little counter space. The closet was finished as an opening inside the wall. My room faced a very active freeway and sat above the noise wall. Laundry meant one washer and one dryer, each for a single load, paid with coins or an app that charged $3. I travel around the country for work, and this room had a lot of issues.

The room was clean and the service was adequate, but I barely slept. Highway noise and emergency vehicles went by through the night, doors kept slamming until at least 1:30 a.m., a loud group of teenagers was around, and at 8 a.m. the housekeepers were shouting to each other right outside my door. The place is being renovated and the rooms look pretty nice, but the noise was a lot. Hallway sound treatment and door dampers would help. Parking was also hard to find because construction trucks and guests’ work trucks took up so many spaces.

I stayed four nights and would come back. The front desk staff were polite and helpful, the pool was big, and there was a decent amount of parking. The hotel is under construction, so there was some mess, but I expected that and didn’t hold it against them since they’re making improvements. My only complaint was the TV: when I watched streaming services, it froze about five minutes into a show, and this happened reliably with PlutoTV.

This is a good budget choice if you want an affordable, clean place in or near Atlanta and plan to spend more of your money on outings. It’s a basic hotel and doesn’t pretend to be fancy. They’re renovating upper floors over roughly the next month, but the person who checked us in told us about it upfront. It didn’t seem like work was happening in the evening, so guests wouldn’t be disturbed. We stayed on the first floor and didn’t need to go upstairs, so I can’t say how easy it is to get around the renovation.