Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Richfield

The housekeepers were super nice and went above and beyond with their guest service. The front desk staff, though, could use a customer service 101 class. There's plenty of room for them to improve.

At this Marriott, the app lets me book, confirm my identity and payment, and use mobile check-in. But once I arrive, it doesn't show my room number. I have to go to the desk, wait in line if there is one, show ID, and give them a credit card for incidentals, though I'm not sure what incidentals there'd be here. Then they hand me two physical key cards. Only after I'm in the room, or walking to it, does the app update with the room number and activate the mobile key. That defeats the routine I rely on when I book through the app, even if the price is a little higher: after a full day's work, I want to check my phone, see the room, unlock it, and be done. I know this may sound silly, but I'm comparing it with other Marriott hotels around the world, not other chains. This location needs to catch up with other Marriotts if it wants to benefit from the chain's recognition.

The location was great, and the rest of the stay was fine with the usual budget hotel amenities. But the breakfast was so bad I couldn't eat it, which has never happened to me before. It was a breakfast sandwich wrapped in plastic. Is that how they expect it to be warmed up?

After a 10-hour drive, I had trouble getting to sleep because the AC made a constant banging noise every time it kicked on. The room was very clean and mostly comfortable, though the pillows were flat, which is about what I'd expect. The staff were lovely, and breakfast was pretty good.