Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Rockford

A big thank you to Mary at the breakfast buffet. She knew her stuff and went out of her way to offer a good range of gluten-free items, including bagels, a muffin, and sausage, while making sure there was no cross contamination. The hotel is right off the interstate and close to restaurants and shopping.

The staff were wonderful, and the breakfast was great. Our room was dated, but super clean and had everything we needed for one night. The lobby and halls look newer. I stay at at least 30 Marriott properties a year, and this is one of their older ones, but it was still a very nice stay. The location is just off the interstate and half a mile from the Hard Rock Casino, which is beautiful and has really good food and entertainment. I’d stay here again.

The hotel was clean and in a convenient spot, but I wouldn’t choose to stay there again. The walls were so thin that doors slamming from around 6:30 a.m. echoed constantly. We’d been out late at the wedding and really needed better sleep, especially for $250. We were there for a wedding listed among the hotel options. I called a few days ahead to ask about early check-in and was told to call on the morning, which I did. The woman at the desk said 2 p.m. was the earliest, and that worked for us. We got there at 2:45 because of some delays on the way, with the shuttle coming at 3:30. When I gave her my name, she said the room wasn’t ready. I mentioned our morning call, and she snapped, “THAT WAS ME! YOUR ROOM ISN'T READY BECAUSE OF ALL THE PEOPLE FROM THIS WEDDING!” I backed off and let her handle things, but she never looked up from her computer. There were welcome bags behind the desk, and when I asked if one was ours, she said “no” without looking. I tried my husband’s name too, and got another “no.” I know she may have been having a bad day, but so was I, and there was no reason to treat us like that.

The two women I spoke with at the front desk were wonderful. The hotel was clean, too, but that’s about all I liked. The breakfast was inedible, and the room felt like a step back into 1984: no USB ports, a tiny TV, beat-up furniture, awful curtains, and lighting that set off my nervous system. The walls were so thin I could hear neighbors breathing heavily. There wasn’t even a picture on the wall. If you want somewhere comfortable and at least a little modern, go elsewhere. This place is horrible.