Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Helen

The only thing this place has going for it is the location. For $300 a night, this King Suite was absolutely not worth it. The hotel was dirty and the staff unfriendly. We waited around 20 minutes behind two other rooms checking in before Kim got us checked in, and as rewards members we didn’t get welcome waters. There was trash in the hallway, floors that looked like they needed mopping and vacuuming, and a dusty room that needed vacuuming too. We even found a baby roach on the nightstand. The walls were paper thin, and despite being on the third floor, we heard the neighbors stomping around all night. Every time we left the room, the housekeeper kept asking if we were checking out.

The breakfast was genuinely good, one of the highlights of our New Year’s Eve stay. But if a quiet night matters, I’d look elsewhere. Hallway conversations came straight into our room through the big gaps under the doors, and footsteps overhead on the second floor sounded like heavy thumping all night. Around 11:55 PM, just before midnight, the fire alarm went off. It was a false alarm, but management never explained what happened or apologized. The shower pressure was also quite low. At $355 a night, even with the holiday surcharge, the stay fell short. The property has potential, but these issues need attention.

The toilet in my room clearly hadn’t been cleaned properly, with visible signs of use in the bowl. There was only a little used toilet paper left and no spare roll. The air conditioner made a very loud noise all night and affected my sleep. The following day, I asked the front desk to move me and they approved, but I shouldn’t have had to request a different room in the first place. It took time out of a stay that was already limited to two nights. Breakfast was also low on all items. I asked the man at the front desk about a possible credit, and he said he’d get back to me, but I never heard anything. I was disappointed with Marriott at this hotel and wouldn’t recommend it. There are plenty of other hotels in the city.

I’m really disappointed by the breakfast coffee. This morning I watched an employee put just a gallon of plain water into the American coffee machine. I wondered if the coffee might already be mixed in, but when I poured a cup it was only dark-colored water, with no flavor or aroma. It was basically dirty water that looked like coffee. At a hotel where guests pay good money expecting a proper breakfast, that’s unacceptable. We deserve actual coffee, not brown-tinted, watered-down liquid. It was disappointing and honestly a bit disgusting, far below what I expect while traveling.