Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Charleston

We had a good stay at this Fairfield Inn & Suites and would come back. The staff were consistently friendly and helpful, and the breakfast was good. The woman looking after it was especially great, keeping the food stocked while staying busy helping guests. It’s a convenient spot for a stop in Charleston, and the hotel seemed clean and well updated. A couple of room details could be better: there were no luggage racks, so bags had to sit on the floor or bed, and there wasn’t enough bedside table space for two people. After heavy overnight rain, the parking lot had large, hard-to-avoid puddles. They soaked my shoes, and some water was still there the next morning.

I accidentally booked the wrong night while dealing with delays and a stressful move out of Michigan. I only realized I’d missed the reservation when I saw the emailed receipt, then called the hotel. The manager understood the situation and, to my surprise, comped the room for the night I would arrive. I’m very grateful for that kindness. It felt like they recognized the stress I was under and chose to help. The room was spotless and well maintained, with a comfortable, dependable feel. The compassion and customer service made this Fairfield Marriott stay stand out. That kind of gracious service is rare, and I highly recommend this location to anyone looking for quality service with a genuine heart.

The room had plenty of space, good closet storage, and room to keep our bags off the floor. The King bed was incredibly comfortable. My young teens didn’t complain about the pullout sofa, though I wouldn’t call it comfortable for adults. For a family, it would’ve been nice to have frosting on the shower door so others could use the sink while someone showered. The shower caulking had some mold, likely because of the glass door design and lack of a bathroom exhaust fan. The hotel itself was very clean, and the spacious common areas worked well for all the groups gathering there. The staff were all so nice and professional, working hard during a busy weekend with sports teams. They helped us get a conference room, and we appreciated having laundry on site. The hotel doesn’t have a pool, but we were given passes to the Holiday Inn next door, which was great. Since that wasn’t advertised, some of our group hadn’t brought swimsuits. Breakfast was standard weekend hotel fare, a bit underwhelming. Some items shown in the hotel pictures weren’t available, including the feta and spinach quiche, which sounded great. They tried to keep up with the full hotel, but it was hard. One waffle maker had a broken timer, so people burned their waffles and the line got extra long. We knew it was in an industrial area, which was fine since we were near the fields we were visiting. We couldn’t hear the train. We walked to the two closest restaurants: Olive Tree Cafe was okay, and Los Agaves was standard, good. I’d give the stay a 3.5, rounded up to 4.

Everything about this hotel felt yukky, especially the rooms, but also the location and service. Our room was dark and dirty, smelled strongly of air freshener, and one of the two windows was so defective it was hard to see through. Highway and train noise kept me awake all night. Find somewhere else.