This Fairfield Inn is located on a busy thoroughfare, but it is suprisingly quiet, and the position of the building relative to the street keeps traffic noise at a minimum. Some rooms facing Colorado Boulevard have a view of the Rocky Mountains, but there is some suburban clutter in the foreground, including a gas station immediately adjacent to the hotel and a strip mall on the other side of the boulevard. The location is convenient to most of south Denver, and it is a short but traffic-heavy drive to the Cherry Creek shopping district a few blocks to the north and west. Best of all, the hotel is located only about a block from the intersection of Colorado Boulevard and Interstate 25, making it easy to get on the freeway and go to other parts of the city from this location. However, if you're interested in the sights and venues of downtown and lower downtown Denver, there are far more convenient locations than this. There are a number of chain restaurants in the immediate vicinity to the north and south on Colorado Boulevard, and there is a major supermarket on the west side of the boulevard, just across from the hotel, if you are interested in fresh food or deli items. Don't try to walk there, though. The street is six or eight lanes wide and not pedestrian friendly.

Service was quite friendly and efficient, and check-in and check-out were hassle-free.

The exact amenities you'll find in the rooms are difficult to determine ahead of time. We have stayed at the hotel on three occasions. In the first case we were pleased to find a small refrigerator in the room. On our next visit we brought along a few things to keep chilled, only to find that this room had no refrigerator, although it was the same type and price as the one we had stayed in earlier. The third time we did not bring anything to keep cold, and sure enough, we had a refrigerator. If having a refrigerator is important, you had best make your reservation by phone and request one. Otherwise, it appears to be random luck.

The rooms are not spacious, but we did not feel cramped, and for a one-night stay I consider the size adequate. The bathroom is likewise small, but well-appointed. There was plenty of hot water in the tub-shower and good qualitiy towels. We had no complaints about the bed and slept well. The internet connection in the room worked well.

There is a small well-kept indoor swimming pool off the lobby, and one passes through the swimming pool area to reach the fitness center. It is equipped with a couple of treadmills and nautilus machines, and while modest in scope, the exercise room had everything I needed for a decent morning workout.

Outside the fitness center and swimming pool area is a pleasant patio facing the side street, Mexico Avenue, where one can sit and have morning coffee. Breakfast is included in the price of the room and is served in a typical Fairfield Inn breakfast nook. Look for the line of hotel guests at the waffle iron.

There is free underground parking beneath the hotel, with a very convenient pedestrian entry ramp directly from the parking garage into the lobby. The driveway from Mexico Avenue to the parking garage is very narrow, and there can be some brief congestion if two cars meet coming in and out.

The pluses definitely outweight the minuses at this hotel. It's a dependable place for its quality and price (our room was just over $100 a night), and we will likely return when the location proves convenient to our plans in Denver.