I have always had good luck with the Marriott chain, so I was expecting a consistent experience with this property. This Fairfield, however, was not like other Fairfield locations I've stayed in previously, and I don't mean that in a good way. It wasn't any less expensive than other Fairfield Inns, though, so I feel it was not a good value.
All of the doors open outside, not into a hallway. I admit I should have checked, but it never occurred to me that a Marriott property would have a motel-type setup. A room key card was required to access the elevator, so I felt safe in my room on the second floor, but it was absolutely freezing for a long walk to the room with all of my luggage. Having the room door as an exterior door also ensured I heard all of the traffic from the main road. It also impacted parking, as everyone on the first floor parked directly in front of their room, taking up all of the parking spaces close to the building. The parking lot was quite dark, so I would have rather parked closer than I was actually able to.
The room, while incredibly clean, was also too small. It's almost too small for a couple, even. The room had one of the tiniest bathrooms I have ever seen in any accommodations anywhere and the sink was outside of the bathroom door. The tub/shower also had some sort of "scald guard" which was supposed to be a safety feature, I imagine, but in reality only served to limit the amount of hot water accessible.
The room had an old wall heater that did not work properly. Although I had the heater set on a constant temperature all night, the room alternated between freezing and roasting. The heater also made this maddening tick-tick-tick noise the entire time it was turned on. When I called the front desk to ask to have it looked at, the front desk clerk suggested I unplug the unit and then plug it back in. When I looked at the unit, however, the plug was not accessible.
The staff was really friendly, but limited. Getting them to answer the phone at the front desk was an iffy proposition, and each time I was at the front desk it was a ghost town. I had the impression they were a bit short-handed. There was also no business center; just a computer in the lobby where anyone could see everything you were doing.
Kudos to the cleaning staff, though! My room was spotless.
- Fairfield Inn Cranberry Township
- Fairfield Cranberry Township
- Cranberry Township Fairfield Inn
- Cranberry Township Fairfield
