Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Charleston Downtown

As former Marriott Platinum Elite members and current Gold Elite members, we have consistently chosen Marriott properties because we trust the brand to deliver a reliable, high-quality experience. That consistency is exactly why we booked Fairfield Inn & Suites for our stay from Friday, February 20 through Sunday, February 22. Unfortunately, this stay fell far below the standards we have come to expect. At a rate of $250 per night, we anticipated professionalism, comfort, and proper hospitality. Instead, our experience was disappointing from the moment we arrived. The valet attendant did not greet us or explain the process. We were simply told, “Stop here, give me the keys.” There was no welcome, no overview of the service, and no explanation of the additional $35 per night valet charge, a fee that appears only in small print on the website. Upon entering the hotel, the front desk attendant appeared disengaged and uninterested. There was no welcoming interaction, no explanation of hotel amenities, no information about the surrounding area, and no mention of the complimentary breakfast. When we entered our first room, the floor was dirty, the sink stopper was detached, and the toilet seat was half off. We returned to the front desk to request another room and were handed new keys without so much as an apology. The second room, while somewhat cleaner, had a slight odor but we thought it was coming from the hall. The mattresses were extremely uncomfortable. But we went to bed after a long day of travel. During the night and morning the odor became worse. My husband identified the source of the smell in the morning as an open pipe under the sink without proper venting, allowing plumbing gases to circulate back into the room. Being familiar with plumbing he put a wet washcloth in the pipe to stop the gasses from escaping to the room. This is not only unpleasant but concerning from a maintenance and safety standpoint. We all woke up with headaches and sore throats. Also, instead of Shampoo, Body Wash and Conditioner. We had two Shampoos and a bodywash. We also encountered issues with breakfast service. The website stated breakfast was served until 10:00 a.m., and when we called the front desk to confirm, we were told it was indeed until 10:00. However, when we arrived at 9:25 a.m., the breakfast attendant was already cleaning up. He was on the phone discussing personal matters and gestured toward a sign stating breakfast ended at 9:30 a.m. When asked about the oatmeal, he said oh that’s been gone for awhile. Approximately five to eight other guests arrived after us, clearly having been given the same incorrect information. The breakfast area itself was poorly maintained, trash cans were overflowing, there were no tea bags available in the beverage area, and there was no half-and-half. We had to request basic items from the front desk. Overall, this was a very disappointing experience. For a Marriott property charging premium nightly rates, the

Staff were very accommodating and helpful, gave me extra towels when I didn’t even ask and were very responsive to any questions I had. Valet parking was easy breezy.

On getting there we were told that they only had Valet parking and that was going to cost us $35/night........and there was no public parking !! That was just unfair. They should have advertised the price to INCLUDE valet parking. False advertising. As we were off-loading our luggage, a lady was outside talking on her mobile. We got in and was surprised that there was no one at the front desk. The phones were ringing off the hook when the same lady from outside ran in and to the front desk. I'm sure the call she made must have been something highly personal ! The next morning, two different people were at the front desk: a tall. well spoken woman and as more petite blonde. Very, very nice. BTW - a big shout out to Ian - super young man.

The reception is a building site, be warned because no one else will mention it ! The receptionist did assure me it is in the small print of every booking platform but it is well hidden in my experience. After the shock of the state of the place and the lift’s filthy interior things improved in seeing the room. Had a renovated room in the 7th floor which was well equipped and comfortable bed and pillows. Shower was great and all clean and new. It would be good to give travellers a clear heads up on the scale of the work and the potential impact of the noise and disruption. That would be fairer on the traveller and the reception team who are clearly dealing with shocked visitors every day !! No concessions for the disruption either, just push back to ‘it’s on the booking websites that we are under renovation’ Appreciate renovations are needed but the communication could be managed much better.

We had a great experience staying at the Fairfield Inn in Charelston. We are not saying everything was perfect, but what is! However, when we did have an issue it was immediately and with the utmost professionalism. Unfortunately, I can not remember the name of the woman who checked us in, but she was delightful at check-in and throughout the entirety of our stay. There was also another woman who worked the front desk, Avianna, who was extremely kind and went above and beyond to assist our family when we had a personal problem. The staff at the Fairfield was all around amazing and why we will be staying at the Fairfield the next time we are in town

Please pardon my English, I am from Germany and don’t have enough words to describe a terrible place like this... To come to the point: the stay in this hotel was the worst experience during our entire trip (3 weeks). When I think about it: it was the the worst stay in a hotel ever. It was like living on a huge construction site: dirty, messy, and noisy in the morning. 1 of the 2 antique elevators did not work, at the end I took the stairs and carried our 4 big travelbags. But the worst was our room (# 427, renovated): the smell of glue was so strong that my wife and me got headache and cough. We did not even have to think about sleeping in this “room”, so we changed the it (# 202). This one was old, half-renovated and dirty. We were happy to leave after 1 of 2 booked nights, but it still hurts, when I think of having paid for a room like this. The second night we spent in the Sleep Inn Convention Center and it was much better.

We booked this room during our 3 week trip between NY and Miami in the summer of 2010 . The rooms are really comfortable, and very large, en suite. You have first a salon with a sofa, and then the bedroom. The bed was sooooo comfortable, we slept so well, it was a delight ! The AC was perfect, we had no noise whatsoever, it was perfect from the price we paid. It was also spotlessly clean, and decorated to our tastes. The breakfast was quite correct as well. We would return there without a doubt

As soon as we walked in we saw a woman at the front desk complaining about her stay. Not the best way to start off the trip. We had reserved a non-smoking room with a single king size bed. Upon entering the room, it was evidently clear that the room had been recently smoked in. The room just did not feel clean. And many of the reviews were spot on about the mold in the bathroom. I also remember waking up in the middle of the night to find that I pulled the sheet off the mattress accidentally. There was a nice stain from who knows what sitting there on the mattress. Parking was also horrendous. When I saw zero available spots in the parking lot, I was advised by the staff to park on the side of the building. The staff was helpful though, and did their best to accommodate for our needs.

We arrived at hotel before the 3pm checkin time. Most hotels will check you in and give you access to the room when it is ready. This place would not check us in and acted as if we had no right to be there until 3:00. The parking lot is very small and hard to navigate. The whole building needs a complete facelift. We expected a queen sized bed and found a double bed in the room. Nothing else was available so we made due with the small bed. We stayed for 3 nights and one night there was no hot water in the entire hotel. Complimentary breakfast is a nice perk at all Comfort Inns, but I doubt if that will get us to stay in this particular hotel in the future.