Fairfield by Marriott Hotels in Spring Ridge

HIDDEN CHARGE ALERT! Despite this hotel has a very large parking lot like any other midlevel where you would expect parking to be included in the price of the room. This hotel, though, will charge you $3 per day for parking. THERE ARE NO SIGNS IN THE LOT INDICATING THAT THIS IS PAID PARKING, NOR ARE THERE ANY SIGNS IN THE LOBBY. This is a DECEPTIVE practice and they will not tell you about this charge unless you ask. I noticed this in a review and asked about it up front. which is when we were told that yes, they do charge for parking. Please don't take this charge out on the staff, obviously this is a decision from management who doesn't care about being deceptive to their customers, and the front desk staff was very helpful when we inquired about it. Having said that, let's start with the good: All interactions with the front desk staff was professional and courteous. They were polite and responsive and resolved any of the concerns we had. Our room was clean and had a large bathroom with a large walk-in shower. And other than the despicable parking issue, there wasn't any serious red flags. However, this hotel does not live up to the expectations I had of a Marriott property. First, our room (king bed) was unusually small for a mid-level brand, I've stayed in economy hotels which were much more spacious. The window had multiple fingerprints on it and there were places that the wallpaper would have benefited from being wiped down. Aesthetically, wallpaper was misaligned. Again, none of these are deal-breakers, but it felt like the owner/builder was more interested in cutting corners than providing a great customer experience. Our bed wasn't comfortable, but this is contingent on personal preferences. It wasn't old, worn or damaged, it just wasn't comfortable to us. A few more pillows would also be nice. The swimming pool wasn't unusable but it was visually obvious that it was in need of a good cleaning and general maintenance. The pool appeared to lack circulation and the floor of the pool was discolored. Probably was still safe, but chemical treatment is only part of the answer. Breakfast was mediocre at best. The cereal dispensers contained cereals that were different than the labeled product. Coffee (from airpot dispenser) tasted stale and old. And they close breakfast at 9:30 on a weekend. In better hotels, when they are preparing to close breakfast the host/hostess comes around to let everyone know. Not here. 9:28 and they were already taking stuff down. Would have loved the opportunity to grab a waffle (when I made my first trip, there were lots of people in line), but by 9:30 the irons were turned off and the mix was closed up. Aside from the parking issue, I would have given this hotel a strong ”3” rating. But when you add that to everything else, it is clear that this hotel has earned a lower rating. It saddens me to rate a Marriott property less than a 4, but the hotel earned the rating which I pro