Fairfield Inn . . . Back and Better than Ever
;)
I had a great Thanksgiving. I spent it at our Fairfield Farm, which has been our family farm for over 56 years. It's in Virginia, not too far from Front Royal. I have a lot of fond memories of this farm through the years, like going on hayrides with my kids and talking with my dad about politics. Of course I remember falling off the horses and watching my kids fall off the horses too. That was not the fun part. But the farm inspired the name of our Fairfield Inn hotel brand.
We launched Fairfield over 20 years ago and today have more than 535 Fairfield Inns. Most are in suburbs or near highways, but more and more are popping up in the downtown areas. The brand serves business travelers during the week, and vacationers and families on the weekends.
A few years ago, we were very concerned about the performance of Fairfield and many of our Fairfield Inn owners were also concerned. There was a lot of talk about how - and if - we could turn the brand around.
We decided to take a risk. We restructured the brand and asked over 100 hotels to exit the system because they didn't meet brand standards. We put a new leadership team in place and they focused on making our guests and owners more satisfied. We knew customer service wasn't consistent so we went to work on that too.
Together with our owners, we invested in things like new bedding, a better breakfast, and it's all working. We survey guests and owners on a regular basis and they're much happier. Fairfield expects to add more than 170 hotels - a big turnaround from the old days when the number was much lower.
In November, I was at the groundbreaking of one of our newest Fairfield Inns. It will be the first LEED-certified hotel in Baltimore, Maryland, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, so this will be a very environmentally friendly hotel. The hotel will be located right near the bustling Inner Harbor of Baltimore and local political leaders think it sets a great example for the rest of the city.
But, like my dad said, "Success is never final." Next, we're going to enhance the décor in Fairfield's guest rooms. I've seen the new design with cool colors and sleek furniture. I love it and I know you will too. Fairfield has come a long way and we're going to keep working to make it even better for our guests and for our owners.
I'm Bill Marriott and thanks for helping me keep Marriott on the move.
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Posted By: ak parti (1/1/2008)
Comment: thanks for article.
Posted By: <a href="http://www.netsurfmarketing.com.com">Netsurfer</a> (12/29/2007)
Comment: Hi, I just wanted to comment on the great service and happy staff I've noticed while hosting events at the Marriott in downtown Vancouver. We often host Internet Marketing workshops in Vancouver and have found the staff to be happy and helpful. The attendees appreciate the attention too. Great job and we'll be hosting more Vancouver Internet marketing events in 2008.
Posted By: John Murray (12/28/2007)
Comment: As a platinum member, a number of Fairfield Inns have become favorites; Roanoke, VA and the Atlanta North FI and Suites. Disappointed that I can no longer search for properties by price. Expressed my concern by e-mail, but got an automatic response that the web development group would be informed. But, I do appreciate the Fairfield Inns and the Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches!
Posted By: Kristin (12/26/2007)
Comment: After years of being a Platinum member, I am a very loyal Marriott-brand customer. At the end of October, I vacationed in Northern Virginia and came upon the B&B at the Fairfield Farm. What a wonderful place to stay! Thank you for opening your family's farm to us! The views were incredible.
Posted By: Donald Davis (12/23/2007)
Comment: Recently I stay at the Fairfield in Hinesville Ga this was followed by a stay at a Courtyard. I found both nice places but it appears to me that the Fairfield was at a minimum on par with the Courtyard, if not above. Maybe the next focus will be the Courtyard properties.
Posted By: Giles Rafol (12/21/2007)
Comment: Fairfield is one of my favorite chains to stay at. As a college student who loves to travel, it's affordable, but doesn't cut quality as other chains do.
All my experiences with Fairfield Inn have been extremely positive: great rates, excellent rooms, and great service!
Posted By: Gerianne Downs (12/21/2007)
Comment: We started our association with Marriott as "Innsiders" back when you had to join a particular property's club. Many of my relatives go camping, and my comment has always been, "My idea of camping is staying at a Fairfield Inn rather than a full-service Marriott." I'm glad you decided the properties needed an upgrade; many were deteriorating.
Posted By: James Morriss (12/20/2007)
Comment: Bill:
For many years I have enjoyed using my Mariott Rewards Points to vacation at places like Aruba, St Thomas, etc. I am Platinum Premier paying for well over 100 nights at Mariott properties for business during the year.
A recent change in Mariott Rewards, this year, has made practically all of your properties to only be available with stay anytime points which are over 260,000 for a one week stay. This same stay a year ago was 130,000 points essentually devaluing my points by 50%. What is more, it is now going to be practically impossible to earn enough points within a calendar year to pay for a one week vacation. Has Hilton done the same thing?
This was not a well accepted change to what was an excellant rewards program.
Jim Morriss
Posted By: David Coenen (12/20/2007)
Comment: Registered with Marriott Rewards about mid April of 2007 and since then have spent 103 nights in Marriot hotels; most of which have been Fairfield Inn's. In fact, I'm typing this response in my room at the Fairfield Inn at Oakland airport.
I do have to say that I've found a great appreciation for the comfort and functionality of these hotels and there are many future nights that will be spent in them.
Thanks,
David
Posted By: Larry Sachs (12/19/2007)
Comment: As a Platinum Elite member I appreciate new and upgraded Fairfield Inn's. Have recently had good experiences in Brunswick,GA and San Angelo, TX. Thank you
Posted By: Aron Wilson (12/19/2007)
Comment: I usually prefer Courtyard when traveling on business but I have to say that my favorite hotel in my sales territory is the Fairfield Inn San Bernadino, CA. The staff there is great, the rooms are very comfortable and the location is perfect! I love the fact that even though they do not serve dinner, it is right next to a great restaurant so I can just walk across the street for dinner and then enjoy the complimentary breakfast in the morning before heading off to work.
Posted By: Umesh Cooduvalli (12/19/2007)
Comment: It is very hard for me to find electrical outlet plugs in hotel rooms unless I crawl on the carpet. Is there anything you can do to help this situation?
Posted By: Jeffrey Lovell (12/19/2007)
Comment: Hi Mr. Marriott,
I recently had the pleasure of staying at your Fairfield Inn in Muscatine, IA. The staff were very courteous and helpful with information about the area. The room was clean and comfortable and breakfast hit the spot. I also had the opportunity to stay at your Cornhusker Marriott in Lincoln, NE on the same trip as I was travelling alone without my pet rabbits. The Concierge lounge staff at your Cornhusker facility are THE BEST! We ALWAYS try to stay at hotels within the Marriott chain when we travel because we know we will always be greeted with the best service and accomodations. Mostly our stays are at your Residence Inns and some of your full service Marriott hotels where pets are accepted. We stayed with our two rabbits at the Residence Inn in W. Des Moines, IA this August while visiting the Iowa State Fair. We were treated like family, and the person in charge of breakfast/social hour was super! Wish you had a few more hotels that accepted pets (or at least had a few rooms designated for pet owners) west of Omaha. I'm pretty much out of Marriott chain hotel choices if I take the rabbits west of Omaha! Thank you and happy holidays to you!
Posted By: Feras Werr (12/19/2007)
Comment: Dear Mr. Marriott,
It's AMAZING. The video clearly shows to what extent the rooms were designed, furnished and arranged to meet guest needs. The coloring is adorable and room area diligently made use of. The room facilities are extremely customer focused and planned to provide stress comfort. LOVE THAT TV. The hosts also did a beautiful professional job at presenting the room and marketing it. They certainly sold me and upon my first future opportunity I will settle in for a couple of nights at a Fairfield. My best wishes for you and your family for a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Posted By: Barbara Easton (12/19/2007)
Comment: I've never stayed at a Fairfield Inn, mostly because of the unknown! This is a great way to introduce the brand and for me to see what the 'business' hotel is really like and what is included. Thanks!
Posted By: Laura S Copeland (12/19/2007)
Comment: Hi Bill - it is great news that you are addressing the issues with the Fairfield Inns. I have been elite with Marriott for over 12 yrs - the last 3 at the Platinum level. I have to tell you that I would only stay at a Fairfield if I had no other options. I actually prefered Hamptons over Fairfields. I will give the brand another chance. One other thing that has bothered me for years. As you know many more women are traveling - could you update the TV channel options to accommodate us. I'm not asking for O or Lifetime. I would be happy with A&E, CourtTV, VH1, E, Animal Channel etc. THANKS and Happy Holidays to you and yours.
Posted By: Brian Price (12/19/2007)
Comment: Dear Bill,
As a long time platinum member I am enjoying your blog. One thing I miss is the maps in the various directories. They were useful in finding a property and were helpful in making a reservation while on the move. You could easily pick which part of town you wanted to stay.
Sincerely,
Brian
Posted By: Don Workman (12/19/2007)
Comment: We just stayed several days at the Fairfield in Ft. Leonard Wood, MO. It was our first return to Fairfield in many years. We had stayed away because of what you mentioned in your posting - deteriorating conditions at the Fairfields. I'm very happy to say that our experience this past weekend was outstanding. Eveything from the front door greeting, to the pool, to the rooms, to the breakfast was superb. I complimented the GM on a fantastic experience. Please continue the great work in keeping Marriott on the move!
Posted By: Tom (12/19/2007)
Comment: Dear Bill- I couldn't agree more! Fairfield Inns have made a huge turnaround in quality and service. As a platinum Marriott member I sometimes end up in smaller towns and stay at FI properties. Most recently I experienced two awesome Fairfield Inns, one in San Angelo Texas, and another one in Edmond, Oklahoma. The rooms were like first class, with no lack of luxury- unlike the generic dull appearance of the past. Thanks for upgrading! I 'm spreading the news in the meantime. Happy Holidays.
Posted By: Bert Bartz (12/19/2007)
Comment: Dear Mr. Marriott,
I have recently been using the Fairfield Inn Burnsville Minnesota for my business travel. They are incredible! Everything I could possibly need was taken care of by the great staff - especially Amy, the General Manager. What a terrific experience!
Posted By: Anders Treiberg (12/19/2007)
Comment: Hi Bill,
Just came across your blog in the last newletter that you sent out. It's great. Our recent stay in Toronto at the Marriot Residence Inn downtown Toronto was absolutly the best. The staff was so helpful and freindly I had to send a not to your HR dept.
We were in Toronto to take in the musical Dirty Dancing in which my nice Natalie Krill has one of the rolls. It was a fantastic show.
I did write a note about our stay at the Marriott Resisidence in in our blog as well, http://realestateinfo.propertiesinvictoria.com/?p=205 .
Again Bill, Thank You for providing the best accomodation possible when we travel.
Cheers, Anders
Posted By: Sylvia Kaufman (12/19/2007)
Comment: We particularly look for Fairfield Inns when traveling because of their reliable service etc. We especially have enjoyed many pleasant stays at the Fairfield in Maumee, Ohio on Dussell Rd. It is near my aunt's home so we stay for a week at a time several times a year and are always treated so royally. Naturally we have enjoyed many other Marriott facilities over the years also. God bless you and your staff. Sylvia Kaufman
Posted By: Jim Roughley (12/18/2007)
Comment: Talking about Fairfield,iwould like to mention the Fairfield Inn Williamsville Buffalo.My Wife and i stay there when were flying out of Buffalo.Iwould like to commend Arthur the G.M.and his staff on there excellent service,this comes about by the leadership from Arthur. From top to bottom everbody makes you feel like Family,and they can,t do enough for you.
I made comments on the 14th Dec.but idont see them displayed.
