Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Albany Downtown — Hotel in City of Albany

We were attending an event in the area and needed a room for a few nights. We were choosing between the Renaissance or this Fairfield. Ultimately, we could not see spending double the price for a hotel a block away and about the same so we chose the Fairfield.

The GM Rebecca told us the Fairfield is better because their breakfast is included and you have to pay at the Renaissance. It was a delightfully cheeky reply and was a great sum of our experience with the GM. She was working nights while we were there. She was very engaged in the hotel and guests. When we needed new room supplies they arrived or were immediately given to us at the desk.

Overall the hotel was exactly what we expected. The rooms were as depicted in photos.

GM - Worked every night we were there and was very hands on. She seemed to have great dialogue with her team. She was able to help with anything we asked and I think the hotel will thrive under her leadership.

Overall Team - Incredibly helpful. No matter the question you have they will give you honest information and were very forthcoming everything from parking advice to other local questions.

Toiletries - This is the first hotel I have ever used their shampoo and conditioner and not regretted it! I left my shampoo and conditioner at home and was a bit worried that my 3A curls would not be agreeable but far from it! The shampoo and conditioner did a great job and my hair felt quite nourished with curls properly shaping. I LOVE that there are full bottles in the shower! I have super long curly hair and a lot of it. (The usual hotel small bottles could not wash 1/8th of my hair.) It was great to be able to use the as much as I needed out of the bottle. The scent was eucalyptus and lavender which I really enjoyed. The large bottles are mounted in the shower. So when we ran out after a shower we just called the front desk and housekeeping was upstairs to replace the bottles within 15 minutes. (We requested no housekeeping during our stay so it is possible they would just do this during a normal cleaning.) With the bathroom toiletries it was just a let them know if you need something again we chose to not have housekeeping. When we returned from dinner one night we asked for some rolls of toilet paper and the gentleman at the front desk promptly returned with 2 rolls for us.

Room - The room was exactly as depicted in the photos online which is refreshing. The bathrooms were exceptionally spacious which was delightful for two of us in the room to have more counter space to share. The tv worked well and there were no issues. They had the option to sign in and watch your Netflix account but we did not partake in that.

Breakfast - We mostly slept in and missed the breakfasts but on the last morning I popped down to toast some GF bread. I saw a sign that said to ask staff about gluten free options. When the woman working the breakfast area passed by I said that is really great that you have GF options I didn’t think there would be and brought my own. She very kindly smiled and pointed out a few GF options. This is worth noting as with food allergies most people just assume the included breakfasts will not be something they can have. The breakfast was pretty thorough with options of apples, oranges, hard boiled eggs, yogurts, bread and English muffins, sausage patties and a hash. There were juices, coffees and teas as well. There may have been another hot item but I was rolling into the breakfast at about 9:58am so they were starting to tidy up and items were picked over.

Elevator - Ran perfectly well. We did not have any issues with using it or fitting the luggage carts in.

The hotel locks the front doors at night and a key card is needed for access. This is a solid decision that makes sense and we...

I spent four hours (from 2:00 AM to 6:00 AM) simply trying to obtain a credit card authorization form in order to prepay for a room (arrival the same day).||At 2:00 AM, I called and spoke with the night shift front desk agent. She was unable to locate my reservation using the confirmation number—even after I repeated it three times. When I suggested she search by my name, she still claimed she could not find it. I asked her to explain the issue, as I was calling internationally from the airport and expected this to be a quick two-minute conversation. Instead, she told me she couldn’t understand my accent and would therefore have to look through 100 reservations manually. I immediately offered to spell out my name clearly again, but she refused and said she would not help me. She then hung up, instructing me to call back in the morning to speak with a manager.||When I tried calling again several times, she eventually answered—making it clear she was reluctant to assist. Only then was she suddenly able to understand me, and for the first time, she even spelled my email address correctly. She promised to send the form, so I sat at the airport for three hours refreshing my inbox every ten minutes. The email never arrived.||By 6:15 AM, I called once more. She told me she “probably just needed to hit send again.” I asked her to stay on the line while she did so, but instead, she placed me on hold for 20 minutes and then stopped picking up the phone for the next half hour. Finally, as my plane was boarding, she answered one last time only to tell me, “I am not your assistant.”||After crossing the world, I landed and called the hotel to confirm that my payment had finally gone through. That is when the manager informed me that the night shift agent had cancelled my reservation entirely—with no email notification, no alert, nothing. Imagine if I had simply shown up in person. In fact, the manager’s first response was that they were sold out and would try to “walk me” to another property. I could not believe my ears. I explained that I had been trying to prepay for twelve hours straight and had just crossed an ocean. Only then, as if by magic, he was suddenly able to reinstate my booking.||I have worked in hotels for more than 10 years, and I cannot recall when our industry shifted from being of service to treating guests as an inconvenience. My request could not have been simpler: “I want to give you money. Please send me the authorization form so you can receive that money.”||Because of this experience, I will not return, and I certainly will not consider this property for our upcoming conference where we had planned to rent out the entire hotel. It is astonishing how one person’s lack of professionalism—and in this case, negligence—can damage the reputation of an entire establishment.||Short version: Avoid...

I spent four hours (from 2:00 AM to 6:00 AM) simply trying to obtain a credit card authorization form in order to prepay for a room (arrival the same day).

At 2:00 AM, I called and spoke with the night shift front desk agent. She was unable to locate my reservation using the confirmation number—even after I repeated it three times. When I suggested she search by my name, she still claimed she could not find it. I asked her to explain the issue, as I was calling internationally from the airport and expected this to be a quick two-minute conversation. Instead, she told me she couldn’t understand my accent and would therefore have to look through 100 reservations manually. I immediately offered to spell out my name clearly again, but she refused and said she would not help me. She then hung up, instructing me to call back in the morning to speak with a manager.

When I tried calling again several times, she eventually answered—making it clear she was reluctant to assist. Only then was she suddenly able to understand me, and for the first time, she even spelled my email address correctly. She promised to send the form, so I sat at the airport for three hours refreshing my inbox every ten minutes. The email never arrived.

By 6:15 AM, I called once more. She told me she “probably just needed to hit send again.” I asked her to stay on the line while she did so, but instead, she placed me on hold for 20 minutes and then stopped picking up the phone for the next half hour. Finally, as my plane was boarding, she answered one last time only to tell me, “I am not your assistant.”

After crossing the world, I landed and called the hotel to confirm that my payment had finally gone through. That is when the manager informed me that the night shift agent had cancelled my reservation entirely—with no email notification, no alert, nothing. Imagine if I had simply shown up in person. In fact, the manager’s first response was that they were sold out and would try to “walk me” to another property. I could not believe my ears. I explained that I had been trying to prepay for twelve hours straight and had just crossed an ocean. Only then, as if by magic, he was suddenly able to reinstate my booking.

I have worked in hotels for more than 10 years, and I cannot recall when our industry shifted from being of service to treating guests as an inconvenience. My request could not have been simpler: “I want to give you money. Please send me the authorization form so you can receive that money.”

Because of this experience, I will not return, and I certainly will not consider this property for our upcoming conference where we had planned to rent out the entire hotel. It is astonishing how one person’s lack of professionalism—and in this case, negligence—can damage the reputation of an entire establishment.

Short version: Avoid...