Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Denver Airport — Hotel in Denver

DO NOT STAY HERE -- WORST MARRIOTT PROPERTY

Earlier this week, I stayed at the Fairfield Marriott (Tower Road) after a long travel day. My experience at this hotel was very disappointing, and I would highly recommend against staying here. Here's an overview of what happened before and during my stay:

After arriving at Denver International Airport (DIA), I had to wait for 55 minutes to catch a shuttle (note that I arrived with my dad at 7:30 pm, a time that is very reasonable in my opinion). During this same time, we saw shuttles from nearly all other airport area hotels circle back 2-3 times. For some reason, this Marriott property chooses to run one shuttle between two sister properties every hour (we got the last two seats on the shuttle given that so many other people were waiting; had we not seen the shuttle right away we would have almost definitely waited for another hour to catch the next shuttle). If you'd like to arrive at your hotel room within a reasonable time after your flight, do not stay here. It's worth noting that Uber/Lyft's during this time were $95 to the hotel (despite it being only a few miles from DIA). Once my dad and I finally made it to the airport after waiting in the cold for just under an hour, we learned that all shuttles the next morning between 4:00-6:00 am were fully booked (we needed to return to the airport for an early morning flight, as Denver was just a stopover). We found this very disappointing since this property is marketed as an airport hotel.

We ultimately had to schedule our own Uber back to the airport the next morning, which cost us $80 (fortunately, they were a bit less than the night before). The hotel was unable and unwilling to help us and suggested we take a 3 am shuttle (to catch our 8 am flight). We felt arriving 5 hours before a domestic flight was unnecessary.

The woman who helped check us in, Grace, agreed that we should be able to get a ride to the airport at a reasonable time before our flight. Unfortunately, she was unable to compensate us/provide a voucher/etc., but suggested we contact the general manager instead. Since staying at this hotel, I have emailed the general manager, Javier, and received no response.

I have stayed at Marriott Properties for years, and this was by far the most disappointing experience. Do not stay here unless you want to spend ~$200 for additional, self-arranged transportation to and from...

We were checked in efficiently and by a very friendly employee. Our room was great for the most part and we really liked the hotel. The employee who checked us in was great and really helpful in getting us information on getting a shuttle back to the hotel from the airport once we dropped off our car rental. The hotel is conveniently located close to the airport and near several Restaurants to grab a quick bite to eat. Our room was clean and modern, but had an overpowering smell of air freshener (not close to the overpowering level in the lobby, but still quite noticeable). The beds and pillows were comfy and the room was clean (other than a hair tie on the floor from a previous guest and the shower curtain smelling of mildew). Our only complaints were that we never received our wake-up call the morning of our departure and then the shuttle we took to the airport the morning of our departure. The shuttle back to the hotel from the airport on the evening of 12/20 was wonderful. However, the shuttle TO the airport the next morning (12/21) was really disappointing. The shuttle driver was really odd and she burst into the hotel lobby clapping her hands saying, "Let's do this!" Then my mom and I got our luggage (3 suitcases and 2 pairs of skis in a ski bag) around and outside. My mom asked if the skis would fit in the back of the shuttle and the driver laughed in her face and said, "Uh yeah, have you seen the front?! Where else would we put them?!" Then when we got to the airport she stopped at the Jet Blue area. I asked her if this is where we get dropped off for Delta. She said yes, all we need to do is go in and up the escalator to the left to get to the Delta ticketing area. Upon doing this, we found that the Delta ticketing area was ALL the way down to the left, at the very end of the building. I know that she could have unloaded the passengers for Jet Blue and then actually taken us to the Delta ticketing area, or at least closer, so my 66 year old mom and I didn't have to haul 3 suitcases, a carry on and 2 pairs of skis down an entire building through a huge crowd of people. She was terrible and I think it was laziness on her part but that was a horrible experience and I was really disappointed in this...

The hotel staff members were pleasant, but I had an issue with the Western Shuttle transportation staff. I took the 9:34 am airport shuttle on 10/8 and the driver left one of my bags at the hotel; he only loaded the roller board suitcase and left behind my large tote bag. I placed them right beside each other, so it should have been impossible to miss.

I only noticed that one bag was missing when the driver unloaded the bags at the airport. He was unapologetic, uncooperative, and was adamant that he had loaded all of the bags. I asked if he could try contacting the hotel, but he said that he did not have their contact information. He said that one of the other passengers might have taken it, so I checked with them. One family informed me that they had seen the driver leave one bag. I called the hotel and they confirmed that they did have my luggage. They were able to send my bag to the airport, but the next shuttle did not leave until an hour later at 10:30, so my bag did not arrive until 10:45.

This was a huge problem for me since I needed to report to work at 10:15. That bag contained my duty items, which I am legally required to carry with me during work as a flight attendant. Because of the driver’s incompetence, I was removed from my trip and therefore lost wages. I was also penalized with demerit points, which reflects poorly on my dependability at work.

The same driver dropped off my bag at the airport. He claimed that I was the one who left it and seemed unremorseful, even though it was his fault that he failed to load both of my bags. He did not say his name clearly, but it started with a “P.” He was tall, in his 50’s or older and was dark-skinned.

I contacted Western Shuttle, but the customer service representative seemed unreceptive and kept defending the driver. Please reconsider working with a transportation company like Western Shuttle, whose incapable and unapologetic drivers contribute to an overall negative experience for your hotel guests. I also sent a copy of this incident to Marriott’s customer service department because I was highly concerned. I would not want any future guest to have the same stressful...