Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Alexandria — Hotel in Groveton

I have been a Marriott loyalist for over 15 years, but my stay here may be the worst service I have ever experienced at any hotel. Prior to my stay, I requested an early check in at 2pm (instead of 3pm). When I arrived and went to the front desk at 2pm, I was not asked for my info, I was simply told check in was at 3pm and to come back then. No one offered to hold my bags for me for the hour, so I just went back out to my car and sat there for an hour. Sitting in my car in their parking lot was a terrible experience, as there were burned out cars (literally cars that had clearly been on fire), buses, and tow trucks taking up most of the spaces in the parking lot.

At 3pm, I went back inside to check in and was told that "check in STARTS at 3pm, that doesn't mean there are rooms available yet." I asked if the front desk could check if there was a room and if not when there would be a room, and after a single attempt they easily found me a room (that I suspect was ready at 2pm when I first tried to check in, but no one bothered to look). At check in, I explained that I had one reservation for two nights and another for the following two nights, and I asked if I could combine the two reservations to avoid a disruption in the middle of my trip. I was told that there was no way to combine the two reservations, and that I would need to check out and check back in in the middle of my stay but that it would be a simple process that I could do from the phone in my room if I wanted.

In the middle of my stay, checking out of the first reservation and checking back in was a complete debacle. Rather than calling, I decided to go to the front deck to do it. The front desk attendant asked for my credit card, but I didn't bring it down because I was told I could do it over the phone so I didn't think I needed it. She tried three times to use the card on file but couldn't figure it out, so I went back up to my room for my credit card. By the time I got back down she said the charge went through and I was checked back in. I asked if she could let housekeeping know that I was checked back in on a new reservation so that they would not come and ask me when I was checking out, and she said she would. At noon that day, housekeeping started pounding on my door asking when I was leaving. I explained that I had checked back in on a new reservation and was staying for two more nights, but it was clear she didn't understand me. I called down to the front desk and asked her again to please let housekeeping know that I had extended my stay and she said she already had but would again. At 2pm I was in the shower, and again someone was pounding on my door. This time it was the supervisor asking when I was leaving. I explained that I had a new reservation and that I had already talked to several people about but. I called back to the front desk AGAIN and asked them to please let everyone know I had a new reservation. She said she had already let the supervisor know and had no idea why she would come to my door - so clearly there was a huge communication breakdown.

The night before check out, I went to the front desk to request a late check out - which is supposed to be a perk of being a Marriott Gold member. The front desk attendant didn't even look into my file, just said there were no late check outs available because the water was being turned off at 10am (of which guests were never notified). On the day of my check out, housekeeping started knocking on my door at 11:40am asking when I was leaving, even though check out was at noon. So obviously the focus isn't on service but rather ignoring and annoying customers until the go away.

Besides these personal inconveniences, this hotel is in shambles. There were stains on my sheets and on the walls of the room. The parking lot was sketchy at best. There was a portion of a roll of toilet paper in my room when I checked in, with no fresh rolls stocked. I will never stay here again despite traveling to...

I wanted to take some time to think about what I wanted to say before I left this review. I recently stayed at this hotel a friend of mine booked on what was supposed to be a five day trip. I left two days in because I was woken up by my sister at 4am, she realized she was being bitten by something in our bed. I looked over myself and also came to the realization that something had bitten me all over my entire body. We tossed the bed trying to find what could've possibly done this. We didn't see anything on the mattress, I did notice a tiny speck of blood which was not a good sign, but when she went to check the bedskirt she found a bug and what looked like eggs? (pictured below, I have pictures of the bites and the reactions they caused but I'd rather not post them here and risk the post being taken down). We called the front desk, no answer, but it was 4am so understandable I guess. We went down to find someone to help us. There was a person in the back who honestly seemed annoyed when we called her for help lol. We let her know what was going on, it was obvious from then that we would pretty much be on our own. We asked for trash bags for our things, she gave us the little tiny and thin bags, we asked for something thicker and she went to the back to get some which was nice. We were originally staying in a two queen suite, there were four of us, we were moved to a one bed (king size) suite because the hotel was fully booked. We were told the manager would come in between 8-9am so we had to wait until then to speak with someone who could actually help. My sister and I called a ride because we didn't feel comfortable staying there anymore. The manager came in while we were waiting in the lobby for our ride. He talked with my friend and her mother and then I was called over. He said two things to me directly. He apologized for "what happened to me" and then he said something along the lines of, "we would appreciate it very much if you didn't publish anything". We were in our pajamas, in a packed lobby with all of our things in trash bags, after having been woken up by something munching on us at 4am... I'm sorry please don't tell anyone is not an apology. I could tell the main concern here was saving face. The only person I felt cared at all was a woman I talked to on my way out(I forgot her name). To me, it seemed like there was no protocol in place for this sort of emergency, I believe my friend's mom was refunded for one day, I'll let you all decide if you think that's fair. Since then my sister and I have had to throw things away, wash things of course, and we both are now having severe reactions to the bites (we've been to the doctor). I have no idea what this thing is and I've never experienced anything like this AT ALL. This whole situation was made so much worse because of the way it was handled, no one cared, rather, the thing they cared about was how we could possibly effect their business. We would've been better off if I'd just dropped a note at the front desk and left lol. If something happens you will probably be on your own here. Please don't contact me, I only left this review to...

I am just completing a stay at the Fairfield Inn in Alexandria and I wanted to leave this review as a warning for a couple reasons. My boyfriend and I booked the hotel for a 4-day trip and on the last day, we discovered what appeared to be bed bugs in our bed (I felt my leg getting bit and itchy - upon moving the covers there was a cluster of a few tiny little bugs). It was around 1 am, we were exhausted from having been out and about all day, and decided to raise the issue with the front desk. So the first problem is that we likely had bed bugs, but the second, and much bigger problem for us, was the absolute lack of care, concern, and assistance we received from the front desk staff. It was very similar to a recent review left by someone else just this week. We took the tissue paper with the bugs to the front desk and she literally said, "Ew!" She then proceeded to say, "What do you want me to do about it it?" We essentially had to tell her how to help us. Since it was nearly 2 am at this point, we asked to be moved to another room and for bags to put our clothes in. After fumbling around, she got us another room and some grocery bags. Since the hotel's website lists "Dry Cleaning Services" and "Laundry" as "Amenities On-Site," I asked her if they can help with having our clothes cleaned because we were concerned about taking bed bugs back home and she said was new and didn't know. She then told us we could talk to her manager, who would be available the following morning. In summary, she seemed annoyed, was unhelpful, and we don't recall hearing a single apology for the inconvenience. The next morning, I called to speak to the manager and they said the manager actually wasn't even in that day. Now, rather than have a nice last day, we'll be going to a self-service laundromat to pay to clean our clothes before we potentially take some bed bugs back home with us.

So, if you're looking to book this hotel, particularly around this time, I would caution you to reconsider. The fact that less than a week ago another reviewer had almost the same exact experience (e.g., bed bugs, horrendous service, etc.) suggests that Fairfield has not really made any efforts to resolve the bed bug issue or the treatment of their customers when facing the problem. I have honestly had hotels be more apologetic and accommodating for less (like a TV not working). To be so unhelpful when a guest has to deal with bed bugs in the middle of the night is wild to me. Bed bugs are an unfortunate reality for any hotel; however, it is up to the hotel to decide how they want to correct, care, and accommodate a guest who is experiencing this horrible thing. Fairfield made virtually 0 effort, took no initiative of their own, and really didn't exhibit any concern for the awful experience we were having. For these reasons, I would recommend booking elsewhere and, if you decide to book here, check for bed bugs! Check between the sheets, on the bed skirt, and...