Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites New York Manhattan/Downtown East — Hotel in New York

I read several reviews for this hotel before and after my family's stay this past Thanksgiving week. I promised, the manager, Melissa, that I would write this review, so here it is. I am not affiliated with this hotel chain nor have I been compensated by Marriott in anyway for this review. First, I want to address the two main negatives that I encountered when I read reviews. The smell and location. It smells outside. That's true. It's not the hotel's fault. It's surrounded by several authentic Asian restaurants. The food at these places is amazing and the people in the neighborhood are very meek and friendly, but the odor of freshly processed meat and seafood does linger. I hate to say it like this, but my family got "used to it" after the first 24 hrs of our week's stay so it became a non issue very fast. The location was described by a few reviews as undesirable. My wife and I have children ranging in ages 11 to 5 years old and we could come and go in and around the hotel area at all hours of the day or night. Is the area as pretty and clean as Times Square? No. But, it's the real New York, and we quickly grew to love the area's charm. I felt very adventurous, going out at night to one of the local corner stores to get snacks and drinks for my family. Now with that being said, my review of this hotel is definitely positive! We would definitely stay there again. The breakfast food was to our liking every day we were there (and our kids can be some picky eaters.) It's not going to be a five star gourmet breakfast, but we never expected it to be. The food was always good and fresh and there was plenty of fresh hot coffee in the morning. My only real complaint about the breakfast was that I would like for it to be served earlier, like at 6am. I remember it starting promptly at 6:30am every morning. By far, the best reason to stay is THE STAFF! Melissa, Matthew, and Brandon were outstanding stars for the Marriott company, but in truth, the entire staff was always warm and very helpful to my family and me. I can't compliment them enough. One morning, there was a city water main break (again - not the hotel's fault,) and the staff went out of their way to make us comfortable, including running out to get fresh Dunkin Donuts' coffee for guests at breakfast. My only "real" complaint of the hotel is really just a suggestion to "beef up" the fitness room. I like to lift weights and the only weights in the place was a dumbbell rack. there were a couple of bikes and elipiticals and that was it. With what was provided though, the staff, again, made a great effort to provide snacks / fruit, fresh water and towels in the place. The hospitality NEVER failed at this hotel. The walk to the subway station on Madison St was never too far for even our smallest child to walk, even when tired after a day of sight seeing. As far as the view / noise is concerned. I enjoyed the view from the breakfast room, but then again, its at street level, and I never expected the view deck from the Freedom Tower. I would also frequently open my hotel room window to take in the city sounds and would often relax as the buzz of China town lulled me to sleep at night. The wife, kids, and I had such a great time in NYC and staying at this hotel, we are even considering coming back in a year or two and will look to stay here, again. Thanks Y'all! (all the way from the Lone...

Can you give zero stars?

I have been a loyal Marriott member for many years, and this is by far the worst experience I have ever had at any Marriott property.

From the beginning, my stay was riddled with issues that severely impacted my trip:

Early Check-In Request: While I understand that early check-in is not guaranteed, I was assured that I would receive a notification via the Marriott app when my room was ready at 3 PM. I left my bags at the hotel and went out to grab food, but by 6 PM, I still had not received any information. It was only when I returned to the hotel around 7 PM that I finally received a notification. This delay and lack of communication were unacceptable.

Room Condition: Upon finally checking into my two rooms, I was appalled to find that both rooms had gnats (noticed them in one room, before the other), indicating that housekeeping had not done their job. To make matters worse, both rooms could not be moved and be next to each other, per my requested accommodations. The presence of gnats in the rooms is a clear sign of poor housekeeping, and it is inexcusable.

Lack of Manager Availability: Throughout my stay, there was no manager on duty to address these issues. When I asked the front desk staff for the general manager's contact information, I was unable to obtain a phone number or email. I was forced to call Marriott directly to log a formal complaint and grievance.

Unresolved Trash Issue: There was a large black trash bag sitting outside my rooms for over 16 hours, which caused the entire floor to smell like spoiled garbage. Despite informing the front desk staff about this issue twice, nothing was done to remove it.

Non-Functioning AC in Common Areas: The AC in the common areas was not working for the entire duration of my stay. This was never communicated to guests prior to arrival, and it made the common areas extremely uncomfortable.

Inconvenient Room Switch Request: On Saturday at 3:48 PM, I received a call from the hotel asking if I could switch rooms by 4:30 PM. I was already out for the day, and expecting me to return to the hotel within 30 minutes in New York City is entirely unreasonable and inconvenient.

Subpar Housekeeping Service: When I returned to my room on Saturday night, I found that the beds were only half-made, a trashcan was placed on top of the sink, all face towels were taken, and no new towels were provided. When I called the front desk for towels, I was told they would be brought up immediately. However, after waiting 25 minutes, I called back, only to be told that I had to come down and get the towels myself because the front desk staff was working alone.

In addition the General Manager Nia has not been helpful, I was offered ‘points’ which I do not need or care for to remediate the issues vs doing what I have asked...

I wish I could give zero stars. While I expect some wear and tear from a hotel in this price range — the rooms were clean but dated, with a musty odor, mold in the shower, and a sink that didn’t drain properly — those aren't deal breakers. What is unacceptable are the larger service failures that prompted me to reevaluate my loyalty to Marriott altogether. For context, I’ve been a Titanium Elite member for three consecutive years, staying over 75 nights annually.

The first issue: We left our room Friday morning at 10 AM and didn’t return until 7 PM to get ready for dinner. Despite being gone all day, our room was never serviced. When I called the front desk, they quickly sent up towels, but insisted it was because we had our Do Not Disturb sign on the door. At no point during our stay did we use that sign. I understand mistakes happen, but rather than take accountability, they tried to shift the blame onto us — a disappointing approach for a hospitality brand of this caliber.

The second, much more serious issue: On Saturday night, we returned to the hotel at midnight. The main doors were locked for security, which I understand, but neither our physical key cards nor the digital key worked to gain entry. We tried repeatedly. I called the hotel while standing outside, listening to the phone ring endlessly with no answer. After nearly 20 minutes locked outside in the middle of the night, two other guests — not staff — heard us knocking and let us in. Only after that did a front desk attendant appear, apologizing but offering no resolution.

Upon checkout the next morning, I left my business card and asked to speak with the manager. That was June 15. As of today, June 26, I have yet to hear from anyone.

After waiting two days with no follow-up, I called Marriott Customer Service. The representative was sympathetic and offered 5,000 points, which I expressed wasn’t adequate considering the situation. She agreed, escalated the matter, and asked for 3–5 business days for a formal response. Over a week passed with no contact.

When I followed up, the second representative was combative, dismissive, and unapologetic. She told me, “You have to understand, they do rounds at night — these things happen.” No, guests should never be locked out of their hotel for nearly 20 minutes with no assistance. She also informed me the matter was “resolved” with the 5,000 points (which I declined) and abruptly ended the call.

This experience was the final straw in a series of disappointments. Fortunately, Hilton Honors offers status matching, and I’ll be taking my loyalty — and my...