Nicer than your average Fairfield!
by - Written: Oct 09 '08 (Updated Oct 09 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: New, fairly clean, in-room amenities
Cons: Linens, "settling" noises
The Bottom Line: If you need to stay on this side of town, is a good choice. We'll have to see how long the hotel can stay in its current condition.
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| krunett's Full Review: Fairfield Inn & Suites Jacksonville Butler Bouleva... |
This Fairfield is on the more upscale side of any Fairfield's I have ever stayed in. The hotel looks shiny and new but there are some interesting kinks they need to work out.
Location/Check-in
Hotel is located off 95, Phillips or 202 so is very accessible depending on where you need to go. There are a lot of other chains in this area (including a Courtyard), however I liked that this property was a bit farther back from the others to avoid the noise. There were a few fast food restaurants and then access to a ton more restaurants and dining options off Phillips or 202.
Check-in was fine, however the front desk staff could be a bit more friendly. Lobby is beautiful, has a neat little fountain (told you it was a more upscale Fairfield). They had cookies at check-in, which was nice.
Room
The hotel is new, so the rooms are generally very clean. They were a little on the narrow side and my room had an adjoining door which are noise magnets. The closet was a decent size, iron was clean, however ironing board wasn't. There is a larger than average fridge and microwave and a very nice HD TV with a huge amount of channels and closed caption. Free highspeed is wireless and used my own so didn't test it out. They didn't have a lot of outlets in the room, instead had a power supply, which was unusual. Could really used an outlet near the nightstand or one closer to the bathroom.
Beds were decently firm and they provide different type of pillows. I will say that they need to do a better job of cleaning the pillow case covers. If you looked at the actual pillow underneath the cover was kind of gross. Linens in general were fine. HVAC was on the wall and worked okay, but I like being able to have a fan on all night for background noise.
The bathroom was a generous size and the vanity was fine for all my belongings. They provide smaller sized shampoo, conditioner and lotion. I will tell you that you might want to bring room temperature water with you. This is the 2nd Fairfield I've stayed in (different cities) that had slimy water. When you are in the shower after you soap off you still feel slippery. The water from the tap had a bit of a sulphur smell to it. I'm no expert, have no idea what would cause it, but is something to note.
Room was fairly quiet, I didn't hear TV noise and I know the hotel was sold out. I did hear someone sneeze from the next room, so not sure how thick the walls out. Outside noise was a non issue. Here is another interesting part, the ceiling was making an awful lot of noise in the bathroom, almost like it was settling. I woke up in the morning and the plaque on the inside of the door had fallen off. You kind of have to wonder about the construction...
Amenities
There is a very small fitness center with a treadmill, elliptical, bike and weight station. The treadmill could have been a bit nicer, especially for a new hotel, as it was pretty basic. There was a small business center, but didn't use it and I believe they have a pool.
Breakfast was so-so, danish, muffins, cereals, non-ripe bananas (I can never understand why hotels can't have ripe bananas), oatmeal and you could heat up a Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwich.
Overall
I'm not sure I would stay here again for business unless the price is right. I prefer to stay closer to South Side, but there weren't hotels available. This will be a nice stay for you with a few minor quirks that you can easily get over.
Recommended:
Yes
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