The Fairfield Inn wasn't a Ritz by any means. It's definitely a step above a Motel 6, similar to say a Hampton Inn by Hilton. I think the Fairfield Inn's are on the lower end of the Marriott spectrum, but it worked for us 
Here's a link to the one we stayed in for a week...
www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/mhkfi-fairfield-inn-manhattan/
Oz
Here's a link to the one we stayed in for a week...
www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/mhkfi-fairfield-inn-manhattan/
Oz
@Anonymous wrote:
So I've heard people raving about it and I thought I'd take a look. After reviewing it I have a few questions in hoping people can answer
1) Is the annual free night only given after you've had the card for 1 year or do you get it within the 1st year?
2) 80k points sign up bonus does that really mean $800 in statement Credit?!?!
3) What does category 1-5 hotels mean? Or how can I see them?
4) I mean the $85 AF is taken care of with the annual free night so what's the downside to this card?
5) What credit score would you say (estimate) is the minimum they would accept for this card?
Thanks!
Do you actually use marriott? I don't know what cards you currently have, but hotel cards tend to be the last cards I focus on getting. Credit cards with points programs you can use at multiple hotels/airlines are usually my firts preference and then airline cards etc. I do currently have the marriot card, but I also have status with the chain and picked it up when it was like a 100k signup offer. You get the certificate after the first year and each subsequent year you have the card. The sign up is the 80k points which is an ok offer.If you have frequent marriott stays this card can be a no-brainer. If you are just interested in signups for hotel cards then I would consider other cards as well. The chase hyatt gives you two free nights which can be worth more than 80k marriott points and the citi hilton reserve offers you 2 free weekend nights and gold status.
The Ritz card will give you marriott gold status for the first year and then you get to keep it with 10k spend each year after that. The ritz card sometimes has a massive signup like 3 nights and a number of other perks but it carries a high AF (the AF can be offset but you need to see if its worth it. Also the Amex SPG when they have their 30k point offer is good (keep in mind there is a bonus when transferring points to airlines and the required point redemptions for spg properties are much lower than other program sso 30k goes further than you would think).
Amex SPG points can be transferred to airlines and SPG properties and they can be transferred to marriott at a 1:3 conversion rate (marriot and spg are merging). Hotel cards can be quite useful for a one time trip if you want to earn a couple of free nights in bonuses and use them in high price areas. You asked about the categories . Marriott has several categories and the higher the category the more points it will cost to redeem a night there. A cat 1-5 certificate isn't going to be super useful in most major destinations, so you will want to research ahead of time to see if you can even use the cert. You may be able to get a discounted room for cheaper than the price of the AF, although for the most part I find it pretty much a wash between the AF and the hotel cert, unless you really research it and find the sweet spot.
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@Anonymous wrote:
The Fairfield Inn wasn't a Ritz by any means. It's definitely a step above a Motel 6, similar to say a Hampton Inn by Hilton. I think the Fairfield Inn's are on the lower end of the Marriott spectrum, but it worked for us
Here's a link to the one we stayed in for a week...
www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/mhkfi-fairfield-inn-manhattan/
Oz
Fairfield Inns are basically the lowest level in the marriot chain. They aren't bad and are on park with Hmpton Inn like you said. Just like Marriott has Courtyard for business travelers which is similiar to the Hilton Garden Inn. Marriott also has Residence Inn which usually comes with a kitchen etc and can be in the lower categories. Above that you start getting into the full service marriotts, Autograph collection and higher end properties. In my experience I find Fairfield inn to be a step above places like Motel Six and Best Western etc. Of course, they often cost more as well. Marriott tries to keep the brand within each hotel consistent so if you stay in one fairfield you have a pretty good idea of what they all are like. That being said the service can vary because each property usually a franchise branch with its own owner.
@red259 wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
The Fairfield Inn wasn't a Ritz by any means. It's definitely a step above a Motel 6, similar to say a Hampton Inn by Hilton. I think the Fairfield Inn's are on the lower end of the Marriott spectrum, but it worked for us
Here's a link to the one we stayed in for a week...
www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/mhkfi-fairfield-inn-manhattan/
OzFairfield Inns are basically the lowest level in the marriot chain. They aren't bad and are on park with Hmpton Inn like you said. Just like Marriott has Courtyard for business travelers which is similiar to the Hilton Garden Inn. Marriott also has Residence Inn which usually comes with a kitchen etc and can be in the lower categories. Above that you start getting into the full service marriotts, Autograph collection and higher end properties. In my experience I find Fairfield inn to be a step above places like Motel Six and Best Western etc. Of course, they often cost more as well. Marriott tries to keep the brand within each hotel consistent so if you stay in one fairfield you have a pretty good idea of what they all are like. That being said the service can vary because each property usually a franchise branch with its own owner.
Best Western has some nice properties even within their base brand...but the cash prices aren't low, and they do increase award point prices according to seasonal demand. I earned a lot of points from booking multiple rooms for several nights (and had a lovely time there), but can't find a good way to redeem them.
@wasCB14 wrote:
@red259 wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
The Fairfield Inn wasn't a Ritz by any means. It's definitely a step above a Motel 6, similar to say a Hampton Inn by Hilton. I think the Fairfield Inn's are on the lower end of the Marriott spectrum, but it worked for us
Here's a link to the one we stayed in for a week...
www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/mhkfi-fairfield-inn-manhattan/
OzFairfield Inns are basically the lowest level in the marriot chain. They aren't bad and are on park with Hmpton Inn like you said. Just like Marriott has Courtyard for business travelers which is similiar to the Hilton Garden Inn. Marriott also has Residence Inn which usually comes with a kitchen etc and can be in the lower categories. Above that you start getting into the full service marriotts, Autograph collection and higher end properties. In my experience I find Fairfield inn to be a step above places like Motel Six and Best Western etc. Of course, they often cost more as well. Marriott tries to keep the brand within each hotel consistent so if you stay in one fairfield you have a pretty good idea of what they all are like. That being said the service can vary because each property usually a franchise branch with its own owner.
Best Western has some nice properties even within their base brand...but the cash prices aren't low, and they do increase award point prices according to seasonal demand. I earned a lot of points from booking multiple rooms for several nights (and had a lovely time there), but can't find a good way to redeem them.
Best Westerns are not bad, but I have stayed in a number of them and have usually found the fairfield inns to be a bit more comfortable. There are certainly some properties that are nice than others, but on average FI comes out slightly ahead. The one upside with BW is that they will have properties in areas where marriott does not. Marriott likes to focus around where business travelers may go and cities but I had to stay in BWs to visit more seasonal areas out by national parks etc.