Fairfield Inn and Suites

So here’s what happened. My partner has Marriot points that he has to use before they expire. We think to ourselves «let’s try to go somewhere family friendly (we have an 8-​month old) and within 2 hours of Chicago for baby’s first road trip… it’ll be fun!». So we choose a place that’s a little further than the lake side towns we’ve already been to and bookmark some places to try around the hotel.
A couple of things. One, as it turns out, there’s NOTHING to do IN Watervliet (besides perhaps the indoor water park at the hotel) so you have to drive to towns around it to do anything fun and two, this hotel is NOT enjoyable to stay at unless you are actually enjoying said water park (which we weren’t). Here’s why…
1) The place is recently remodeled and looks nice enough, but it’s still an old building with old stuff made to look pretty. The walls are sooooo thin you can hear everything outside of your room (seriously, EVERYTHING), the air conditioner/​heating unit is loud as hell and kicks on all day/​night long making you crazy if you’re a light sleeper, and the bathroom was like half redone so the sink and surround look nice (ish) but the tub was questionable. It really could use a good refinishing and a scrub with CLR before I’d want to take a bath in it for sure.
2) I guess I should’ve realized that a place with a water park would be crawling with children but I also thought that a random weekend in January wouldn’t be that busy and also that people would tame their feral spawn. Man, was I wrong.
I will say this: the staff was pleasant enough and the room was decent. It had a tiny little microwave and mini fridge and a nice little desk area which was helpful to hold the mass amounts of crap you have to bring for your kid (s). They also have free wi fi which is a nice touch.
I didn’t see the water park or much of the hotel besides the lobby and our room so I can’t say anything about the rest of the place. Overall though, I wouldn’t stay here again. Even if it’s free. Maybe I’m a hotel snob, maybe I just hate other people’s kids, or maybe I need a more happening hotel/​surrounding town. I don’t know. I just know I wasn’t a big fan of the Fairfield. Sorry (not sorry?).

I am a Marriott member so I stay Marriott when I can. This location did not impress me. First off, it wasn’t that busy and the staff placed me in a room facing the highway-​very noisy. Secondly, I was in a room that had an adjoining door to another room-​why? Again, it wasn’t busy or full, why put us next to each other. I could hear the man next to me during his phone conversations and I could hear the person talking on the phone-​thin walls.
Lastly, I found the room inadequately supplied. I only had one trash can in my bathroom. I bring food when I travel so I usually need a decent size trash (with a liner) to throw food trash in.