VA Fairfax Candlewood Suites

[thesqueegeekid]

This hotel is rated 2* by PL and is definitely better than most other 2*'s like Comfort Inn's, Fairfield Inn's etc.

The hotel is relatively new and purpose built meaning it was not converted from another property. Throughout the hotel, they have little signs saying "anther Candlewood value" referring to all the freebies they offer. This includes free laundry, movies (VHS), CD's, free wired highspeed internet, parking, free local calls and cheap long distance etc...

They offer three room types .... the best being a one-bedroom suite. I was only offered a choice of one or two beds in a 'studio' type suite. The rooms are not too large but very well designed and include a full-size fridge, dishwasher, full-size microwave, range, dishes, utensils, salt, pepper, etc. This is also the first hotel room where they have a proper lazy-boy style recliner. The desk faces the TV (25 inch), lots of lighting, laundry basket, and a pack of microwave popcorn.

The lobby is small, they have a small exercise room, and their most unique feature is "the cupboard" which is a room full of frozen, cold and dry products like TV dinners, soup, snacks, etc where customers using the 'honor system' pay for items or fill out a room slip.

I have been here for a few nights and really enjoy the hotel ... the guests are not what you would find at the Hyatt but the 'values' are indeed better than any other hotel chain.

Some of the negatives are... no newspaper, they charge you for additional packs of coffee, there is no daily room cleaning and it is offered once a week .... towels can be exchanged at the front desk where you can also get extra soap, shampoo etc.

Oh yeah, the movie selection is excellent ... over 200 fairly new titles and they also have over 60 tv stations!!!

[thesqueegeekid]

I forgot to mention that they close the front desk at 11:00PM and they have a system of safes set up outside where you can still get your key afterhours by simply using your last name .... doesn't seem that safe actually!!!

They do have a 'night audit' person working there to deal with emergencies ... really, they should just stay open and considering someone is always there ... closing is highly illogical.

[TravelGuy]

thesqueegeekid covered just about everything. I would just add that noise can be a problem. I got a room farthest to a corner, but it was located next to a stairwell, with a door that was frequently banging shut. Also, the neighbor above was quite the stomper, and there seemed to be little noise insulation between floors. Part of the hotel also fronts Route 50, which can get noisy. So to avoid all this, ask for a room on the 3rd (highest) floor, facing away from Route 50, and also away from stairwells.