My first upgrade to a suite — at a Fairfield Inn By Marriott hotel property — occurred earlier this year. It was a surprise to me, as I have stayed at Fairfield Inn properties over the years and never was upgraded — whether I had earned elite status or not. I never even thought of being upgraded at a Fairfield Inn & Suites hotel property — despite the word Suites in the name — but it finally happened.
My First Upgrade To a Suite — At a Fairfield Inn By Marriott
When I walked through the entrance of the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Knoxville Turkey Creek hotel property to check in, I was warmly greeted by the man behind the front desk — who slightly resembled the late Arne M. Sorenson, who was once the chief executive officer of Marriott International, Incorporated. To my surprise, he not only offered me an upgrade to a suite; but I also had my choice of on which floor I would like to stay. He also gave me bottled water and had me feeling like I was a guest in his home.
On the other side of the entrance in the lobby was a nice seating area…
…and adjacent to that was a business center of sorts. The two areas actually blended very well together.
The Room
I rode the elevator, walked down the hallway, and entered my suite. The bathroom is behind the door in the center of the photograph on the right.
Past the entrance to the bathroom is a cabinet which contains a microwave oven, an ice bucket with a bag and plastic cups, a coffee maker with condiments and paper cups, and a miniature refrigerator.
Adjacent to the cabinet is a closet which contains an iron, an ironing board, a luggage rack, hangers, a plastic laundry bag, and a bag containing extra linens. On the left is a hook to hang clothing or other objects.
The bed was quite comfortable, with a choice of different types of pillows on the bed. I slept rather well in it.
The lamps on each nightstand provided two electrical outlets; but no Universal Serial Bus ports were available, which was a very minor inconvenience.
The lighting in the suite overall was somewhat dark — but that lent to the coziness of the suite.
Across from the bed was a full length mirror and a low piece of furniture, which could be used as a desk or a place on which to temporarily store items. With two drawers, it was the closest thing to a dresser in the suite. On the “stand” was one of two flat screen televisions that were in the suite — both of which displayed a message which welcomed me by name. An orange patterned hassock completed the look.
This view from the foot of the bed shows the other “room” of the suite. Interestingly, I typically would not be fond of the color scheme and patterns which were used in the suite — but it worked very well for me. I even liked what I called the “chocolate mint” carpeting.
A sofa that is equipped with a bed that pulls out is in the other “room” for anyone traveling with one or more people. The aforementioned extra linens in the closet — likely a sheet, a blanket, and a pillow — are probably meant for this bed.
This desk has no fewer than five electrical outlets available nearby. One portion of it is on roller wheels; so it is easy to pull out and move if necessary. The chair is adjustable and also on wheels. Imagine the fun someone can have with this when he or she is not working.
The other flat screen television is on the other side of the upper stationary part of this desk.
This view is from the other “room” of the suite looking towards the bed.
The reason why the word room is in quotation marks is that no door exists between the two areas of the suite — which was just fine for my purposes, as I did not need a door.
The Bathroom
Pure by Gloss body lotion, a small cleansing bar of soap wrapped in plastic, and as well as no fewer than three packets of wipes to remove makeup were in a corner on the vanity of the bathroom.
The shower itself was great — but not as good as the one in the Hyatt House Louisville – East hotel property, where the water pressure and temperature were close to perfect. I also preferred the sliding doors to that shower stall than the one that opens out for this shower stall, with only a removable rubbery clear strip preventing the water from leaving the shower stall. The shower head provided three different modes to adjust.
Three bulk dispensers of Alice + Co. Botanicals products were affixed to the wall in the shower stall: shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. I liked the scent of lavender and eucalyptus.
Speaking of the wall, I have been liking the general trend of showers in hotel rooms not having “real” tile; but rather surfaces which emulate tile and grout. I would actually like that type of surface on the walls in my shower, as it seems to be available in numerous styles and colors; and can easily be cleaned.
The View
One aspect that I really liked about the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Knoxville Turkey Creek hotel property is that the immediate area was serene and quiet with plenty of greenery — despite being located off of an exit ramp of a busy interstate highway…
…even if part of the view was of that of the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Knoxville-Farragut and its parking lot — and that was not a problem either, as that hotel property looked nice and was quiet as well.
Breakfast
A continental breakfast buffet is included in the room rate — but although a variety of items was offered, the items themselves were not all that great.
For example, in the container on the right were pearl sugar Belgian waffles wrapped in cellophane and not prepared fresh. I have yet to eat a packaged waffle that tasted good or had a good texture.
Also offered were chocolate chip scones, blueberry muffins, apple muffins, dough balls with holes in them impersonating as bagels, sliced bread, syrup, and other condiments. A toaster, plastic utensils, paper plates, and napkins were available.
Another station offered Cheerios, Frosted Flakes, Raisin Bran, assorted flavors of Dannon yogurt, milk, an assortment of packaged oatmeal, and no fewer than 16 different toppings. The juice machine dispensed orange juice, apple juice, cranberry juice, and water — but two signs were affixed to it.
One sign had the words “meeting your dietary needs We offer a variety of options to accommodate your dietary needs. For gluten-free selections, please inquire with an associate.” printed on it.
The other sign had the words “PLEASE DO NOT FILL WATER BOTTLES AT THE JUICE MACHINE DUE TO EQUIPMENT CAPACITY. WATER COOLER TO FILL WATER BOTTLES, ETC. IS LOCATED IN THE FITNESS ROOM.” in bold capital letters printed on it.
Another station offered fresh bananas; cage free hard boiled eggs; turkey sausage; scrambled eggs; sausage biscuit sandwiches; and croissants with cage free eggs, Black Forest ham, and gouda cheese on them — as well as assorted condiments.
I enjoyed the toppings — in this case, chocolate chips and stewed strawberries. The shame is that the prepared waffle was as bad as I suspected: hard and cold with crunchy bits of sugar. Even the toppings could not save this monstrosity.
Plenty of seating was available in the breakfast area, which seemed to be very clean.
Other Areas of the Hotel Property
Outside of the breakfast area is a small patio with two tables with umbrellas and seven chairs.
Seven chairs? Perhaps one chair is missing or is somewhere else…?
The fitness room is small but adequately supplied with whatever equipment a guest would like to work out for physical fitness…
…and the aforementioned water cooler is located in this room. In fact, remember that you can enjoy complimentary bottled water or filtered water at most hotel or resort properties without having to have earned elite level status if you have an empty water bottle.
An indoor swimming pool is available to guests of the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Knoxville Turkey Creek hotel property.
Final Boarding Call
The service by the employees of Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Knoxville Turkey Creek was great — especially by the aforementioned man behind the front desk. The hotel property itself was clean and comfortable. Where it is located is quiet, as I appreciated that it was not in the middle of a busy shopping area — as convenient as that may be.
Had the complimentary breakfast offered better and different items; and if the shower in the bathroom was like the one at the Hyatt House Louisville – East hotel property, this stay would have been close to perfect for me. I highly recommend staying at the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Knoxville Turkey Creek hotel property.
Even better was that the room rate at Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Knoxville Turkey Creek was $99.00. With taxes, the total bill cost me $116.08.
Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Knoxville Turkey Creek is conveniently located off of exit 373 on Interstate 40 and Interstate 75. Give yourself at least 18 minutes to drive to or from McGhee Tyson Airport, which is located 16.6 miles southeast of the hotel property.
Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Knoxville Turkey Creek
11763 Snyder Road
Knoxville, Tennessee 37932
United States
1-865-392-1122
Free parking is available on site.
All photographs ©2023 by Brian Cohen.
