Welcome to Pennsylvania and my review of the Fairfield Inn and Suites BuBois PA! This is a new city for me and a state that I don’t often visit. This is the second Fairfield Inn that I have reviewed lately. My coverage area is usually the east coast and Pennsylvania is absolutely the east coast, I just don’t work here often. DuBois (pronounced DOO-Boyss) is not in an easy area to get to. I flew into State College and then drove about 90 minutes to get here. DuBois does have an airport, but my host recommended SCE as the flight coverage is much better and reliable.
I’m mostly a free agent when it comes to hotels. I have Hilton Honors Diamond, Marriott Bonvoy Gold, and IHG, Gold. None of that is really by design, just the way the the travel has landed. I’ve been staying a more Marriott and Hilton properties this year, this is one of those Marriott stays.
Anyway, I chose the Fairfield by Marriott DuBois because it was in a good location for the work I was doing. Not that Dubois is a large metropolis, but it’s always nice to note have a long drive before or after a long day. There’s also a nice bar/restaurant right next door called Station 101. It was an old gas station converted to a bar. They had an outdoor patio that I enjoyed a nice meal and beer at. Anyway, lets get into it.
In This Trip
1: Lots of CRJs: United CRJ200 Review GSP-IAD-SCE
2 :Review: Fairfield Inn and Suites DuBois, PA
2.1: Fairfield Inn DuBois Public Areas
2.2: Fairfield Inn DuBois Room
2.3: Fairfield Inn DuBois Bathroom
2.4: Fairfield Inn DuBois Room View
2.5: Fairfield Inn DuBois Adjoining Room
2.6: Final Thougths
3: More CRJs: Delta SCE-DTW-GSP CRJ200 and CRJ900 Economy Review
Fairfield Inn DuBois Public Areas
The Fairfield DuBois is a somewhat new hotel. It looked that way from the pictures and my hosts here in town confirmed that the building was built about 2 years ago. I swear, this is actually DuBois and not Calhoun.
The front desk had the same lighting that bathes the front of the building. It gives it a nice modern look although I wish the Marriott would catch up with Hilton on the mobile check-in process. I like being able to skip the desk and head to the room using my phone as the key.
The Fairfield Corner Market. I was told that because I was Bonvoy Gold, I could help myself to water from the cold case whenever I wanted. There was also a selection of snacks that could be purchased, nothing fancy.
In the mornings a breakfast was served in this area. As normal, I don’t really eat hotel breakfast, or any breakfast really.
There’s also a small business area with a printer and a small sitting area. For the first time in a while I saw someone using this area to do some work and take a phone call. Seems weird to me, I don’t much like having my conversations be that public, work or otherwise.
How familiar does this look? Stepping into this hallway was exactly the same as the Fairfield Inn Calhoun Ga.
Fairfield Inn DuBois Room
Not quite into the room yet here, but the Fairfield DuBois still uses the old school swipe cards for room keys. I haven’t seen that it a while, everything that I’ve seen in the last few years have been the RFID style, not the old magnetic strip style.
Walking into the room was again the same feeling as the Fairfield Calhoun. Didn’t help that this room here in DuBois has the exact same orientation.
Desk area with a TV, drawers, and a luggage rack. I made good use of the desk during this 4 day trip. I don’t usually stay that long at a single hotel, but this trip was a long one with lots to do.
The bed and pillows here at the Fairfield DuBois were both very good. There were also power ports on both sides of the bed, just what you would expect at a new hotel.
There’s a microwave, coffee station, and mini-fridge here too. I do really wish they would include a roll of paper towels. I’m still doing a good amount of takeout and sometimes I forget napkins.
While not as cool as the one Calhoun, I’m glad there’s a real alarm clock here at the Fairfield DuBois. It’s a silly thing, but I like being able to look at a clock.
Fairfield Inn DuBois Bathroom
I’m just still not sure why they decided on this decor. It just feels outdated even though this hotel is less than 2 years old. The black quarts just isn’t a good choice.
Standard tub and shower curtain setup here in DuBois. I’d much prefer a stall shower with a glass door, just seems cleaner than the shower curtain. The Fairfield is using large toiletries, I don’t mind but I do like a bar of soap.
Fairfield Inn DuBois Room View
Yep, not a great view. Looking over a body shop and what looked like an electrical supply house or maybe warehouse for storage for the local utility. Either way, it’s not Bermuda.
Fairfield Inn DuBois Adjoining Room
While not always a big deal, this was an adjoining room. For me, I try to avoid these if I can, mostly because of the potential noise. Nothing worse than hearing your neighbor snoring at 4AM. Fortunately I didn’t have that issue on this trip, the bad news is that I could easily hear my other neighbor talking on the phone through the wall.
Final Thoughts
The Fairfield Inn DuBois is a very boring hotel. It does nothing wrong but isn’t anything special. I do like the bar across the parking lot, so that’s always good. However, the walls feel thin. I could hear almost everything that was happening in the room next door.
The room was very clean, but the style of the Fairfields just isn’t good. I’m really not sure what the brand manager at Marriott is doing. I can’t think of any other brand that is similar in style.
I would absolutely say here again, but then again, I wouldn’t go out of my way to come back. There are a few other options in DuBois, I’d probably try one of those unless the price is very different. This hotel does feel like a copy paste of the Fairfield Calhoun, just 1000 miles away.