PROS:
This place is easy to get to and the perfect place to stay if you're visiting the Sanford sports complex, which is just across the street. Also a good location if you're flying in and out of FSD--close enough that you can get there in a hurry, not so close that you have to tolerate excessive noise from the planes.
It is very clean, the hotel is rather new and it is so clean that it appears even newer than it is--high marks to the housekeeping staff for sure!!
I always think the free breakfasts at Fairfield properties are really good--my usual is a cheese omlet and some fruit--they also have various breads, muffins, bagels, breakfast meats, cereals, waffles, etc. Is it some spectacular gourmet breakfast? No, of course not, but in my opinion it's better than going to McDonald's. For a free continental breakfast, I think Fairfield typically does better than most other hotel chains and this location met my expectations.
Standard high speed wifi is free or you can pay about $5 for enhanced wifi. I stuck with the free service, the bandwidth and speed was ample for the paperwork I needed to do--no problems at all.
Service was very good and the staff I had interactions with were very friendly and professional. I just happened to arrive at the same time as another group of business travelers--in all, there were six of us checking in and I was second to last in line. I had just driven for about four hours in a pretty uncomfortable rental and when I saw there was only one desk clerk working I initially thought "ugh.... this will be a while". To my surprise and delight, the associate on duty was really efficient--she got all six of us checked in within five minutes (maybe even less), yet she still managed to greet each one of us attentively and with a smile--I wish I had made note of her name because balancing efficiency with friendliness is a special skill.
CONS:
The walls and, oddly, the ceilings are suuuuper thin!! I could hear the conversations of my neighbors clearly, even though they were speaking at a normal volume, and it sounded like sumo wrestlers were running back and forth across the floor of the room above me. I am a very light sleeper and was worried about whether I'd get a decent night's sleep. Luckily for me, my neighbors turned in at a reasonable hour so this wasn't a problem but, had they not, I definitely would have struggled to fall asleep and it's not like they were partying or being loud. I was awakened by my neighbor's bathroom fan a good 30 minutes before my alarm was set to go off.
This appears to be in a developing area of Sioux Falls--there is only one nearby restaurant, Blue Rock Bar & Grill. That place gets good reviews but if you want options, most other restaurants are about a 10-15 minute drive away.
The bed and bedding was comfortable overall. If you like soft, smooshy pillows, you will be very content. If, like me, you prefer a more firm pillow you're out of luck. Most hotels make their beds with a mix of both these days, this place should adopt that policy.
Overall, the pros outweigh the cons. I would probably stay here again. read more