SpringHill Suites by Marriott Hotels in Fairbanks

This is an average Marriott hotel at best. The furnishings are a little dated, the beds were comfortable and the location is in downtown Fairbanks. The elevators can be a little slow and most of the staff seemed helpful and friendly. Pros: It's downtown Fairbanks and there were a few nice restaurants within walking distance. You'll want a rental car though because you have drive pretty much everywhere. The view of the river wasn't anything special but maybe it is in the warmer months. The onsite restaurant is pretty good. Cons: it's downtown Fairbanks and the area is a little sketchy. You encounter quite a few people experiencing homelessness and struggling with addictions. One particular woman who works the front desk in the evenings was the least friendly and least helpful person that we encountered during our entire week long trip. She initially checked us in upon arrival giving us the minimum required information. Nothing extra like we serve breakfast or you'll find coffee over there, etc. Then on our last night, we arrived back at the hotel about 10 pm and couldn't find any parking in the hotel lot or on the street nearby. We parked in a handicapped space while we went inside to see if she had any advice about where to look for parking. When I approached the front desk, she had her head down looking at something on the desk and didn't look up while I stood there. After a couple of minutes, I said, excuse me, could you tell us where to park if the lot is full? She looked at me like I was asking her to solve a complicated math equation. Then she turned to look at the parking lot via the video feed of the parking lot. After scanning it, she said it looks like the overflow lot is full too. When we asked what we should do, she suggested that we come down every two hours and check for on street parking. It's now after 10 pm, we have a very early flight the next day and we're Marriott Platinum card holders. My husband asked if we could park where the hotel shuttle parks. Luckily, at that moment, the shuttle driver came in and offered to go out to the parking lot to see if he could figure something out. Maybe this person would work out better if she worked in housekeeping doing laundry by herself. She clearly doesn't enjoy working with the guests. We'll probably stay somewhere else on our next trip to Fairbanks. The cons outweigh the pros at this hotel.