Fairfield by Marriott Surabaya: Comfortable Midrange Hotel

We currently do not have a Fairfield by Marriott hotel in the Philippines, and I’ve never stayed in a hotel under that brand before, so I was really eager to try out Fairfield by Marriott Surabaya and compare it with other brands within and outside the Marriott family. Luckily, my recent travels brought me to Surabaya for a couple of nights, so it was the perfect opportunity to do so.

Fairfield by Marriott Surabaya is situated in the city center along Jalan Mayjen Sungkono and near the upscale mall, Ciputra World. Compared to other cities in Java and the rest of Indonesia, Surabaya is quite vast, yet with ride-hailing apps Grab and Go-Jek, getting around is easy and affordable. The airport is away from the city, but the drive shouldn’t take more than 45 minutes on the toll road.

Fairfield by Marriott traces its origins to Fairfield Farm—owned by J.W. Marriott and his wife Alice—located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. It has evolved from a humble retreat to a midscale brand with close to 1,000 properties globally, making it one of the largest among Marriott International’s powerhouse stable of 30 brands. Most of its properties are in the United States, but this brand is already being gradually brought into Asia, with the first one in Indonesia and Southeast Asia being in Surabaya.

After a severely delayed flight from Yogyakarta, I finally arrived at the hotel late into the night. The lobby was neatly designed, though it wasn’t grand nor opulent, so right then and there, I had my expectations set. Most likely seeing that I was exhausted, the friendly front office staff handed me my keys at once.

I stayed in a Fairfield Room in one of the hotel’s higher floors. In a word, the room was simple. Sure, it wasn’t as upscale as a room at a Marriott, Westin, or a Sheraton, yet it was more than enough for my needs—a bright, comfortable place to stay and work in for a couple of nights.

Set in a mostly white color scheme, the room had the basics covered like a comfortable bed, a 40” TV, and a working desk. The bathroom was spotless, despite being almost all-white, and it had complete amenities.

The hotel has one restaurant called Kava, which serves both Indonesian and Western specialties. The buffet breakfast selection was quite modest, with a handful of Western and local fare, as well as live cooking stations.

Since I stayed mostly in the hotel, I also had my other meals at the said restaurant. What was memorable to me were the salmon with pesto, as well as the banana fritters with cheese (pisang keju).