Fairfield Inn by Marriot in Zanesville, Ohio.

Be careful which internet travel search and booking engine you use to find hotels. I used Orbitz to book a room in Southeastern Ohio over the weekend of November 11th, 2006 and was unpleasantly surprised by what I found. I asked for a smoking room, as I do have to do that sometimes when I will be drinking, and I definitely planned on drinking. When I presented myself at the front desk I was told that there were no smoking rooms available, bad for Orbitz. I then asked why they would let Orbitz advertise for them when something like this could happen and was told, "No Marriot hotel allows smoking." Now, I don't know about you, but, to me, that is in no way an answer. In fact, it was an avoidance of the question.

Anyway, we were semi-pressed for time so we went to the room to change and take another nearly hour ride to New Lexington for the wedding of one of my former, and favorite, students. When my companion pulled back the (ridiculous) 1/8 bedspread thing they put at the foot of her bed, she uncovered a barely moving, but still alive, fly. Talk about enough to make a person lose her lunch. She was cavalier about it but I was disgusted. I pulled the bedspread thing off my bed and uncovered a small, but that should not matter, dead leaf. Who fucking cleaned this room? A person would have to be blind, at least, or damned stupid, to miss two things in the same general place in one room.

Again, if we weren't in such an all-fired rush, we would have vacated the room and moved on to something more conducive to a good night's sleep. Although the wedding and reception were wonderful, I felt very strange about the non-smoking thing as well as the dirty room. It did not ruin my night but certainly put a damper on some things. Thanks, assholes.

The breakfast was pretty good considering it was "continental", but there should have ben more than two of the carafes of waffle mix out for our use.

Upon leaving, the front desk woman was nowhere to be seen for about five minutes. She didn't even apologize when she got there. When I handed her the comment card she ensured me I would be contacted qucikly. It has been nearly two weeks, that is not "quickly". I will have to find anywhere, other than one of the Fairfields, to put my head when I travel. You know what? It really blows that this had to happen. I would even think about not caring regarding the smoking thing because I really used to go out of my way to stay at a Fairfield when I was out of town. This experience turned my stomach. Good Job!