I have stayed at five FI's recently:

St Clairsville, OH - Relatively recent decor; nice, cleanrooms; good breakfast; pleasant staff . I have stayed hear multiple times for business and always had a good stay. ^

Zanesville, OH - Older FI but still has all interior corridors, cleanliness was marginal, good breakfast, pleasant staff, overall feels tired

Reynoldsburg, OH - Relatively recent decor; poor studio suite layout; good breakfast. Trying it one more time before making a decision on this property.

Beckley, WV - Older, but very well maintained FI; Rooms are Large; Large breakfast area and good breakfast; okay outdoor pool; very pleasant staff. I have stayed hear multiple times on the way to and from The Carolinas for vacation. I have always had a good experience at this property. They are very family friendly. ^

Wytheville, VA - Brand new FI. Nice larger rooms. Good size bathroom with ceramic tile floor and marble sink; pleasant staff. Good breakfast though the new style breakfast area with the bar doesn't work well for families. Definitely would stay here again. ^

Bottom line, FI's are generally gettng better and are a more cost effective alternative. When will CY finally cave and offer free breakfast (at least to elites) @:-)

--Jon


P.S. Main differences I see with CY is better towels and glassware at CY. More business travelers and less families at CY generally leading to quieter stays. It use to be CY generally had bigger rooms; however, with the new FI's comming online, there is much less if any difference.