Just cheated on Hilton for the first time in 2 years at the Fairfield Inn in Woburn, MA last night.

I stay 90% of the time at HI's and was curious as to how a Fairfield would compare.

Well here it goes...

CONS: Arrived at the Fairfield at 10pm and the parking lot was packed. It was raining and the front entrance was not covered which is usually at staple at HI's. Asthetically, the hotel looked a bit tired compared to most HI's. Breakfast area was crammed and felt claustophobic but the staff was much more attentive that ANY HI I'ved stay at. The food selection was comparable to a HI with more cereal selection, but a puny fruit salad bowl. Towels were small and worn! Height of bed and dresser were noticeably lower than HI and found myself bending over. Floorplan had vanity outside of bathroom which I liked but bathroom was a bit crowed. Comfort of matress was indifferent. Reward point accumulation was minimal as my preference was set to miles (taking advatage of Delta 5,000 mile promo) so only earned 2 points per $1 with MR Visa.

PROS: As a MR Silver (attained via Visa card) I received an silver colored Elite key card which I thought was a nice touch. The shampoo/conditioner bottles were of higher quality (Pantene vs. generic) and were much easier to use due to the snap top compared to the annoying twist/pop tops at HI.

Did not have a change to use the business center or fitness room during my stay.

Overall, it felt quite weird and foreign to cheat on Hilton but I love taking advantage of promos. From an earnings standpoint, MR in NO way compares to HH. The 500 point online booking bonus plus 6 points per $1 via HH AMEX (no annual) topples the puny 2 points per $1 via MR Visa ($30 annual fee). Depending on what HH rolls out for Q3 will largely determine if I opt for the MR Gold challenge.