Fairfield properties usually have mix of small rooms (the rooms) and larger rooms with a slightly separate sitting/working area (the suites, as they are called). The latter can be quite similar to the suites at SpringHill Suites.

If you've booked at Fairfield and you have elite status, they will try to put you in a suite, even if you only booked a standard room.

If you've booked at SpringHill Suites, you will definitely get a suite, regardless of your status -- because that's all they have.

The experience can be similar, but, on average, SpringHill Suites is better. Both brands include breakfast for all guests as a brand standard, regardless of Marriott Bonvoy membership or status.

I do not stay at SpringHill Suite or Fairfield often. (Sometimes, they're the only Marriott Bonvoy choice in a location, or even the best hotel in a small city.) When I do, they are usually perfectly acceptable. Sometimes, they even exceed my expectations. I like the suite layouts, the in-oom refrigerator, and the sitting area that's more than just a chair next to the bed.

But not always. At a run-down Fairfield Inn in Moline, Illinois, I had a standard room because I had only booked it the same day. It was tiny and depressing. The property is no longer a Fairfield Inn.

TownePlace Suites is different. It's a long-term stay brand with accommodations that are like small apartments with kitchens, but more basic than Residence Inn.