Originally Posted by spyke
HGI approx equal to Marriot Courtyard
Hampton worse than Marriot Fairfield Inn in most cases - i.e. glorified motel
No! No! No!
I'm a HH Diamond and a newly-minted Marriott Gold (when my stay from Tue/Wed posts), and due to my company's travel policy, I almost always stay in the lower-end properties for both chains.
I would equate Courtyards with Hamptons. In fact, I've seen more outstanding Hamptons than outstanding Courtyards. I've even stayed in a couple of post-renovation Courtyards, and haven't been overly impressed. I also prefer Hamptons for personal travel, as breakfast is free.
HGIs are well above the Hampton/Courtyard standard. In fact, I've stayed in some full-service Marriotts that aren't as nice as your average HGI.
Fairfield Inns
are glorified motels. The main advantage of Fairfields over Motel 6 is high-speed Internet. I stayed in my last Fairfield Inn back in August and refuse to stay in one again unless there are no other Marriott
or Hilton properties in town.
What I do like about Fairfields and Courtyards, compared to Hamptons, is that you get 10 pts per dollar at them, compared to 5 pts per dollar at Hamptons. That's probably the only reason I'll stick with Marriott.