This was my first stay at the Sonesta Essential Fairmont. The event was a college football game, and though I made the reservation months ago, the usual places I stay were booked up. The location (on the property of the redeveloped Middletown Mall) is good.
The night before, they called to 'confirm' my reservation. I get electronic reminders frequently, but not a call from the property for decades. Odd.
The first room we were placed in had not been cleaned; the toilet, in particular was filthy and would not flush properly. The second room was likewise dirty; the third, finally was 'clean' (except for a horrible stain on the carpet). The A/C unit was set to cool at 60 degrees. By the time we were settled into our room, it was too late to go to a favorite locally owned restaurant next door. We ended up at Applebee's. The drain in the tub was slow, and the drain knob not attached. There is no mat to prevent slipping in the tub in the accumulated water.
For some reason, the main entrance to the hotel is in the back. Here is a partial list of other items deemed "non-essential" by Sonesta:
* Signage to guide you to the property
* In-room coffee service
* Housekeeping service
* Real eggs -- there is a hot breakfast, but the scrambled eggs are powdered. Further, there is no cheese or salsa to cover this fact up. A batter dispenser hinted at the presence of waffle maker, but it wasn't there.
This is now my LAST choice of hotels in the area.