Cumberland Maryland: Fairfield Inn & Suites, Area Trails, Dining, Brewery

May 2022, weekdays, 2 nights, Fairfield Inn extended king guestroom 419

It has been a few weeks since my stay at this hotel, so I am sharing only minimal info that I recall clearly. If I had been traveling alone, I would have chosen the new Hampton Inn at the next exit north of town. I chose this hotel because it is in a good location with businesses nearby that my husband would enjoy.  

Back of Fairfield Inn & Suites in Cumberland, Maryland from bicycle path

Arrival and check-in

We had not eaten before we arrived at the hotel in the late afternoon. Since it was before check-in time, I went inside to ask the front desk clerk for nearby dining recommendations within walking distance. She provided a printed sheet and verbal recommendations. See the dining section at the bottom of this post for more information about that. I had not received a notification via the app before we returned to the hotel, even though it was almost check-in time. The agent assigned our room when I asked if we could check-in.

Guestroom 419 in Fairfield Inn & Suites in Cumberland, Maryland 

Fairfield Inn standard and extended king guestrooms

We were initially assigned a standard king guestroom on the top floor. I believe it was guestroom 400. This basic room was extremely small, and I wish I had taken a photo before I returned to the front desk. The one small cushioned chair in the room was so tight in the corner, it was up against the bed and wall. It did not look like there was room to walk behind the [second] desk chair if I had been sitting at the desk. Again, if I had been by myself, I would have just let it go. However, since there were two of us staying two nights, I returned to the front desk to ask about a larger room. The agent reassigned us guestroom 419, which met our needs much better.

Guestroom 419 in Fairfield Inn & Suites in Cumberland, Maryland 

Guestroom 419 was similar to most Fairfield Inn rooms I have stayed in before. The bathroom was near the entrance. The beverage center was located in the entry between the bathroom and sitting area. The sitting area was next, and the bed was at the end of the room near the window. The complimentary enhanced internet (for elite members) did not work worth a crap, and would barely load anything the second evening when the hotel was more full. I probably would have requested a refund, if I had paid for this.

New River Gorge in West Virginia: Canyon Rim visitor center, hiking trails, Grandview visitor center and overlooks, Sandstone Falls visitor center, and more!

June 2019, 2 weekdays, traveling as a couple

In addition to this blog post, you can find more photos and information in the New River Gorge photo album on my Facebook page.

View of New River Bridge from Canyon Rim visitor center 
lower observation deck

Canyon Rim visitor center and New River Gorge bridge

There is no charge to visit any of the New River Gorge visitor centers. The staff member at Canyon Rim was an excellent resource for information about the areas we wanted to visit. He provided trail maps, trail information, and clear directions.

View of New River from deck at Canyon Rim visitor center

New River is visible from the back deck at Canyon Rim, and there are two trails that walk down toward the bridge. The main trail is handicap accessible to the first observation deck. There are many steps to the lower observation deck. Both decks offer excellent views.

View of New River Bridge from Canyon Rim visitor center 
upper observation deck

Beckley, West Virginia: Beckley Coal Mine Campground and area

June 2019, Weekdays, 3-nights, Campsite 11

Advance reservations, arrival, and check-in

This is a city campground located behind the coal mine attraction. Reservations are made over the telephone, and there is not a campground map available. I made our reservation as soon as they started accepting reservations in March. I did not receive a confirmation number, they did not require a deposit, and I was not able to request a certain campsite. I provided details about the size of our RV at that time.

Arriving was easy, and the directions are clear: check-in at the gift shop, if arriving before close, and there is someone at the campground for arrivals after close. There is plenty of room to turn around with an RV in the parking lot in front of the gift shop. When we checked in, I inquired again about the size and location of our campsite (from what I had seen on Google maps, it looked like site 11 is a smaller site). The person checking us in said that this was the largest site she had available. There is a locked cable across the front of unrented sites, so we needed to get a key with a $5 cash deposit. The total cost for three nights with tax (not counting the deposit) was $96.30. We were not given any information about the campground, and after we had set up, we learned we needed a code for the bathrooms. WiFi is not available in the park.

View behind campsite 11

Campsite 11

This campsite is located across from the bathrooms. It is a smaller site, and one of the worst sites in this campground. Our fifth wheel is 30', about 35' overall, which is the size I provided for our reservation with two slides. We were barely able to fit our truck onto the site on an angle in the small muddy grass area in front of the grill. The only good thing about this site were the nice trees along the backside. 

Leaning grill on campsite 11 filled with trash and cigarette butts

This site does not have a fire pit (all of the other sites that we saw had fire pits, and there was wood stacked by the tent sites), the grill was a mess, and there was debris on the site. You will need a long drain hose, as the drain is located at the back of the site beyond the tar. Our drain hose was not long enough, so we had to back up to the drain before setting up, and then again to dump our tank before departing. The area below the campsite is a local park with a swimming pool and a neighborhood of houses. We heard continual dogs barking, which we initially thought were dogs people at the park had left in their vehicles. Later, we decided maybe there is a kennel or similar located near the park.

Debris on campsite 11

Charleston, West Virginia / Holiday Inn & Suites Charleston West

December 2016, Weekend, 1-night, Queen bed kitchenette 612

Comedy Zone showroom - we attended the show that evening

Platinum perks and check-in

We arrived in the evening after the 3:00 p.m. check-in time. I inquired about the guestroom type during check-in, and whether we had been able to receive an upgrade. The agent recognized my status, and said he could upgrade us to a queen suite. A key packet had not been prepared before our arrival, and it did not appear as though a guestroom had been assigned before this. I had redeemed points for our stay at this Holiday Inn & Suites, and I also received the Platinum welcome amenity points.

Guestroom 612

This guestroom was barely large enough for basic guestroom furnishings, let alone a kitchen. It was the tiniest guestroom I have ever been in with a kitchen area. The kitchen was literally at the foot of the bed. I do not understand why we did not receive an upgrade with a king bed, as this hotel was not very full the night of our stay. The only king bed guestroom we had this entire trip was on our first night at the Holiday Inn Express in Wytheville (one of the most comfortable and spacious guestrooms this trip, as well).

Diagram from back of guestroom door

Mineral Wells, West Virginia / Hampton Inn Parkersburg-Mineral Wells

July 2013, Weekday, 1-night, king guestroom 315 and 219

Status perks

I did not receive any extra perks at check-in, and the front desk agent did not smile or offer a warm greeting. This hotel had a display at the front desk of items that I should have gotten to choose from since I have Gold status. When I went back to the front desk to change rooms, I requested a bottle of water, and the agent gave it to me for no charge. At that time, the agent also made it sound like the room I had received, with a small fridge and microwave, was an upgrade. The guestrooms were all the same size on the room diagram, so it did not look like this is a larger guestroom.

Guestroom 315 and 219

Both of these guestrooms are located near the center of the hallway, overlooking the front entrance. I was initially assigned guestroom 315, on the top floor. My top floor request had been honored; just not my "end of the hallway, away from the elevator" request.

This entire hotel is non-smoking, and guestroom 315 smelled like stale smoke. I had thought that this Hampton Inn looked pretty dinghy and old when I arrived, and there is a nicer looking Holiday Inn Express at the same exit, so I decided to call that hotel to see if I could get a room there instead. Unfortunately, that hotel did not have any rooms available. 

There were not any other king guestrooms available on the top floor at this Hampton Inn, so I ended up switching to guestroom 219. This was after I had also contacted a few other hotels on the other side of the airport, and after I had walked in and out of room 315, and decided that the stale smoke smell was too strong. I think that if a guest smokes in a non-smoking room, then the guest should be charged the cleaning fee, and the hotel should have the room cleaned properly.

Guestroom 219 smelled much better than room 315, although I then had the noise disruption from the guest overhead. That is exactly why I always try to get a top floor guestroom--so that I do not have any guests overhead. Both guestrooms were set up exactly the same as I am describing here. The photos are of guestroom 219.

The bathroom near the entrance contained a long vanity with bath amenities, and a single-serve coffee maker with supplies. There was a wall mounted hairdryer, and the tub/shower combination included a shower curtain on a curved rod.

A closet with a mirrored door was located in the hall area outside of the bathroom. An iron and ironing board were in the closet.

The guestroom area contained a suitcase bench, flatscreen TV on an armoire, small fridge, microwave, desk and chair, sofa, king size bed, and nightstands with an alarm clock and lamps. There was a floor lamp by the sofa, as well as one on the desk and over the suitcase bench.

This guestroom also had a piece of debris in plain site on the floor--a piece of gum. 

Guestroom 219 is located just off center of being directly over the hotel entrance. Guests congregated under the hotel entrance to smoke, and the noise was disruptive. I could not smell smoke; however, guests' voices were loud enough that I could hear some of the conversation and foul language.

Food & Beverage

Breakfast the next morning included the basic Hampton Inn foods--oatmeal, cereal, yogurt, sausage gravy and biscuits, juices, milk, coffee, and tea.

Fitness center

I thought I was fortunate to find the fitness center equipment available, since it only contained one cardio machine. It also contained a flatscreen TV with remote, exercise balls, scale, towels, and water cooler. 

Business center

One computer and a printer were located in the breakfast room.

Misc. and overall

There are not many dining choices nearby. Restaurants right at this exit included Wendy's, McDonalds, Cracker Barrel, and a pizza place. I was flying out of the Parkersburg airport the next morning, and the other airport area hotels are located in Ohio, on the other side of the airport. I had chosen this area since I was arriving from the South. When I had called a couple of the hotels in Ohio--the Holiday Inn and Fairfield Inn--they did not have many room choices either. The Holiday Inn only had smoking rooms, and the Fairfield Inn did not have any rooms. I have Platinum status at both of those hotel chains; however, I did not think it would be productive to misplace someone else by using my "guaranteed room availability" perk.

I do not recommend this Hampton Inn, and I would never choose it again. I thought staff members were unfriendly, and the facility was old and rundown. I often choose Holiday Inn Express over Hampton Inn, especially when the Holiday Inn Express looks newer. I do not recall why I chose this Hampton Inn over the Holiday Inn Express; I think it was because I wanted Hilton points. Not a good decision this time!

Barboursville, West Virginia / Holiday Inn & Suites

July 2013, Weekday, 1-night, King club suite #513

Status perks and check-in

I received an upgrade to a club suite, two full size bottles of water, and a coupon for free breakfast.

Guestroom 513

This guestroom is the first guestroom after exiting the elevator on the top floor. I did not understand why the front desk agent had told me it is a club floor room because the floor looked like a basic hotel floor to me. I did not observe any signs designating the floor as a club floor or quiet floor, and there was not a club lounge. When I looked at the guestroom descriptions online later, I realized that this is a "club suite" not a club floor guestroom. I may have heard her incorrectly, since I have stayed in hotels with a club floor before.

The guests on this floor were definitely quiet guests. I could hear the elevator and ice machine from my guestroom, although I never heard much noise from guests. There is a large gap under the guestroom doors, so I blocked out the little bit of noise that I did hear with a rolled towel. There did not appear to be many guests on this floor at the time of my stay.

The guestroom entered into a large tile area with a long vanity and two sinks. A single-serve coffee maker was provided on the vanity with RainForest Alliance coffee and condiments. Bath & Body Works amenities were also on the vanity, and a low quality hairdryer was mounted on the wall. 

The bathroom area with the tub and toilet was across from the vanity area. The tub/shower combination was a whirlpool tub with a shower curtain on a curved rod. I would have preferred a walk-in tile shower, although I am sure some guests like this kind of tub. This area was spacious, and there was a door on this room. 

There was an open closet outside of the bathroom, across from the long vanity. It contained only a couple of hangers, and an iron and ironing board.

The bedroom and sitting area contained a full length mirror, desk and chair, flatscreen TV on an armoire, fridge, microwave, suitcase bench, king size bed, nightstands with alarm clock, sofa, and coffee table. There were two telephones in the guestroom; one on the desk, and one by the bed.

Even though there were several lamps in the guestroom, the lighting was very poor.  There was no light by the suitcase bench, so it was always dark in that corner of the room, and the standing lamp by the full length mirror did not give off hardly any light.

The wireless Internet connection speed was slow. There was an ethernet plug at the desk, although a cord was not provided. There were not very many electrical outlets for a room this size, and they were not conveniently located. I had to look for a plug behind the nightstand and sofa when I no longer wanted to work at the desk.

The bed in this guestroom was hard, and not very comfortable. One of the bed photos on this hotel's website looks like it has a nice mattress pad on the bed. This bed did not have that kind of pad on it. 

This is a spacious guestroom, although I wondered if one of the rooms at the end of the hall might have been a better choice. Those rooms are farther away from the elevator, and it looks like the rooms that are classified as "king suite" are set up better than this "club suite" guestroom. The presidential suite must not be on the top floor, unless the guestroom diagram on the door is incorrect.

Food & Beverage

The service and the food at breakfast was excellent! I was able to use my free breakfast coupon for the buffet or an a la carte item off the menu. I opted for the poached eggs on bacon hash browns. I do not usually eat much bacon or potatoes; however, I like to try unusual dishes, so I decided to go for it. This food item was an excellent choice. It was fresh, flavorful, good quality, and cooked perfectly. I had been slightly worried that it might be too greasy for me, and it was not greasy at all.

Fitness center

The fitness center contained weights, weight machines, two treadmills, and a stair-stepper. Both treadmills were in use when I visited in the afternoon, and one was available when I visited in the morning at 5:30 a.m. The posted hours say that the fitness center opens at 6:00 a.m.; however, there were already two guests in the room when I arrived. 

There are two flatscreen TVs in the room; however, the machines do not have cardio theater. The room also contained a scale, drinking faucet, towels, and sani-wipes.

Wheeling, West Virginia / SpringHill Suites

November 2012, Weekday, 1-night, King guestroom #501

Platinum perks

I received a goody bag with a small bottle of water and two snacks--cheese crackers and peanuts.

Guestroom #501

This guestroom is located on the top floor at the end of the hall. I had called the morning of my arrival to request a room in a quiet location without a connecting room door. The agent who answerd the telephone assigned my room during the call.

The guestroom layout and furnishings are exactly the same as the SpringHill Suites at my home airport--GRR. Every SpringHill Suites I have stayed in has always had a separate sitting area with a sofa, chair, and desk with chair, as well as a sink, small fridge, and microwave. A flatscreen TV on the armoire between the two areas could be rotated so it was visible from the bed or living room.