We would find ourselves in Fairbanks Alaska, United States for a two night stay in order to take in some dog sledding and nearby hot springs at Chena Hot Springs. With a choice between a Hyatt Place and a Springhill Suites by Marriott, we ended up at the Springhill Suites Fairbanks by Marriott for a two night stay. We would get access to a refreshed hotel room, access to a complementary shuttle to and from the train station / Fairbanks International Airport along with an included breakfast on every day. We would also get the opportunity to explore downtown conveniently on foot. Read on to see how our stay fared.

---

This post is one chapter on a winter trip to Alaska, United States. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status, Alaska Mileage Plan and Hertz Gold Plus Rewards. For parts of the trip, please see this index.

If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter “X” or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.

---

Review: Springhill Suites Fairbanks, Alaska, United States of America

---

“A well appointed stay in freshly refurbished rooms in a hotel that offers a complimentary shuttle to / from the Alaska Railroad and Fairbanks International Airport”

My visit to the Springhill Suites Fairbanks was as a result of needing a place to stay in Fairbanks for two nights while we pursued some local activities. With a location right in the heart of downtown Fairbanks, the hotel made for a convenient stay.

Booking Springhill Suites Fairbanks:

When looking at which hotel to book in Fairbanks, they were only a few choices. The Springhill Suites Fairbanks was the only Marriott option, along with a Hyatt Place Fairbanks that was located on the outskirts of of town.

We ended up at the Springhill Suites Fairbanks as a result of an American Express Free Night Award Certificate. The hotel was centrally located in downtown Fairbanks, which made for a great base of exploration around the city.

We had one night on a free night award, and a second night on a AAA Automobile Association Rate for $225 USD. Fairbanks seems to be an expensive place to stay comparatively so we received good value using up our last Marriott Bonvoy Free Night Award.

I booked through the Marriott Bonvoy website, which as a Marriott Titanium Member, entitled me to a complimentary upgrade to the best available room, including select suites, complimentary access to the Marriott Executive Club Lounge (of which there wasn’t one at this property), and a complimentary late check out up to 4 PM.

It is worth mentioning that in the Springhill Suites branding, every room is a suite with a separate relaxation area that has a couch. Much like the Aloft model, the room configurations at this property are all the same. The only difference is the bed assignment between one king bed or two queen beds.

As a result, there is no likelihood in getting a Marriott Bonvoy upgrade into larger room category. The likely Marriott Bonvoy Elite upgrade offered will likely be a soft upgrade into a higher floor category, a better view or quieter area away from the elevator.

Marriott Bonvoy Redemption Opportunities:

The Springhill Suites Fairbanks offers competitive room redemptions with the new variable redemption rates. Marriott Bonvoy rates were between 32,000 to 40,000, which represents value on some nights but not on others.

If you value Marriott Bonvoy points at $0.008 a point, you’d have to spend more than $256 USD room rate to come out ahead for a 32,000 point redemption, or $320 USD room rate if you happen to find a 40,000 point redemption. While this represents reasonable value under certain circumstances, you’ll want to make sure that your redemption is value based.

Arriving to Springhill Suites Fairbanks:

We arrived into Fairbanks on the Alaska Railroad Winter Aurora Train Anchorage – Fairbanks. The hotel offered a complimentary shuttle service that was “on request”. We wandered outside of the train station and boarded a waiting van that was shared with another hotel in Fairbanks.

It is also worth mentioning that the Springhill Suites Fairbanks also offers a complimentary airport shuttle service. We took advantage of this to collect a rental car from the airport, which saved me about $25 USD in taxi fare.

It was a short 7 minute ride to the Springhill Suites Fairbanks. We were among the first dropped off before the shuttle continued onwards to other properties.

The Springhill Suites Fairbanks is located on the edge of the Chena River. While there was no set trail in the winter months, the property offered the ability to walk the downtown area of Fairbanks.

I found that the downtown area of Fairbanks didn’t have a lot of overall charm in our late March Spring visit. There seems to be a dive bar located behind the hotel. Much like other inner city problems, there were a few homeless people wandering around downtown. However, at least by staying at this property, you will have access to an option of restaurants located off the property.

Checking into the Springhill Suites Fairbanks:

The Springhill Suites Fairbanks lobby was recently renovated and updated. The Springhill Suites offered a modern look which met with functionality.

As a result of coming off the shuttle bus, we had a short line to check into the property. The check in was friendly and pleasant. We were thanked for being Marriott Bonvoy Elite members and given 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy points as an Elite Welcome Bonus.

All rates at the Springhill Suites Fairbanks include a breakfast. The breakfast was served off the lobby across from the front desk.

The front desk offered an Northern Lights Aurora tracker, that provided a forecast for the winter Northern Lights aurora. On a request basis, you were also offered opportunity to have your name and number to be added to a list so that you could be called in the middle of the night should staff happen to see the northern lights. We added our name to the list, but did not get any calls despite staying two nights.

During our check in, we were also offered a wonderful Marriott Bonvoy Titanium amenity which consisted of a grab bag of Alaska Chip Company Jalepeńo potato chips and two small waters. While it wasn’t much, I’ll still take any extras over nothing anyday. A pleasant note was also included, which was a nice touch to start the stay.

The Room: Suite – 1 King, Sofa bed.

We were assigned room # 616, which was located a short walk down from the elevators.

Springhill Suites markets itself as a hotel that offers a little extra space. Their spaces are marketed as follows:

• Sleeps 1-6 people
• Airy beds with piles of pillows
• Dedicated workspaces
• Separate areas to sleep, work, and relax
• In-suite microwave and a mini-fridge
• Spa-like bathrooms

All of these features are terrific for travellers that tend to spend 4 to 5 days in a hotel.

The Living Space:

Immediately upon entering the room, we found ourselves in the studio suite living space. Springhill Suites has a current contract with West Elm furniture to provide their “in room” couches.

The West Elm couch was a little sofa bed and had a firm seating surface. It ended up being a bit of a storage area while we re-packed ski gear in order to balance weight across Alaska Airlines 50 lbs baggage limits on the way home.

The Bedroom:

The bedroom featured a large king-size bed. The room real estate was a little tight to accomodate such a large bed, which made the space surrounding it a little compact.

There was a small in room closet located at the foot of the bed. The living room television was shared with the bedroom, allowing for “angled” television viewing from bed.

The room itself offered some limited amenities. The view from the bedroom offered a sixth floor view over downtown Fairbanks.

The Bathroom:

The studio suite offered a single bathroom that had a single vanity sink. The design of the bathroom offered the sink across the space from the shower and toilet.

As an older renovated property, the bathroom and shower was a little more on the compact size. Despite this, it was perfectly fine in size and shape.

It was very quiet during our two night stay at the Springhill Suites Fairbanks. The bed was comfortable and we did not get any noise from downtown or from within the hotel. Our sleep was completely undisturbed.

Around the Hotel Property:

The Springhill Suites Fairbanks had a few features consistent with a neighbourhood hotel of this size.

Fitness Centre – Indoor Pool:

The Springhill Suites Fairbanks offered an indoor pool and exercise centre. The pool is located on the ground floor just behind the breakfast area. The pool is a small indoor type, which didn’t seem to get much use while we were there.

The gym offered a small number of machines and a small weight area.

While I didn’t use either the gym or the pool, it’s always nice to have an option available.

Food and Beverage:

Our stay at the Springhill Suites Fairbanks offered an included breakfast. Breakfast was served in the lobby immediately across from the front desk.

The Springhill Suites Fairbanks offered an “as expected” breakfast. There were scrambled eggs, sausages, Jimmy Dean McMuffins, and freshly made waffles throughout our two day stay. There were also cereal tower silos and other yoghurts available for those that preferred a lighter option.

Lavelle’s Bistro:

The Springhill Suites Fairbanks offered a sole restaurant and bar on the property that was open for dinner only. While the restaurant is connected to the hotel, the connection did not appear to be open on a regular basis.

We ended up not dining at Lavelle’s Bistro as a result of some fairly average reviews. We instead ended up down at the Pioneer’s Pub, which was a short drive away and seemed to be much more fun.

Checking Out of Springhill Suites Fairbanks:

We had a normal departure from the Springhill Suites Fairbanks for an Alaska Airlines First Class Fairbanks – Anchorage flight. We headed over to Fairbanks International Airport by rental car our journey home on Alaska Airlines First Class: Fairbanks – Anchorage, followed by Alaska Airlines First Class: Anchorage – Seattle and Alaska Airlines First Class Seattle – Bellingham.

We had no surprises on the bill with everything “as expected”. The check out was instant through the app and without incident.

My Marriott Bonvoy points posted to my account within 48 hours as promised.

The Bottom Line: Springhill Suites Fairbanks

The Springhill Suites Fairbanks met all our needs.

The Springhill Suites Fairbanks offered refreshed rooms in the middle of downtown Fairbanks. The Springhill Suites offered a complimentary shuttle to and from the Alaska Railroad station and the Fairbanks International Airport, which added substantial value.

Given that there are limited hotel properties in Fairbanks, you’d be hard pressed to do better than the Springhill Suites Fairbanks.

---

If you have stayed in Fairbanks, did the hotel meet your expectations ?

---