Fairfield by Marriott Hotels in Utica

This hotel does a decent job of delivering what you expect when staying at a Fairfield. The rooms are clean and sharp, everything looks fairly new, the bed is comfortable, and the breakfast in the morning is just fine for a hotel buffet, though lacks the option range that some have and is not fully replenished throughout the service period. I appreciated that the TV in our room supported streaming (you can login to your Netflix service / etc) -- we used that. I wish that it was more common for a hotel like this to use actual reusable plates/silverware for the breakfast rather than everything throwaway. The breakfast was supposed to be available until 10am, but the staff started packing it up around 9:45. When my girlfriend tried to get breakfast around 9:50, the staff were able to bring a few things back out of the kitchen for her -- but really, if a breakfast will be packed up starting at 9:45, list that as the end time rather than 10am. Checkout time is noon. The housekeeping staff knocked first around 9am (while we were still in bed), then again around 10:30am to see if we had left yet so they could clean. Since we were not checked out of the room yet, this felt a bit like being rushed out. I always prefer it when the housekeeping crew either waits until checkout time or starts first on the rooms where guests have checked out early, so I'm not woken up. I understand that staffing shortages likely make this kind of coordination hard. These are minor issues in the scheme of things. Overall a solidly decent night and a hotel I wouldn't hesitate to stay at again if I was in the area, though probably wouldn't prioritize over other options either.