Review: Fairfield by Marriott Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta Airport – a good airport hotel

This is our review of the Fairfield by Marriott hotel at Jakarta’s main international airport.

I recently spent a week in Indonesia, in Jakarta and Bali. This gave me a chance to take a look at some of the interesting new luxury hotels and resorts which have opened up. I’ll be covering these over the next week.

My trip started a little less glamorously. With a late arriving flight into Jakarta I thought it was easiest to spend the night locally and heading into the vast city the morning after. After a brief search online I came across the Fairfield, which had opened just a few weeks before. It is Marriott’s only hotel at the Soekarno-Hatta (CGK) airport.

This is our first review of a Fairfield property although the brand has over 950 hotels worldwide. One reason we haven’t given it much coverage is because it has not had a presence in Europe. The first European Fairfield is due to open in Copenhagen this year.

The brand is more established in the US (where it originally launched in the 1980s) and appears to be growing significantly in Asia. It is pitched at a similar level to Marriott’s Courtyard and Hilton’s Hampton brands. In other words, this is a select service brand or, in the industry parlance, ‘midscale’ (whatever that means!)

The hotel website is here. Marriott kindly provided my room for review purposes.

Where is the Fairfield Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta Airport hotel?

The hotel isn’t inside the airport but on the boundary, right next to the main access road.

It is less than ten minutes by taxi (try Grab or the Indonesian GoJek for ride hailing services) and costs less than £5.

Inside Fairfield Jakarta Airport

I arrived around midnight and the staff had my booking ready to go. Unusually for a select service hotel, we were greeted at the entrance and a porter offered to take my luggage up to the room.

Check in was very brief with the assistance of some very friendly staff.

Although it isn’t obvious at night, the lobby is lovely and bright with floor-to-ceiling windows.

Rooms at the Fairfield Jakarta Airport

There are just three room types at the Fairfield – Deluxe King rooms, Deluxe Twin rooms and Deluxe King Corner rooms.

I was given one of the corner rooms on the second floor. The primary difference between this and the other two room types is space – an extra 7 sqm, for a total footprint of 29 sqm.

That’s not massive but does give you plenty of room for a couple of suitcases with room to spare.

The rooms are, as you’d expect, fairly spartan with white walls and wooden laminate flooring:

No complaints here: it looks smart and neutral. The walls look a little plain and empty, especially above the bed – it would have been good to hang something here.

The designers did put an interesting design feature in the bathroom in the form of this wash basin:

and

Overall the bathroom was spacious with a nice large shower. Toiletries are Anarygya and lemon and lavender scented.

Opposite the bathroom there is an open wardrobe with a sizable luggage rack in the corridor space. The photo makes it look smaller than it is – that is my large checked bag, not cabin bag that you see. You also get tea making facilities and a fridge.

The bed itself was very comfortable, and there were universal sockets on both sides of the bed so I didn’t even have to get my adaptor out. This seems to be common practice at international hotels in Indonesia:

The only other amenity worth mentioning is the gym on the second floor. This features a handful of cardio machines as well as a rack of weights and overlooks some of the local undeveloped land:

Breakfast at the Fairfield Jakarta Airport hotel

Breakfast is served downstairs in the lobby, with space set up with tables and chairs:

A small buffet is available. Hot items include a selection of Asian and Western items, including bubur ayam, an Indonesian chicken congee, as well as crispy tofu, a curry and, of course, nasi goreng.

and

Western items include hash browns, chicken sausage and beef bacon. Jakarta is a majority Muslim area so pork, whilst available, is not hugely prevalent. Eggs are cooked to order. The buffet items generally appear to be cooked in small batches and so were very fresh throughout.

A selection of fruit, basic cereals and a fridge of fruit juices, yoghurt and salad is also available:

Conclusion

The Fairfield is a good choice if you need a hotel at Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta Airport. It is clean and modern and ticks all the boxes for a short stay on your way to somewhere else.

As with all of Indonesia, the staff are exceptionally friendly and helpful which elevates this from your average budget UK hotel. The luggage porter was an added benefit.

Room rates start at around £39 whilst redemptions seem to be priced at 5,000 Marriott Bonvoy points on most nights, well above our target 0.5p valuation.

You can find out more, and book, on the hotel website here.

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How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (April 2024)

There are various ways of earning Marriott Bonvoy points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

The official Marriott Bonvoy American Express card comes with 20,000 points for signing up, 2 points for every £1 you spend and 15 elite night credits per year.

You can apply here.

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points by converting American Express Membership Rewards points at the rate of 2:3.

Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Marriott Bonvoy Gold status for as long as they hold the card?  It also comes with Hilton Honors Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.  We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points indirectly:

• American Express Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (40,000 bonus Amex points)

The conversion rate from American Express to Marriott Bonvoy points is 2:3.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Marriott Bonvoy points. 

(Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)