Fairfield Passes Audit with Flying Colors

To ensure that franchised hotels maintain their brand standards, major hotel companies conduct surprise audits. Marriott International recently conducted such an audit of the Fairfield by Marriott New York Manhattan/Central Park. Much to the delight of general manager Yan Chung and her team, the hotel passed with flying colors.

M&R has managed the Fairfield since it opened in 2016. With 224 guest rooms, it is the largest of four Fairfield hotels in M&R’s portfolio. The others are the Fairfield by Marriott St. Louis Collinsville, IL; Fairfield by Marriott Indianapolis South in Indiana; and Fairfield by Marriott Joplin in Missouri.

“Audits are conducted by an outside third-party selected by Marriott to ensure impartiality, and they take a day to complete,” Yan said. Chief Engineer Andy Persaud, who accompanied Yan on the audit, added that in addition to confirming all Fairfield brand standards are in place, the inspectors check for hotel safety and cleanliness as well as general appearance.

The inspectors presented their findings at the end of the day to Yan and Andy, who then shared the good news with the associates on duty. The audit addressed a challenge common to many other hotels: continuing disruptions in the supply chain related to the pandemic. Yan explained that her hotel was working to minimize, if not eliminate, these disruptions.

The hotel is scheduled for its next audit in six months to a year.