Hailey welcomes new Fairfield by Marriott
By Mike McKenna
Marriott is considered to be the 
world’s largest hotel company, which is pretty impressive considering its humble beginnings.
The Marriott’s expansive portfolio now includes over 30 brands with more than 7,000 properties in 131 countries. The goal for all their properties is “to give people more ways to connect, experience and expand their world.”
As of last Friday, Jan. 8, little old Hailey, Idaho, is now part of the places Marriot is inviting people to visit.
The brand new Fairfield Inn and Suites Hailey/Sun Valley offers 74 rooms right on Main Street. The hotel includes five different room styles, a fitness area, an indoor pool, outdoor hot tub and numerous fire pits with views of the surrounding mountains. The Fairfield is just a short walk to lots of restaurants and shopping as well as the river and the bike path. The lot also includes 11 townhomes on River Street, offering some much needed housing
By all accounts, the Fairfield Inn and Suites is an ideal addition to Hailey.
But it’s not just because its design blends in well with our small Western town or because it brings a well-respected, international chain to the largest town in the county. What really makes this Marriott property a great addition to Hailey is because the company behind it has our kind of attitude.
The Marriott’s core philosophy is to put people first.
The business actually began as a small root-beer stand in Washington, D.C., in 1927. J. Willard Marriot and his wife Alice found success behind the simple idea of offering good service at a fair price. In 1957, they shifted into the hotel business and have been expanding ever since. The key to Marriott’s success is following its founder’s belief to “Take care of associates and they will take care of the customers.”
More than 40 people attended The Chamber’s recent ribbon-cutting and grand opening event and everyone was impressed with the finished product and process of turning an old auto dealership into a hotel.
“We’re thankful to the city for all they did to help make this happen. They really bent over backwards and we’re excited to have so many local investors in the project,” said Rusty Landon, the CEO of InnTrusted, the management company for Fairfield.
Hailey-based architect and former Chamber board member Errin Bliss designed the property.
“We’re incredibly pleased to have a hotel like this in Hailey,” said Hailey’s Community Development Director Lisa Horowitz. “They have been great to work with and we’re very pleased with the design—that it’s not just cookie cutter. This hotel helps with Hailey’s identity.”
Matt Cook and Brandon Williams of Goode Motors are investors in the hotel. At the ribbon-cutting, Matt said they were big fans of the Marriott and were excited to see this idea of replacing the old auto dealership with a hotel come to fruition. It was a sentiment many Hailey locals agree with.
“It’s neat to see 711 North Main Street live on,” Brandon said.
