Marriott's styling for new Fairfield hotels has much improved. Rooms and lounge are somewhat larger than in old Fairfields while the layout of the suites now competes favorably with Marriott's Spring Hill hotels. Lively colors and modern furnishings add to the comfortable feeling. The Fairfield in Tulare is a good example. But unfortunately there are still a few problems that management has to iron out. The service at the reception desk does not work at all. There was a lot of confusion about the time breakfast is served on weekends: One receptionist said between 6 and 9 a.m., another one insisted it would be between 7 and 11 a.m., but a sign near the elevator indicates that it is between 6 and 10 a.m. When I asked the receptionist for a Chinese, Thai or Japanese restaurant nearby, the answer was: "I don't eat this kind of food. I wouldn't know." Later someone else recommended a small Japanese bistro which was actually very close to the hotel and served excellent food. The receptionists seemed confused and unwilling to provide even the simplest answers. Also: The well documented problem Marriott has with comfortable mattresses in most of its middle-class hotels seems to continue. The mattress here was mediocre at best. And a final word concerning the A/C unit: very responsive and efficient on a 108 degree day but much too loud for a A/C right next to your bed.More