Fairfield Inn Albany East Greenbush, East Greenbush

We just got back from a 2-night stay at this hotel. We have stayed here on prior visits to the Albany area with no problems, but it appears there is either new management or somehow things have changed. On Friday night after arrival, we decided to go for a swim in the outdoor pool. At about 8:40, a young man (an employee of the hotel) came out to the pool. He assured us that we could swim as long as we wanted, but told us that he was "required by hotel policy" to lock the gate to the pool at 9:00. Since the walls around the pool are about 5 or 6 feet high, it sounded as if he was saying that if we stayed in the pool, we would be locked in. My wife asked him if that was what he was saying, and he shrugged and said, "I just have to lock the gate at 9:00. That's the policy." It seemed like a very odd way to tell us that the pool was closing, but we were almost done swimming anyway. The next evening, after a long day at a family picnic and with us both being very tired, we came back to our room at about 9:00 p.m. to find the bed unmade with a note from the housekeeper saying that she could not make the bed because we had "personal possessions" on it, and they are not allowed under hotel policy to touch any personal possessions of the guests. I tried very hard to see the supposed personal possessions, and my wife finally pointed out the only one - she had folded her nightgown and placed it under her pillow. I could understand if there was stuff all over the bed, or work materials spread out on the bed, but their policy won't allow them to move a folded nightgown to make the bed and then to replace it under the pillow? I went to the front desk to complain, but when I handed the clerk the note from the maid and told him that the only personal possession was a nightgown under the pillow, he threw his hands up in the air and said, "Oh, well, that's the policy!" I told him that it was an idiotic policy and that I would find someplace else to stay next time I was in the area. To their credit, they did send someone up fairly promptly to make the bed for us (who also seemed somewhat exasperated - apparently we were far from the only guests to be impacted by the hotel's almighty policies. But this was aggravation we don't need to pay hotel prices to experience. Whoever is making and enforcing the policies at this hotel obviously has no idea what is important to guests, and no idea how to make a stay there enjoyable - or just doesn't care. Either way, he or she should think about making a career move to someplace where his or her authoritarian style is more appropriate. Either way, I meant what I said - when staying in the Albany area in the future, we will seek out other places to stay - even if they cost more.