TRAVEL ABOUT--A HAMPTON INN EXPERIENCE

This post is from my travel blog (not yet up and running).

I believe that we can profit from other’s experiences in travel, and I believe that tourist amenities can profit from feedback—both positive and negative.

That said…

DH and I stayed at the Hampton Inn this past Friday night. Our room was a Jacuzzi suite.





The hallway and room were free from any smoke or stale smell.



The first room had a nice-sized Jacuzzi and food-prep. bar, which included a sink, small refrigerator, microwave, and coffee pot. These came in handy for storing the cold items that we brought, cooking our microwaveable foods, and brewing a hot drink.



A basket was well stocked with both regular and decaf. coffee, but as we don’t drink coffee, I brewed myself a nice cup of Calli tea.



This ante-room afforded a chair, comfortable couch, a nicely sized desk, and a large TV.



The second room contained a VERY comfortable pillow-top bed, a chest of drawers, straight-backed chair, a second TV, and a closet with full-length mirror.

Inside the closet were stored an iron and full-sized ironing board—much better than the table-top variety.







THE BATHROOM

The bathroom was stocked with nice towels, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and make-up remover cloths. It also contained a wall-mounted blow dryer. A hand mirror would have been very convenient, as would drinking glasses.





The room was spacious with a good-sized tub/shower. A towel bar by the sink would have been handy.





I liked that the hangers could actually be removed from the closet (unlike the kleptomaniac-free ones that most hotels use) so that I could steam my clothes in the bathroom while showering.





HAMPTON ROOM PROS

Two rooms

Hubby could watch TV in one room while I worked on the computer in the quietness of the bedroom

A complimentary hot breakfast

Courtesy call

Within approximately one hour of arrival, a woman from the front desk phoned to see if our room was satisfactory and if there was anything we needed. I was quite impressed with this small but large gesture.

Good check-out time

Most hotels have a check-out time of 11:00 a.m. The Hampton Inn offered a 12:00 p.m. checkout, which is delightful.

Late check-out

We requested a late check-out and were give our requested time of 1:00 p.m.

HAMPTON ROOM SMALL NEGATIVES

Casual Dress

Inadvertently stopping at the Hampton Inn at the opposite end of town rather than the one where we had reservations, I saw that the front-desk personnel were VERY neatly dressed. I recall being impressed that the young man was in suit and tie—something we don’t see much of anymore, and it made me feel special as a guest—like I was staying in a fancy hotel.

When I got to my correct hotel, the staff were dressed in very casual clothes. It had me wondering if I was staying at a lesser hotel.

No DVD player

Most rooms these days have a DVD player; this one did not. This is of little significance to me; yet, I know many who enjoy watching movies while on vacation.

HAMPTON ROOM DEFINITE CONS

A less-than tidy bed

It made one wonder if the sheets had actually been changed or if a hurried housekeeper just threw up the covers, put on the placards, and called it good. With all of the diseases around, one can’t be too careful, and this was a definite red flag to me.

PRICE

$152.00 (plus change and bed tax)

WOULD I STAY AGAIN?

Yes but only on a special occasion. I don’t like to spend this much on a hotel room generally speaking and feel like The Hampton could charge less to ensure a greater return of customers.