**Hampton Inn Sneads Ferry North Topsail Beach - Guest Review**…read more
I arrived before dark--rare for me--and walked into a brightly lit, clean, and attractive lobby. The front desk attendant greeted me as soon as I entered. He was extremely friendly and helpful, gave me my water for being a Hilton Gold member, and ran down all the breakfast details and other essentials.
I was assigned a room on the second floor--first time in years I haven't been on the top floor. The hallway carpet is typical hotel hallway style--not offensive, not remarkable.
Upon entering, there's a small foyer with the bathroom immediately to the left. The bathroom is clean and stocked with a hair dryer and an add-on plug-in night light, which is always a nice touch. However, like many Hampton Inns, you can tell housekeeping tends to push debris into the corners without scrubbing them, leaving visible buildup. A bit of wallpaper is peeling near the tub, but overall the bathroom is in decent shape. There's a single overhead light and fan, and it's adequately bright.
The room itself is well-lit with a foyer light, two bedside lights, a desk lamp, and more. There's a dedicated desk area with a comfortable cloth rolling office chair. Plug options are great: two on the base of the lamp, two plus a USB on the desk, two more plugs and two USBs by the bed, and another desk area on the other side of the TV with two plugs and a USB port.
The TV cabinet houses a small refrigerator and microwave. I was pleased to find my favorite style of coffee maker--the Hamilton Beach single-serve with sanitary disposable filter trays. There's also a handy wire rack cabinet and some small moveable ottoman-style assets with handles that are great for adjusting to your needs. The bedside table has a pull-out tray that's convenient.
The HVAC is central and appears to function well. The towels were soft--an improvement over my last Hampton stay--and the washcloths and hand towels seemed fairly new. Bonus points for having name-brand Angel Soft toilet paper!
I visited the breakfast area early in the morning and found it spotless. The egg product was an upgrade--small frittata-style rounds instead of the usual folded omelets with bell peppers. Big kudos to whoever's doing the food ordering. They also had sausage links, a waffle station, fruit, pastries, and either grits or oatmeal along with plenty of other choices.
Checkout was also pleasant. The young man at the front desk was absolutely an asset to the property--upbeat, composed, and efficient even while juggling multiple guests. He should be mentored; he has the potential to be a top-notch hospitality manager.
A few minor gripes: the nightlight in the bathroom is too bright--I had to cover it. Worse, there's a green flashing light (likely from the smoke detector) that blinked every minute and was so bright I could see it through my eyelids. I had to cover my eyes to get to sleep. The in-room air conditioner is rather loud when the compressor kicks in.
Despite that, the room and hotel were quiet, and I didn't hear other guests during my stay. Overall, it was a solid Hampton Inn experience.