I hate leaving reviews like this, but after contacting the general manager and guest assistance…read moreseveral times without receiving a response, I feel this needs to be said.
The hotel itself appears reasonably clean, and the woman at the front desk, whose name I believe is Veneer, was very courteous and kind. Unfortunately, the overall service experience was poor enough that I checked out early and went to another hotel.
The first concern was my room door. The deadbolt would not properly lock unless I physically lifted the door into position. I reported it to the front desk. That is not a minor maintenance issue. It is a security concern, and it is something housekeeping or maintenance should have caught before assigning the room. I could manage it, but another guest could understandably feel very uncomfortable sleeping in a room where the door does not securely lock.
The night before, there was also no television remote in the room. When I asked for one at approximately 10:30 p.m., getting a replacement seemed to become a major problem. I eventually gave up and went to bed. There was no follow-up call the next morning, no apology from management, and no indication that anyone was particularly concerned.
The breakfast experience was what finally did it.
There were only three guests in the entire breakfast area, including the person I was meeting with, yet we could barely hear each other across the table. The breakfast attendant had music playing loudly while she sang, whistled, moved around loudly, slammed items and doors, and generally created an extraordinary amount of noise.
I understand that enthusiastic employees can be a good thing. But there is a serious lack of awareness when a breakfast attendant cannot recognize that guests sitting directly across from one another are trying to have a conversation.
We were preparing for a business meeting and trying to review information together. With only three people in the room, we should have been able to speak quietly across a table. Instead, the noise level made a normal conversation nearly impossible.
After breakfast service ended, I closed the doors simply so we could have some quiet. The doors were reopened, and the noise started disrupting us again. We finally asked for a separate meeting room just so we could finish our conversation.
Ultimately, we decided there was no reason to continue dealing with it. If you cannot sit in a hotel breakfast area with only a few people present and have a basic business conversation, it is easier to go somewhere else. That is exactly what we did. I checked out early, went to another hotel, and conducted my meeting there.
That should say everything.
In my opinion, this is not a business-oriented hotel. If you simply need a place to sleep and leave in the morning, it may be adequate. But if you are traveling for business, need a quiet breakfast, want to review documents, make calls, or prepare for a meeting, I would choose another property.
What is most disappointing is the lack of management follow-up. I sent multiple messages regarding these concerns, including the room security issue and the breakfast experience, and I have still not received a response from the general manager or guest assistance.
Usually, my experiences with Hampton Inn properties are good, which makes this more disappointing. Problems happen. What matters is whether management responds and whether employees have enough awareness to understand the guest experience.
In this case, neither happened.
I hope ownership sees this review and addresses the door security issue, the breakfast environment, and the lack of follow-up. A guest should not have to repeatedly complain, close doors to find some peace, ask for a separate meeting room, and ultimately leave the hotel just to have a normal conversation.
