This was such a disappointing stay and Hampton Inn/Hilton should make some immediate changes because it is so off brand.
I specifically chose this Hilton brand hotel (we are Silver/Gold level, so stay within the family) because it could accommodate our family of five in one suite, had appropriate parking for our oversized vehicle, had amenities like breakfast and a pool, and was not going to break the bank too badly. This did not feel like asking for too much.
I requested a rollaway bed with our online reservation and called the day before our arrival to confirm a rollaway would be available (I was placed on hold for 10 minutes each of the three times I called). Upon check in (6:30pm), the front desk told us to just call them if the bed was not in place.
While checking in, we learn that one bank of elevators is out of order and to only use the front elevator. Ok, but we had parked in the back lot, as all the front spaces were taken. Whatever, inconvenient but doable.
Clerk also tells us that the pool is under renovation. That's a bummer, since I specifically looked on the hotel website and there was no mention of the pool being unavailable. When asked, clerk says they have asked corporate to change site, since that is out of their control. He then suggests that we can bowl nearby or play laser tag...you know, for an added fee. He then tells us that cookies are about to be put out in the lobby. Yay, cookies!
On our first attempt to enter the room, none of the three key cards worked. Returned to the desk, waited in line again, clerk swiped the cards again, up we go. Cards do not work. Now, we know how to use these cards. We know which way to insert them. We know not to hold them up to cell phones or place them next to credit cards. We even patiently listened to the clerk tell this to us. We carefully held the key cards in such a way that they only touched Hilton air as we returned to the room. (Oh, it's been 20 minutes now since first arriving at the desk). Keys. Do. Not. Work. Wait in line again and now are told that maintenance will have to be called as there are no other rooms. Clerk swipes cards through his magic machine again, and sends us back upstairs to wait for maintenance. We try the cards while waiting, they work. We enter the room, and guess what is missing?
Yup: no rollaway bed. We call down, request the rollaway bed. It has now been 30 minutes since we checked in.
We visit the car to bring in the last of our things. There is no signage directing us to the working elevator, just arrows to the stairs. We try to figure out which of the hallways might lead to other elevators, but have no luck. We walk up the four flights of stairs instead.
You know what would be refreshing right about now? Yup, a dip in the pool. Oh well.
So, now it's been an hour since checking in and it's hour 17 of our day. We are really tired and ready to crash, and this is precisely why I had called to confirm the rollaway bed. But it's not there, so we visit the front desk again. Also, we need to use the pullout sofa, but there is no bag o'linens in the closet or any drawer. When we walk down to the front desk, we ask for that as well.
I'll speed things up: we ultimately get the rollaway bed and linens after 9pm-- nearly three hours after checkin.
We deal with the finicky AC and the slow drain in the tub. We overlook the soap scum. The pullout coach is smaller than we have experienced in other hotels, but we adapt. The front desk gives us a few more towels and we grab an extra roll of tp from housekeeping since our room had none. We don't complain about these things, but each inconvenience stacks up. First morning of breakfast is pretty sparse; we are very familiar with what Hampton typically provides and this is a fraction of the amount. Many items are empty and not filled during our 20 minutes there. Trash is overflowing. Staff is there, but chatting out on the floor. When we return 12 hours later, the tables are still sticky (with chairs stacked atop) and the trash still overflows. Less food, more stickiness the next day. Everyone around us is complaining: eggs are empty; juice is gone; waffle batter is out; no tea; empty fruit bowl; there's nothing to toast!
38 hours after checking in, we leave. There are people in the lobby complaining about their visit, all with similar experiences. Now, checking reviews on Yelp, I see many of the same problems listed here and extending back for months. This is not a one off bad weekend: get it together, Hampton Inn Colchester.
Oh, and if anyone is wondering: we never saw any cookies either night. read more