Hilton HHonors - Homewood Suites vs. Hampton Inns

I've never stayed at either. Which is the nicer one? I noticed they are both Category 2 hotels and the HS seems to be a little more expensive than the HI. Does this mean the HS is more luxurious? Thanks for any insight.

I've never stayed at either. Which is the nicer one? I noticed they are both Category 2 hotels and the HS seems to be a little more expensive than the HI. Does this mean the HS is more luxurious? Thanks for any insight.

At Homewoods, you get a full kitchen. Most rooms are suites, some 2BR, some Jr suites (missing the wall between the living room and bedroom). Newer concept equals newer properties. I don't imagine many are only cat 2. The concept is geared toward the guest who is staying a week or more.
Hamptons are more diverse. Some have outside room entrances. Some have suites. They are the closest thing Hilton has to a budget property. They have gone through a chain upgrade recently with improved bedding, hot breakfast, lap desk, breakfast bag to go, etc. Cat 2 is probably typical but some are opportunity level and some can go as high as cat 4 or 5. I think it depends on location more than anything.


The breakfast at both is the same.

HSs are aimed at the long-stay business customer so they come with some designs and amenities you'd find in an apartment, e.g., kitchenette, living room, VCRs, 2 TVs, fridge, microwave, stotop, dishwasher. Maybe even a pool and outdoor BBQs. Get a manager's reception M-Th evenings at many locations + usually so-so breakfasts. HIs are basically motel+ - good for an overnight stay though many now provide complimentary high-speed internet. Get breakfast here too - also so-so.

I've always gotten a good breakfast at Homewood, at Hampton it seems hit or miss.

In a nutshell - 9/10 times Homewood will beat Hampton -- in amenities and price. So you need to decide if the extras are worth the extra $$.

Homewood is probably my favorite type of property right now. A newer Homewood can be very nice. Hamptons are good also, but can be hit and miss. Given the choice I'll usually choose a Homewood over anything else. Think of it as an Embassy Suites Jr.

Homewood sorta reminds me of a Residence Inn.

I will stay at Homewood suites over a Hampton.

Not sure if HS has free internet access, so you might want to consider the extra $10 into the price, as Hamptons do have it.

Homewood sorta reminds me of a Residence Inn.

I will stay at Homewood suites over a Hampton.

Not sure if HS has free internet access, so you might want to consider the extra $10 into the price, as Hamptons do have it.
HS does offer free internet:

http://homewoodsuites.hilton.com/en/hw/promotions/highspeedinternet/index.jhtml

Haven't stayed in one of those in a while, thanks for the info. :)

It just drives me nuts that the higher end brands charge for internet access.

But I digress, the HS are a nicer property, but Hampton's ain't that bad either.

Homewood sorta reminds me of a Residence Inn.

I will stay at Homewood suites over a Hampton.

Agreed--I usually make the same choice as Hamptons remind me of Fairfield Inns.


Not sure if HS has free internet access, so you might want to consider the extra $10 into the price, as Hamptons do have it.

The HS's I've stayed at recently have had free internet access, most via wireless connection.

Haven't stayed in one of those in a while, thanks for the info. :)

It just drives me nuts that the higher end brands charge for internet access.

But I digress, the HS are a nicer property, but Hampton's ain't that bad either.
No problem. But, I'd agree. Homewood Suites are much nicer than HIs. Still, my preference is with HGIs.

In my experiences, Hampton Inns vary somewhat in quality (just as many chains do) but are all very good. Seems like recently the rooms have gotten more "business" traveler goodies, such as laptop "tables". Their breakfast is usually decent, but again, depends on location as most are franchised. Still, they're pretty good compared to your average Days Inn.

HS used to be my favorite of the extended-stay chains, easily beating out Residence Inn and Extended Stay America/Studio Plus. If you're willing to leave the Hilton brand, though, look at Staybridge Suites by Holiday Inn. Like HS, they offer free high-speed internet access and a decent breakfast. Laundry is free(!), and the decor has beaten the HS's I've stayed in. Some (all?) also have storage closets for returning guests -- you can leave your stuff in a locked closet over the weekend.

And, as others have said, HS tends to be more reliable than HI. If there's no price difference (or no award category difference), I'd go for the HS.

I've known some Homewood Suites to put out a full hot breakfast, i.e. eggs, sausage, biscuits, gravy. I guess you can tell that's in the South! Homewood usually, if not universally now, has free high-speed internet access. The manager's reception M-Th can be anything from finger food to delivery pizza and a beer keg. Even the smallest suite at Homewood is a 2-room with a real door separating the rooms, a TV in each room and usually a VCR w/ each TV. They have many movies on hand that you can check out from the front desk at no charge during your stay. If a full refrigerator w/ icemaker, microwave, stovetop, and dishwasher matter to you, then, Homewood is the better choice. I usually look for some place w/ a refrig to keep milk (to take my meds) and to keep some wine on hand. Still, Homewood is very similar to Hampton in that they are both limited service properties. Don't look for anyone to take your luggage or to bring anything to your room. If you need more towels, coffee, soap, or anything, you have to go to the front desk and get it yourself. I guess you could view the price difference as; will I drink $30 worth of beer at the manager's reception every day at Homewood?

Thanks for all the info. You've all been a great help!

I would highly recommend Homewood Suites - they're a great change of pace from Hampton. It's a true suite. I really like the spaciousness of the bedroom area. The one HS I've stayed at has really small bathrooms though. The sink/vanity is outside the actual bathroom which is nice. Large counter area, lots of room.

These are really nice for extended stays, but I use them for weekend get-aways! I can take my laptop if I need to catch up on work, get home-style dinner at a nearby supermarket (which has all sorts of "good stuff" in their take out deli), and feel at home away from home.

The complimentary breakfast is okay, much welcome too. They even have a business center with internet access - complimentary.

I like the Hamptons in the Portland Metro area, but really LIKE the Homewood Suites. The Portland/Beaverton HS is fairly new, and has a very lodge-like feel in the common area. :cool:

I liked the HS as well. Stayed at the one north of SFO last summer. Very nice, clean and quiet. Free wireless internet at that one.

Didn't have the separator between the living room and bedroom though, and only had a shower instead of a tub. That might vary by location and could be a problem with small kids.

I'd take a Homewood over a Hampton any day. Get more air miles from HS. :)

I liked the HS as well. Stayed at the one north of SFO last summer. Very nice, clean and quiet. Free wireless internet at that one.

Didn't have the separator between the living room and bedroom though, and only had a shower instead of a tub. That might vary by location and could be a problem with small kids.

I'd take a Homewood over a Hampton any day. Get more air miles from HS. :)

You're probably right, HS vary by location and age. The one in Portland/Beaverton is real new, and the living room and bedroom/bath have a solid wall. The bath has a full tub and shower, as I said in my post the room is small. The rest of the suite makes up for that and is very comfortable.

Yes, you do get more HHonors points at HS! Their amenities for GOLD is not much, but the extra points are well liked!

Homewood Suites vs Hampton Inns?
Definitely choose Homewood Suites as lounge is separate to the bedroom. Sometimes the Hampton Inns are more like motel rooms!

I liked the HS as well. Stayed at the one north of SFO last summer. Very nice, clean and quiet. Free wireless internet at that one.

Didn't have the separator between the living room and bedroom though, and only had a shower instead of a tub. That might vary by location and could be a problem with small kids.

I'd take a Homewood over a Hampton any day. Get more air miles from HS. :)

I've stayed at that particular property 4-5 times. The rates there were significantly lower than other hotels in the SFO area ($89-109 versus $139+).

The one drawback is that if you miss the exit off US 101, it's hard to recover! I consider myself an expert geographically speaking, but even I have had troubles navigate the roads north of SFO. (There's been a lot of roadway/overpass construction there, IFIRC.)

I liked the HS as well. Stayed at the one north of SFO last summer. Very nice, clean and quiet. Free wireless internet at that one.

Didn't have the separator between the living room and bedroom though, and only had a shower instead of a tub. That might vary by location and could be a problem with small kids.

I'd take a Homewood over a Hampton any day. Get more air miles from HS. :)

There is also a HI north of SFO, very nice property, it was listed as a top 10% quality of all the HIs, nice breakfest, even have a manager's reception, business center with free computer with internet and printers. The best of all, this is the first HI that I have ever stayed have snacks more than a packet of milano cookies as a gold. The snack basket include water bottle, fruit punch, doritos chips and oreo cookies.

I've stayed at that particular property 4-5 times. The rates there were significantly lower than other hotels in the SFO area ($89-109 versus $139+).

The one drawback is that if you miss the exit off US 101, it's hard to recover! I consider myself an expert geographically speaking, but even I have had troubles navigate the roads north of SFO. (There's been a lot of roadway/overpass construction there, IFIRC.)

Yeah, that was a particular tricky exit. Didn't make much sense. I've made that very mistake. Only on the first day though. :)

The breakfast there didn't have the best selection, but was there was very good. Belgian waffles every morning! :)