My $0.02:

1. Hampton - Great to incredible value. It's one of the best entry level hotels in comparison to other options (Holiday Inn express, Fairfield Inn (Marriott), etc.).

I find it to be a good value, and it varies in quality usually by newness, but all are tolerable. The worst I've stayed at in recent memory is the one near OKC airport and it was still tolerable. Meanwhile there are many great ones. Internet is always reliable and the free breakfast buffet is usually consistently good, but never great.

2. HGI - Great value. It's a cut above Hampton, and more comparable to a Courtyard by Marriott, although my experience with HGIs have been better. In some areas they can be quite posh (Midtown NYC location is new and a relative bargain considering the location/size/quality of rooms, etc.). I find the major difference between Hampton and HGI is that HGIs always have a full service breakfast and almost always have a full bar and some form of dining. Furniture, lobbies, exteriors tend to look a little higher-end than Hampton although there are certainly Hamptons that are better than HGIs, but all things equal (location, age, etc.), HGIs are always nicer.

3. ES - Incredible value if with a family. I really like ES'. They have a best-in-class breakfast buffet and the free booze every night is worthwhile. It's also the most consistent of the brands as almost all hotels follow a very similar layout. Age plays a role in furniture/TV selection, but generally they're all similar. Although some may disagree, I usually find HGIs room appointments to be nicer than ES', but I also think there are more older ES' properties and that contributes heavily. What really makes ES nice, is the size of the rooms. With 2 doubles and the sleeper, you can sleep 6 people in relative comfort or certainly a family of 6. My co-worker has a family of 5 and he swears by ES' cause he's guaranteed room for his whole family and the free breakfast goes a long way for him (figure a breakfast for a family of 5 anywhere but McDonalds will run $40-50). If you can land an ES' rate for less than $150 a night, that cuts it down a lot. It's worth noting that at HGI, as a status member you're usually only entitled to 1 guest whereas ES doesn't really enforce their buffet (HGI uses vouchers, ES' is honor policy/show your key).

4. Doubletree - As mentioned before, it's extremely variable, but it's a full service hotel. Although I usually find Hilton properties a little nicer, Doubletrees can be very nice. To me it's an "average" full service hotel and usually costs more than HGI, etc. making it a more questionable value. Less freebe's as well. If you can get a good rate, it's nice, but I would prefer an HGI more often than not when you factor in the premium

5. Homewood - no experience.

Anyways, I find HGI, Hampton, and ES to be incredible values. I started as a Marriott Elite and grew frustrated with Fairfields and Residents and slowly migrated to Hilton, and I haven't looked back.

Majority of my business travel is in HGIs, Hamptons and Embassy's and I rarely have any complaints.

I can't answer your question directly as with a newborn I think any property is safe, I'd do regional research to find the best value. If you have more children, and the older they get, ES is a stand-out choice.

On a final note, my company due to the economy has been more cautious on expense spending. We have Carte Blanche in big cities like Vegas, NYC, DC, San Fran, LA, but when going to smaller cities, they request us to stay at value brands. Hampton and HGI never bat an eye. When discussing with a co-worker, we came to an agreement that, "If a Hampton is the worst place I ever have to stay on a business trip, than life is great." In reality that's truth, as a previous employer had me at Comfort Inns and Best Westerns, ugg!