Hampton by Hilton Glasgow Central {GBR}
Jun 21, 2016, 4:23 pm
#31
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Cheshire
Programs: HH Diamond, IHG Diamond Am Elite, Best Western Gold, Marriott Bonvoy Gold, Radisson Rewards Gold
Posts: 1,713
Jun 22, 2016, 7:31 am
#32
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Scotland, UK
Programs: HH - Diamond BA - Blue
Posts: 426
Hampton by Hilton Glasgow Central Review
Here my report from my stay last weekend.
Rate & Room Booked: Queen Room Non Smoking - HHonors Reward 12,000 Points +£34
Stayed As: HHonors Gold | Stayed In: June 2016
(You can see more images on my blog by clicking here: http://offonone.co.uk/2016/06/hampto...-hotel-review/ )
The Hotel
Hampton by Hilton Glasgow Central is a newly opened hotel located just off Bath Street in the center of Glasgow. It is a former office block which has been fully converted and refurbished into a 88 bedroom hotel. It opened for business in May 2016 making it the first Hampton to open in Scotland after being in the works for years.
It's a very similar idea to the Hampton by Hilton Newcastle which is also a former office block. With it being a newly opened property, the interior of the hotel feels very new, modern and clean. It is a nicely done Hampton, with a large combined reception bar/restaurant and breakfast area on the ground floor, with 5 floors of bedrooms above.
(You can see more images on my blog by clicking here: http://offonone.co.uk/2016/06/hampto...-hotel-review/ )
Location
The hotel is located on West Campbell Street, it sits just on the corner of Bath Street.
It's a 15 minute walk from Glasgow Central station, and around 10 minutes from Queen Street station.
The location allows easy access to Glasgow's main shopping areas. There is also a lot of restaurants, bars and nightlife in the immediate area around the hotel and many more only a short walk away.
(You can see more images on my blog by clicking here: http://offonone.co.uk/2016/06/hampto...-hotel-review/ )
Checkin
Reception is on the ground floor of the hotel. It's a nice open and large area which doubles as the breakfast and bar area. There was a couple of checkin agents on the reception desk waiting to help guests.
I had already checked in and chosen my room online using the HHonors iPhone app. The hotel doesn't seem to have a map of the floors setup on online checkin yet so you just get a list of floors/rooms to choose from without maps. Reception had an envelope ready for me with my room keys, welcome letter and a HHonors welcome leaflet.
The staff member checking us in was welcoming and efficient. We were in the room a minute of two later, so a very quick checkin thanks to it being quiet and reception having the keys already made up as I had checked in online.
(You can see more images on my blog by clicking here: http://offonone.co.uk/2016/06/hampto...-hotel-review/ )
Room
Our room (511) was on the top floor of the hotel and looked out onto West Campbell Street with the fairly grim looking car park as your main view. The room was a decent size room with a large window which had very good blackout curtains.
There was the usual amenities in the room, including a safe, reasonably sized TV, tea/coffee making facilities. There was also a good sized desk and a reasonable number of sockets around the room.
Soundproofing isn't fantastic and as a result disturbed us slightly despite being on the 5th floor. Unsure why more wasn't done about this during the refurbishment. We were staying on a Friday night and could hear the nightclubs down the street very clearly in our room, it was like they were directly under us but they were down the street. The nightclub noise went on until the early hours, as you would expect in the centre of Glasgow on a Friday night. We were then woken up by a passing marching band before 9am, it was as if the drummer was in my room. The roads in the immediate aren't the busiest in Glasgow, but when there are larger truck/buses sat at the lights outside you can very clearly hear them in your room. It would probably be fine mid week, but I wouldn't stay here at the weekend if you are in anyway a light sleeper!
(You can see more images on my blog by clicking here: http://offonone.co.uk/2016/06/hampto...-hotel-review/ )
Bathroom
The bathroom was a decent size with a sliding door which doubles up as the wardrobe door. Everything was nice and clean.
The shower was nice and hot, had ok pressure with one of these eco shower heads on which seemed to restrict the pressure to an extent.
The toiletries on offer are the normal Hampton Spa Therapy ones in boxes mounted to the walls, which are basic but nice enough.
(You can see more images on my blog by clicking here: http://offonone.co.uk/2016/06/hampto...-hotel-review/ )
Breakfast
Breakfast is served to the left of reception Monday-Friday 6am - 10am and 6am-11am Saturday & Sunday.
The hotel was reasonably quiet when we were there, so breakfast was quiet too. The breakfast area was pretty tight, even with just 3 or 4 people in it, I wouldn't like to see it on a busier morning. It was a fair bit smaller than other Hampton breakfast areas I've seen.
The selection was good for a Hampton breakfast, with the Scottish addition of haggis to the hot food! The quality was ok, the eggs were the usual packet stuff and the sausages whilst tasty, had a questionable amount of meat in them. The waffles were tasty, loved all of the syrups and sauces they had to choose from for them.
Bars & Restaurants
We didn't eat or drink in the hotel. They serve lunch and dinner in the bar area, as well as a 24hr snack menu with Pizza and a few other basic dishes. The hotel has a 24hr bar for guests which is open till midnight for non-residents.
(You can see more images on my blog by clicking here: http://offonone.co.uk/2016/06/hampto...-hotel-review/ )
Parking
The hotel does not have onsite parking.
There is a fairly ugly car park directly across the road run by Q-Park which the hotel offers a small discount on for guests. I think it is around the £18 mark for 24 hours with their discount. It's pretty pricy, but handy for the hotel if nothing else.
HHonors Benefits
HHonors benefits offered were the standard fairly minimal Hampton options for HHonors Gold and Diamond card holders, you have a choice of either 250 bonus points or a free soft drink and snack per stay. I opted for the drink and snack. I wasn't given a voucher as such, I had to ask about getting them on checkout which wasn't a problem.
With Hamptons it is always worth remembering that you earn HHonors points on your room rate only and not on any incidentals, so any bar or restaurant charges you apply to your bill will not be eligible for HHonors points.
Conclusion
The hotel is a nicely done, brand new Hampton with friendly and helpful staff. The location is in the middle of town and offers easy access to the city.
The soundproofing is unfortunate and makes it less appealing at the weekends in particular. The rates seem to average from round £80-£100 per night or 30,000 points/12,000 + £34 on HHonors rewards.
At the current room rates, I'm not sure I would choose The Hampton over Hilton Glasgow for example as there is often only a small premium over the Hampton's cash rates which will get you a full service Hilton with a nicer breakfast, decent soundproofing, room upgrade opportunities and Executive Lounge. For me the Hampton location isn't much more convenient than the Hilton for the places we generally visit in the city. There is also the Hilton Garden Inn which is often cheaper than the Hampton and again offers a better breakfast, and a nice view of the Clyde. The location of the Garden Inn isn't as handy, but a quick train or Uber sorts that. Then there is the Doubletree opening soon nearby to the Hampton which will be the same HHonors category as the Garden Inn and will have an Executive Lounge.
The Hampton is a nicely done hotel with good rooms and lovely staff, but I just don't see it as a compelling option at the current room rates when there are the full service Hilton properties in Glasgow at very similar room rates to choose from.
You can get more info and full size images on my blog by clicking on the this link: http://offonone.co.uk/2016/06/hampto...-hotel-review/
Rate & Room Booked: Queen Room Non Smoking - HHonors Reward 12,000 Points +£34
Stayed As: HHonors Gold | Stayed In: June 2016
(You can see more images on my blog by clicking here: http://offonone.co.uk/2016/06/hampto...-hotel-review/ )
The Hotel
Hampton by Hilton Glasgow Central is a newly opened hotel located just off Bath Street in the center of Glasgow. It is a former office block which has been fully converted and refurbished into a 88 bedroom hotel. It opened for business in May 2016 making it the first Hampton to open in Scotland after being in the works for years.
It's a very similar idea to the Hampton by Hilton Newcastle which is also a former office block. With it being a newly opened property, the interior of the hotel feels very new, modern and clean. It is a nicely done Hampton, with a large combined reception bar/restaurant and breakfast area on the ground floor, with 5 floors of bedrooms above.
(You can see more images on my blog by clicking here: http://offonone.co.uk/2016/06/hampto...-hotel-review/ )
Location
The hotel is located on West Campbell Street, it sits just on the corner of Bath Street.
It's a 15 minute walk from Glasgow Central station, and around 10 minutes from Queen Street station.
The location allows easy access to Glasgow's main shopping areas. There is also a lot of restaurants, bars and nightlife in the immediate area around the hotel and many more only a short walk away.
(You can see more images on my blog by clicking here: http://offonone.co.uk/2016/06/hampto...-hotel-review/ )
Checkin
Reception is on the ground floor of the hotel. It's a nice open and large area which doubles as the breakfast and bar area. There was a couple of checkin agents on the reception desk waiting to help guests.
I had already checked in and chosen my room online using the HHonors iPhone app. The hotel doesn't seem to have a map of the floors setup on online checkin yet so you just get a list of floors/rooms to choose from without maps. Reception had an envelope ready for me with my room keys, welcome letter and a HHonors welcome leaflet.
The staff member checking us in was welcoming and efficient. We were in the room a minute of two later, so a very quick checkin thanks to it being quiet and reception having the keys already made up as I had checked in online.
(You can see more images on my blog by clicking here: http://offonone.co.uk/2016/06/hampto...-hotel-review/ )
Room
Our room (511) was on the top floor of the hotel and looked out onto West Campbell Street with the fairly grim looking car park as your main view. The room was a decent size room with a large window which had very good blackout curtains.
There was the usual amenities in the room, including a safe, reasonably sized TV, tea/coffee making facilities. There was also a good sized desk and a reasonable number of sockets around the room.
Soundproofing isn't fantastic and as a result disturbed us slightly despite being on the 5th floor. Unsure why more wasn't done about this during the refurbishment. We were staying on a Friday night and could hear the nightclubs down the street very clearly in our room, it was like they were directly under us but they were down the street. The nightclub noise went on until the early hours, as you would expect in the centre of Glasgow on a Friday night. We were then woken up by a passing marching band before 9am, it was as if the drummer was in my room. The roads in the immediate aren't the busiest in Glasgow, but when there are larger truck/buses sat at the lights outside you can very clearly hear them in your room. It would probably be fine mid week, but I wouldn't stay here at the weekend if you are in anyway a light sleeper!
(You can see more images on my blog by clicking here: http://offonone.co.uk/2016/06/hampto...-hotel-review/ )
Bathroom
The bathroom was a decent size with a sliding door which doubles up as the wardrobe door. Everything was nice and clean.
The shower was nice and hot, had ok pressure with one of these eco shower heads on which seemed to restrict the pressure to an extent.
The toiletries on offer are the normal Hampton Spa Therapy ones in boxes mounted to the walls, which are basic but nice enough.
(You can see more images on my blog by clicking here: http://offonone.co.uk/2016/06/hampto...-hotel-review/ )
Breakfast
Breakfast is served to the left of reception Monday-Friday 6am - 10am and 6am-11am Saturday & Sunday.
The hotel was reasonably quiet when we were there, so breakfast was quiet too. The breakfast area was pretty tight, even with just 3 or 4 people in it, I wouldn't like to see it on a busier morning. It was a fair bit smaller than other Hampton breakfast areas I've seen.
The selection was good for a Hampton breakfast, with the Scottish addition of haggis to the hot food! The quality was ok, the eggs were the usual packet stuff and the sausages whilst tasty, had a questionable amount of meat in them. The waffles were tasty, loved all of the syrups and sauces they had to choose from for them.
Bars & Restaurants
We didn't eat or drink in the hotel. They serve lunch and dinner in the bar area, as well as a 24hr snack menu with Pizza and a few other basic dishes. The hotel has a 24hr bar for guests which is open till midnight for non-residents.
(You can see more images on my blog by clicking here: http://offonone.co.uk/2016/06/hampto...-hotel-review/ )
Parking
The hotel does not have onsite parking.
There is a fairly ugly car park directly across the road run by Q-Park which the hotel offers a small discount on for guests. I think it is around the £18 mark for 24 hours with their discount. It's pretty pricy, but handy for the hotel if nothing else.
HHonors Benefits
HHonors benefits offered were the standard fairly minimal Hampton options for HHonors Gold and Diamond card holders, you have a choice of either 250 bonus points or a free soft drink and snack per stay. I opted for the drink and snack. I wasn't given a voucher as such, I had to ask about getting them on checkout which wasn't a problem.
With Hamptons it is always worth remembering that you earn HHonors points on your room rate only and not on any incidentals, so any bar or restaurant charges you apply to your bill will not be eligible for HHonors points.
Conclusion
The hotel is a nicely done, brand new Hampton with friendly and helpful staff. The location is in the middle of town and offers easy access to the city.
The soundproofing is unfortunate and makes it less appealing at the weekends in particular. The rates seem to average from round £80-£100 per night or 30,000 points/12,000 + £34 on HHonors rewards.
At the current room rates, I'm not sure I would choose The Hampton over Hilton Glasgow for example as there is often only a small premium over the Hampton's cash rates which will get you a full service Hilton with a nicer breakfast, decent soundproofing, room upgrade opportunities and Executive Lounge. For me the Hampton location isn't much more convenient than the Hilton for the places we generally visit in the city. There is also the Hilton Garden Inn which is often cheaper than the Hampton and again offers a better breakfast, and a nice view of the Clyde. The location of the Garden Inn isn't as handy, but a quick train or Uber sorts that. Then there is the Doubletree opening soon nearby to the Hampton which will be the same HHonors category as the Garden Inn and will have an Executive Lounge.
The Hampton is a nicely done hotel with good rooms and lovely staff, but I just don't see it as a compelling option at the current room rates when there are the full service Hilton properties in Glasgow at very similar room rates to choose from.
You can get more info and full size images on my blog by clicking on the this link: http://offonone.co.uk/2016/06/hampto...-hotel-review/
Jun 8, 2022, 4:05 am
#33
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: NW London and NW Sydney
Programs: BA Diamond, Hilton Bronze, A3 Diamond, IHG *G
Posts: 6,344
No FT reports since 2016
Booked semi flex rate back in February for just under £100. The Hilton and DT were all way higher.
Kept checking rates and this property had gone up to £130 advance purchase by May, with the Hilton being nearly £200
Closer to date of stay prices dropped back a bit but never got below my booked rate.
Ended up paying £72 after Amex offer.
At OLCI I chose a room on the west side which looked a lot bigger than the others. Only half of the wide street-facing wall was a window. The other half was blank and had not been plastered / painted very well (I assume since construction).
Digital key was completely useless for its actual function, because there's a keyed door between reception and the lifts, which the digital key doesn't detect. However due to Scotrail timetable reductions it wasn't certain that I would get to Glasgow at all, so getting a digital key let me ensure I was checked in.
It was a weekday night but I didn't hear any external noise at all.
There's a notice in the lift saying you can pay £14 directly to reception to park at the opposite car park.
Not sure of breakfast times - normally prefer 6am but as I didn't get to sleep until 1am couldn't get up on time. Dining area seems very small with only about space for 30 people, but didn't fill up.
Food slightly better than other UK Hamptons. Sausages burnt. Vegan sausage available. Haggis still present and the disc-shaped hash browns are replaced by larger triangle-sized ones, but a more flimsy/soggy style than what you get at UK Hiltons/DTs. No waffle maker, but there was more (relatively) fresh fruit/veg. Croissants were crispy but also somehow slightly burnt, not the prepackaged flimsy type of other Hamptons. Staff replaced them with bare hands after touching dirty plates.
Booked semi flex rate back in February for just under £100. The Hilton and DT were all way higher.
Kept checking rates and this property had gone up to £130 advance purchase by May, with the Hilton being nearly £200
Closer to date of stay prices dropped back a bit but never got below my booked rate.
Ended up paying £72 after Amex offer.
At OLCI I chose a room on the west side which looked a lot bigger than the others. Only half of the wide street-facing wall was a window. The other half was blank and had not been plastered / painted very well (I assume since construction).
Digital key was completely useless for its actual function, because there's a keyed door between reception and the lifts, which the digital key doesn't detect. However due to Scotrail timetable reductions it wasn't certain that I would get to Glasgow at all, so getting a digital key let me ensure I was checked in.
It was a weekday night but I didn't hear any external noise at all.
There's a notice in the lift saying you can pay £14 directly to reception to park at the opposite car park.
Not sure of breakfast times - normally prefer 6am but as I didn't get to sleep until 1am couldn't get up on time. Dining area seems very small with only about space for 30 people, but didn't fill up.
Food slightly better than other UK Hamptons. Sausages burnt. Vegan sausage available. Haggis still present and the disc-shaped hash browns are replaced by larger triangle-sized ones, but a more flimsy/soggy style than what you get at UK Hiltons/DTs. No waffle maker, but there was more (relatively) fresh fruit/veg. Croissants were crispy but also somehow slightly burnt, not the prepackaged flimsy type of other Hamptons. Staff replaced them with bare hands after touching dirty plates.
Dec 28, 2023, 6:22 am
#35
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: UK, Scotland
Programs: HH Lifetime Diamond; UA/*A
Posts: 277
No FT reports since 2016
Food slightly better than other UK Hamptons. Sausages burnt. Vegan sausage available. Haggis still present and the disc-shaped hash browns are replaced by larger triangle-sized ones, but a more flimsy/soggy style than what you get at UK Hiltons/DTs. No waffle maker, but there was more (relatively) fresh fruit/veg. Croissants were crispy but also somehow slightly burnt, not the prepackaged flimsy type of other Hamptons. Staff replaced them with bare hands after touching dirty plates.
Food slightly better than other UK Hamptons. Sausages burnt. Vegan sausage available. Haggis still present and the disc-shaped hash browns are replaced by larger triangle-sized ones, but a more flimsy/soggy style than what you get at UK Hiltons/DTs. No waffle maker, but there was more (relatively) fresh fruit/veg. Croissants were crispy but also somehow slightly burnt, not the prepackaged flimsy type of other Hamptons. Staff replaced them with bare hands after touching dirty plates.
I stayed here recently. Want to get round all the various properties in Glasgow. My comments on breakfast would be exactly as the review by D! above. The fruit is better than Hampton would normally have, and notably NOT from a can. Vegan sausages still available and in general a better presented selection than would be usual. The breakfast space itself is very small. I'm guessing they overflow to the other side of the reception desk in the bar area. I was, however, there at the start (which is indeed at 6am) and I was the only person there until 6:40. One of my pet hates is small breakfast rooms with TVs turned to BBC news (or equivalent) but I did find a table away from the TV.
I chose a room (at OLCI) which was at a corner of the building on the 4th floor. It wasnt sold as a separate corner room and I don't think it was particularly bigger but may have been quieter than other rooms. Older design Hampton, no surprises, good WiFi, good selection of TV channels. I was offered drink/snack at checkin - good selection, but didnt eat in the restaurant in the evening.
The location is (as above) excellent. Say a 15 minute walk from Queen St station, loads of places to eat within 5 minutes of the front door.
Overall I would likely not stay again over the DT or Hilton unless the price was significantly lower. These other hotels are both full service properties with health clubs and both have an EL, and both are within very easy walking distance of the Hampton. The DT in fact is near enough opposite. However, nothing bad about my stay and I liked the property.