Freetotravel

I’ve stayed at a number of UK Hamptons recently and my experience has been pretty good. Completely consistent and no real expectations which are therefore always met!
In Liverpool recently they offered me an “upgrade” to a room the same size but with a sofa bed in it. Lol.

I tend to go to breakfast the moment it opens because it gets busy.

darthbimmer

I've stayed in a lot of Hampton Inns since I started traveling regularly in the mid 00s. My wife and I got engaged on a trip where we staying at a Hampton and we consequently began the first few nights of our honeymoon at a Hampton. I wouldn't call the whole brand a "hidden gem".... Certainly a few properties are hidden gems, but the reason I like Hampton overall is that it's consistent and comfortable.

In my experience Hampton has gotten better overall since I started traveling a lot 15ish years ago. I encounter fewer stinkers in the portfolio. Those were typically old properties; perhaps they've been pushed out or forced to renovate. And more and more I find properties with upscale, locally sensible touches. That makes them feel more satisfying than cookie-cutter predictability does.

aww3583

Roughly 75% of my 560 nights have been in Hampton Inns, primarily in the rural southeastern US.

While there are a select few Hamptons that really lag behind, across the board, Hampton is my go-to brand for a consistent stay. My favorite property in New Orleans it the Hampton Inn on St. Charles.

I walked into a new-to-me Hampton Inn tonight and there were ice buckets full of beer, plates of cookies and snacks, crock pots with chicken tenders and sweet potato fries, and people watching TV, socializing, and generally having a good time. All this for $150. My room is enormous (1K, sofa bed, executive desk, dining table, kitchenette) and spotless. There are other Hamptons in the area with the festive evening social.

DoubleTrees are wildly inconsistent. Hiltons may or may not have a lounge, HGIs may be new and spectacular or old with the inflatable mattresses. With Hamptons, 99% of the time, you know what you're going to get.

KathyWdrf

It's all small stuff.

And, follow your own advice.

coolcoil

This is just a personal pet peeve, but if I have a choice of HH properties the Hampton Inn is almost always my second choice because no matter how nice the property, the in-room "glassware" are the cheapest, flimsiest, and tiniest plastic cups available on the market, and there are only paper coffee cups.

I bring my own coffee when I travel and like to drink it from a real cup, and if I buy some wine or whiskey to enjoy in the room the super-cheap plastic cup is really annoying. Yes, I can and do bring my own cup and glass when I know I'll be at a Hampton, but for some reason it really grates on me.

DELee

But that's the joy that's the Hampton brand.

David

KathyWdrf

Well, OK, I can see why you like Hamptons if you experience "ice buckets full of beer, plates of cookies and snacks, crock pots with chicken tenders and sweet potato fries," etc., in the evening, but on the other hand, you do have to realize that (AFAIK) most Hamptons don't offer that. Granted you say "There are other Hamptons in the area with the festive evening social." But chainwide, I just haven't seen it. So the claim of consistency, hmmm....

Maybe there are pockets of Hamptons that have the evening social in the U.S.? Or maybe (at least some of the time) I just haven't arrived early enough in the evening to experience it.

mizzou65201

This is what caused me to jump ship from Marriott to Hilton. Most of my business travel is in suburbs, smaller cities, and college towns, so more often than not in one of the limited service brands. Hampton and HGI are just consistently better than Fairfield/Courtyard, and I find I'm treated better with low level status (even if it's just a couple bottles of water) than getting zero elite benefit at the limited service Marriott brands.

smmrfld

Hampton near Sacramento State University, Hampton Paso Robles, several others that I can’t recall right now.

goldmedallionflyer

the Hampton Inn in Kenner, LA used to have a Manager's Social every Wed night from 4-7P where they had Miller and Miller Lite long necks, red & white wine, gumbo and a steamer of white rice on the side, tots, and a mixed green salad in the breakfast area and free for any guest who was staying there that night. happened every week the entire 4-1/2 years I was in town on business

maybe the manager used to care for an Embassy Suites and brought to idea with him.

smmrfld

Hampton Inn near downtown San Jose.

hedoman

A Hampton that purchases Angel Soft tissue might be considered a hidden gem. I can think of four in western USA. One more had Kleenex brand until they were scolded by the Hampton inspector.

Haarlem Globetrotter

Lol. I stayed in a Hampton in New Jersey that had real Philadelphia cream cheese at breakfast (not the private label generic brand). A hidden gem or only due to its proximity to Philly?

OskiBear

I do enjoy the newer Hampton (and Home2) trend of walk-in showers versus tubs.

Azamaraal

Hampton Inn Spokane Washington on Assembly Road. Probably was a resort in a previous life but one of the most comfortable and accommodating Hampton's I have ever stayed in.