I stay at Hamptons more than any other brand by any chain. They are, as another poster noted, the most consistent by far of the Hilton brands. With the exception of a housekeeper not fluffing my pillow daily, in my experience they are back to pre-COVID operations. The breakfast is the same as it has always been, with the exception of the disappearance of bagel toppers, which was a crime against humanity but I believe happened before COVID.

Sure, there is variation in the architecture (many different room concepts) and offerings (e.g. gym equipment) across properties, but the base level of product and service is quite consistent. At the end of the day, these are limited-service, entry-level properties. Yes, they have PTACs which make noise, no they are not all brand new, and I guess the towels are thinner than at luxury brands - though I've never used calipers to check. No, there are not presidential suites in these roadside properties.

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that is a little why i asked this question - and phrased it in a way that I 1) didnt identify the specific property and 2) emphasized the efforts of the staff across the board..... I guess I am just having an off-stay that is more reflective of "me" vs the property as I wanted to get a sense of what other people who stay at a lot of H have come to expect.

Diamond with 800+ nights here, 70% of which are from Hampton Inns…

As a diamond, yes, you need to lower your expectations. However, Hampton is the most consistent brand in the portfolio. Enjoy your water/soda and your snack. Breakfast is reliable, but not extravagant. Upgrades are more frequent than at full service properties. I know upgrades aren’t expected or required at Hamptons, but the front desk seems more generous.

If I’m shopping for lodging and find equal pricing amongst HGIs, H2s, Trus, and Hamptons, I’m going to the Hampton.

Priorities do differ by individual, so to compare your scenario to my preferences, I probably wouldn't even notice if a room had a fridge or not, indeed my usual habit is to unplug them if noisy; whereas I wouldn't be pleased if the Hampton breakfast - for all its limitations - was not on offer. And you can spend a lot more on a room and still not get a fridge and in my case, not get a breakfast either. If my room didn't have a cell signal - scarcely the hotel's fault, I'd probably regard that as a bonus too! I don't think the Diamond issue is relevant here, Given the highly standardised approach what could they do to make you happy? The rooms are the same, the service offering very restricted. Clearly a fridge is a red line, so probably I would go for the third room switch if most rooms have them, particularly if the stay is for more than one night.

That said, I do recognise the issue of tired Hamptons - clean, tidy, well managed but somewhat worn out. The newer Hamptons, with their corner sofas, bedside power and spot lights, are now some distance more attractive compared to Hamptons last refreshed a decade ago.

I've been lucky with Hampton, I feel they are the same as they've ever been. Clean, friendly, and reliable. Rates are up, yes. I suppose some properties are a little tired but at the end of the day I always sleep and I am satisfied with the cleanliness. The value doesn't quite feel as good as it once did but I say that solely based on the fact that the rates are way up. Once on property and ignoring price things are as expected. I do check reviews before I stay but there hasn't been one time where I check recent reviews for a Hampton and decide to not stay at a given Hampton due to a high volume of recent negative reviews. I also can't think of ever receiving a Hampton room without a refrigerator; I thought that was brand standard for some reason. Fairfield Inn though yes I have been to multiple of those without a refrigerator in the room.

Hilton Garden Inn on the other hand is the brand that I have had really bad luck with the past year. I know it may not be the brand at large but I just think the brand has really nosedived for some reason. I felt that brand was more consistent than Hampton before since the buildings were almost all the same, whereas there are a few distinct styles of Hampton building and some variance in property quality due to that.

A fridge seems to be a very basic feature. I would certainly want one, and also a microwave, if I was staying for 14 days (or even just 5) as I often have leftover food to eat the next day… and cold beer, of course. Maybe there is a true long term stay brand nearby that has a kitchen as part of the room?

What you describe in general seems to be the lifecycle of most lower end brands. The owners don’t invest if they don’t have to, and so properties that have been in business for years have shaggy carpets, nasty water-damaged bathroom doors, shower curtains that are breeding grounds for god knows what, and banged-up furniture. I have stayed at some relatively new Hyatt Places that were wonderful, and then there are those old Amerisuite conversions that are dreadful. Same with newer Holiday Inn Express properties.

I stay at a lot of Hamptons, and you're lucky if you DO get a snack. They typically only give me two bottles of water, and sometimes not that. When I point out to them that the My Way benefit includes a snack, they usually just say, "We don't do that here." Sometimes I have successfully argued with them for an item from the pantry, but it's a chore.

To answer your question: yes, I'm afraid you do need to lower your expectations.

I like Hamptons, and as a Diamond I don't expect anything special.

One thing I have noticed (you jogged my memory when you mentioned a musty smell), most Hamptons I've stayed in (and HGI's, too), tend to have a "bug killer" smell which is awful. Glad they're killing the bugs, but get a product that doesn't advertise it.

My experience at hampton has varied this year from one of the nicest limited service hotels I've ever stayed in (with a matching price point) to a nonsmoking room that reeked of smoke with front staff that didn't care (gave $20 off the rate and a can of febreeze), non-working A/C controls, and a cockroach in the room, plus half the breakfast they used to have pre pandemic (for nearly $200.)

It’s apples with oranges to compare Hamptons in different markets. They’re a much higher standard in EMEA than they are in the Americas as otherwise they wouldn’t be competitive.

Hampton Inn vs Hampton by Hilton

HbH is not much more than a decade old in the UK and Europe.

It’s the lack of consistency that will be the death of (all) the brands.

I have had some varying experiences with Hamptons this year. Like many have said, the advantage is their consistency. But I have seen a variation in consistency in my stays this year. Some have been spotless. Some have been really dirty. I stayed in an older property that was very clean, despite the older furnishings. I stayed at a newer property with the latest furnishings, and it was already torn up and it was quite dirty.

My personal opinion (that I stated on a similar thread) was that cleaning standards at many properties have deteriorated. Certainly, the breakfast offerings have deteriorated. In many properties, there no longer is a separate staff working the breakfast. The last property I stayed at the desk clerk was expected to keep the breakfast items restocked. (I have experienced this at Fairfield Inns as well). I have found otherwise clean rooms with filthy AC filters. That 'clean' smell that Hamptons used to have has been missing in the past few stays.

If its the same price point, I will often choose Hilton Gardens. Labor Day weekend in Greenville SC, the Hilton was cheaper than the Hampton Inn, and it was a wonderful room.

Of course, in Europe, it was a whole different story. The Hamptons I have stayed at have been really good. I stayed at a Hampton in Barcelona with a laughably small room, but it was spotless, comfortable, and the breakfast was very nice.

That being said, if I find myself in a dirty Hampton, I won't visit again.

I have generally found US Hampton Inn’s to be consistent, pre-Covid. Usually booked when driving from AZ to CA/NV. A few airport locations on forced overnights. At the $100 price point, they used to be pretty reasonable in my opinion. Post Covid recovery, the $180-$200 a night isn’t attractive at all.

I’ve just checked into a full service Hilton in Indonesia that I haven’t been to for 2 years. Greeted by name by most staff. A nice three tier sweets and sandwich tray was in each of our rooms. Nice welcome note, including a picture scraped from my Facebook account of the family, which was a first.

As their temporary evening lounge isn’t wheelchair accessible, we just went to their poolside restaurant last night. We could get any beverages on the menu, from smoothies, beers, wine or milkshakes. Quite different from any US location in the last two years.

At 20k a night in points, it’s a pretty attractive option. Even at their cash rate of $100-130 a night, it’s a good value.

considering my 80+ Hampton night this year - I think the rooms have been clean (I have walked past room getting cleaned and can see the effort and attention to details) and while they only offer service every other night - that is better than some of the other properties...they will also clean on demand if asked (although for a 4-5 night stay, I rarely have anything major done other than maybe some fresh towels or make my bed once or twice). On the other hand, I dont recall paying less than $150 a night....

There are about 2500 Hampton Inns in the US. Issues with an occasional individual properties do not, in my opinion, lead to a conclusion that Hampton Inns are declining in quality across the brand. As others have said, the Hampton brand is imo the most consistent Hilton brand. As most Hampton Inns are operated by franchisees, if you see a reduction in quality at a couple of properties maybe you should look at who owns those HIs and see if the problems you've found are common for that franchisee; then not stay at properties operated by that franchisee.
Some other threads:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilt...declining.html
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilt...arden-inn.html
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilt...ms-hilton.html

While I love an unexpected treat, I would find it very creepy and intrusive if they sought out and lifted a picture of me and my family from Facebook or anywhere else.