Skip down for more information on the hotel itself...but first let me tell you how they exceeded my expectations.

I originally planned to stay at this Hampton Inn for 2 nights using HHonors points. The purpose of the trip was to to see a good friend of the family who was having major health problems and to bring my mom down for an extended stay. Two days before leaving, we received this news that this friend had passed away, so I added a 2nd regular reservation to extend the trip 2 more nights to stay for the funeral services.

When I checked in, I let the front desk attendant know about the 2nd reservation and was told that everything was taken care of and I would not need to stop back down to the front desk. Unfortunately, due to a computer glitch or something not being entered properly, my 2nd reservation was not properly attached. No major problems came of this during the stay other than a call from the manager asking if I was remaining in the hotel. I gave her my 2nd confirmation number and everything was fine for the rest of my stay.

After returning home, I noticed that my 2 paid nights had been split into one "no-show" night and a 1 night stay. This caused my HHonors account to not generate some bonuses I was expecting so I contacted Hilton to have the missing night stay and bonuses added to my account. They passed the message to the hotel to attempt a local resolution and, much to my surprise, they engaged the Hampton 100% Satisfaction Guarantee and refunded both paid nights. Much more than I was expecting! I just wanted a few bonus points on my account.

This stellar resolution to my request had reminded me why I value the Hilton chain and see the value in spending a little more for a room as it ends up making the difference between an average stay and a very comfortable relaxed stay.

Now, about the hotel itself. :)
The hotel is well kept. There were some scuff marks on the call in the corner of my room, which I'm not used to seeing in a Hampton, but in general the place was in great shape. The bathroom was very large as was the room itself. The beds were excellent, of course, and the room was very clean with excellent housekeeping service. I enjoyed every moment in the room.

The breakfast was excellent all 4 mornings with a rotating menu of hot foods (eggs, sausage, omelettes, biscuits and gravy, etc.) along with a good selection of the "standards" (make your own waffles, cereal, bagles, pastries, mixed fruit, milk, juices, coffee, etc.). Juice and coffee were available 24/7. There were different sports teams in the hotel each night which sometimes made the breakfast area a bit busy if you hit the rush, but it was kept well stocked and there was plenty of seating most of the time.

The pool/spa area was kept clean and towels were laid out on the chairs for convenience.

The high speed wireless internet was reliable but a bit laggy. It does the job but would not be solid enough for any serious file transfers/applications.

I had heard concerns about road noise. My room was on the "front" side of the hotel and I could see the highway from my window. The road noise was there if I paid attention, but did not affect my sleep. It may be a concern for light sleepers who would want to request a room on the "back" side of the hotel (which faces a Residence Inn). I grew up just on the other side of the nearby airport, so noise was something I just got used to.

I did notice times where the front desk was unattended and guests had to wait for someone to return. This is one item that should be corrected. I know the evening/night staff often have other duties assigned, but a way to keep the front desk staffed is important.

Hampton covers some of the little things that make a stay just a little nicer. They had boxes of breath mints near the front door, fresh cookies were set out each evenings, the breakfast/lobby area was used by the sports teams for fun and games, which kept the hallways and room areas nice and quiet.

I really enjoyed my stay and will keep this hotel on my go-to list for the Kalamazoo area. The billing mix up was unfortunate, but not a major issue during the stay...and, more importantly, was resolved far beyond my expectations.