I decided to stay at this hotel rather than downtown at the convention area for economic reasons, i.e. no pay to park, free WiFi, breakfast and room was less expensive.
The area is industrial, but there are food chains nearby - Red Lobster, Bob Evans, Cheddar's, Panera and even Hooters. McD's was within walking distance. The convention center was about 12 minutes. There is a lot of building in the area, so it may improve. The strip mall behind the hotel was mostly going out of business.
The hotel staff was friendly and nice. The brand lived up to it's reputation. The bedding was clean and fresh, the room was clean, the indoor pool looked great (complete with hot tub), good workout room with decent equipment and free weights. It was quiet, too. The room seemed well insulated, even when the "kids" moved in for Friday night, there was no noise from overhead or the side.
The breakfast was more well rounded than the average Hampton. Fresh blueberries every morning were a hit with me.
The room included a microwave and that was nice.
Like many hotels in this economy, the decor in the room was starting to be worn. The sofa and carpet were worn looking. The room had clearly been through one re-model, but it's time for another soon. It is an older hotel and they are building many new ones in the area. The TV was still a tube TV...no digital here yet.
One odd thing...I had a charge for $1.50 for a phone call from my room that I didn't make. I reported that to the desk and they checked...I was at the convention center when it was made and they cheerfully removed it. I said that it bothered me that someone was making calls from my room. I was told, rather casually, that it was probably housekeeping. I kind of resented that she or he stood right by the phone, took the generous tip I had left and thought nothing of adding another $1.50 to my room charge by making a personal call. So, check your bill at check out...it seemed like this might be a common practice. It's probably hard to find good help so such things are overlooked... and easily overlooked by you when your bill is under the door and you grab it and go.
If I go back, I will try the Hampton on the southwest side of town. It looked like the better corner of Springfield. At the same time, for the money, this was a good hotel and I would stay there again.
Room Tip: Try 116. It is next to the pool, across from the workout room and was really quiet!
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
13 September 2011
CarmelKinesic
Thank you so much for your detailed review of your experience at our property, we value that you took the time to share your experience with others. We are glad that you enjoyed the clean bedding and room, blueberries (also my favorite!) and our staff was friendly, these are the goals that we strive to meet daily for each and every guest. As for the phone charge on your room I would again like to apologize for that and make note that this is not common practice at our property. With you bringing this situation to light it has given us the opportunity to address this issue and action has been taken to make sure this does not happen in the future. Again, thank you so much for your feedback on our hotel. We look forward to seeing you next time!
Lindsey Young
Director of Sales
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC