When all five of our family members travel, it's a challenge to find hotel rooms that allow all of us in a room, especially to find those with bedding for all of us. We've stayed at several Hampton Inns up and down the East Coast, and since they allow 5 and the reviews here were good, we booked a 2-night stay in a 2-queen room for earlier this week at the Columbia Hampton Inn.
We arrived fairly late, 9 pm, but checked in quickly and went to our room. It was too small for our inflatable twin mattress to comfortably fit! The AC unit beneath the window was also visibly dirty, with what looked like small pieces of brown cardboard stuck behind the grate. I'm rather allergic to dust, so we went right back downstairs and requested another room. All the queen rooms are the same size, so that problem couldn't be solved, but we were immediately put into a room across the hall and it was spotless. We had to move the arm chair between one bed and the outside wall to squeeze in the air mattress. It was so tight, my husband had to get out of bed by getting off the end of it. We didn't have quite enough room for all of our things without nearly tripping on them (we were staying with friends the rest of the week, so we each had our own duffel bags, plus two laptops, two backpacks, etc.), so I truly wouldn't recommend this hotel for a family of 5.
The mattresses were fairly comfortable, but definitely on the soft side. I had trouble sleeping the first night and woke up with sore hips. My husband and I disturbed each other with any movement, but my boys slept solidly. Well, once I could convince my teen to get in bed...when he pulled back the duvet, there were small blood stains on the sheets and duvet, on both sides of the bed. We figured perhaps a cleaning staff member had a cut and didn't know it when making the bed. (I thoroughly inspected my kids to make sure they didn't have a cut themselves, but my teen said he immediately saw the blood stains before getting into bed.) It was too late to deal with it, so I put some pillowcases down on his side and told the front desk staff about it the next morning. They replaced the duvet and made the bed with fresh sheets. (Definitely a reason not to check in late and to check things before midnight!)
The AC is loud when it kicks in, and the temp is adjusted by two degrees, not one. Hard to get it just right. The water pressure in the shower was excellent, but our second morning there, I started losing hot water and had to crank it up. Haven't had that happen in a hotel in years! The housekeeping staff was cleaning the room next to me, so maybe that had an impact. I didn't run out, but that was unexpected.
The best part is that we never heard a peep from anyone next to us or above us! We know the hotel was full, too, but we didn't hear anyone. You can easily hear anyone in the hallway, though. I never understood why sound insulation fails even with a heavy door. Voices outside our door and even 20 feet down the hallway were clear as could be.
The breakfast area is smaller than other Hamptons we've stayed at, and the scrambled eggs seem to be powdered (they still tasted pretty good). But there were enough options for everyone. They had fresh Dunkin Donuts, which was awesome, and Belgian waffles, cereals, and a variety of other hot and cold foods. We had to wait for the eggs our second morning, and when I saw them finally come out, I went to get a plate, but the staff member on duty was already making a plate for my husband (who had a meeting to get to)! Now that is service!
We also used the pool, which is very heavily chlorinated, so have your kids wear goggles. I didn't go in, but my boys said the pool and hot tub seemed to be the same temperature. There were enough pool towels, and plenty of space to sit while watching the kids.
Overall, it was an ok stay, and problems were dealt with quickly. The staff was great and always pleasant. I wouldn't stay here again with the 5 of us because it really was too tight. I'd consider staying here if it were just me and my husband, but I am looking at other options for an overnight trip to the area next month. I don't feel compelled to return, you know? It was good but not enough to make me immediately choose it over similarly priced options. And it wasn't on par with other Hamptons we've stayed at. Wasn't bad, just wasn't great.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
