My husband and I stayed at the Hampton Inn Carrier Circle in East Syracuse for one night on September 2, 2012. I booked it through hotels.com, so check-in took less than five minutes. The atmosphere in the rather drab lobby and the demeanor of the on-duty desk clerk were both subdued.

We stayed in Room 216, right across from the elevators and next to the vending machines. For such a busy location, it was relatively quiet and we were able to rest well. Our room featured a queen bed and a sofa bed. Other furnishings included a desk, swivel chair, wardrobe, 2 nightstands, coffee table (which looked it came from a yard sale), 3-drawer dresser, several lamps and a flat screen TV. There was a full-size ironing board with iron, as well as an extra blanket, in the wardrobe. Iron, TV, clock radio, hair dryer and other electronic devices all worked fine. There was a one-cup coffee maker with assorted coffees that we didn’t try, as we are more “by the pot” than “by the cup” drinkers.

Although a poster in the elevator bragged “our duvets are so clean, you’ll want to sleep naked”, I was hesitant to attempt the challenge, based on the dustiness of the nightstands. It wasn’t awful, but I could tell no one’s attacked the furnishings with Endust anytime recently. The bed clothes (I assume there was a “duvet” in the mix) seemed fresh and clean, and I appreciated the four plump pillows provided. The mattress was a little on the soft side.

Bathroom was clean, although I mistakenly thought that the tub was filthy, at first glance. Closer examination proved that it was just old and badly scuffed. It really should be replaced, repainted, or covered with a bath mat (shouldn’t they have a mat for safety’s sake anyway?). The hot shower was top notch. Towels were plentiful, clean and absorbent.

Minor, nit-picky things: The wastebaskets had no plastic liners, making me wonder how sanitary they were. I assume this is an environmental concern, since there are signs all over the hotel advocating recycling. The ice bucket had water in it, leading me to assume that it had not been cleaned since the last person used it.

This hotel has reliable high speed wi-fi internet access. Cable channel guide was up-to-date. Informative guest services book, “About Town”, was provided.

Perhaps the best part of our stay was the surprisingly vast breakfast buffet. It is served starting at 6AM. Plenty of hotel guests were already up at that early hour. I despise cold continental breakfasts. I was impressed that this Hampton Inn featured an array of hot and cold food choices, including two varieties of hot cereal, six choices of cold cereal, scrambled eggs, French toast sticks, English muffins, danishes, bagels, low-fat yogurt, coffee and tea. There were 11 tables for guests to relax and watch the morning news. A computer and printer is also available in this area for community use.

The hotel staff at the Hampton Inn Carrier Circle was always present, but so was the wallpaper. Nobody working there said much of anything. The lady overseeing the dining facilities was so pale, sullen and silent, she reminded me of a ghost. The staff members behind the desk talked quietly amongst themselves, but didn’t greet guests as they mulled into the dining area. (To their credit, though, my husband says that when he went downstairs later to refill his coffee, a staff member did say “good morning” to him.)

Checking out, I was a bit put off when the guy didn’t ask us how our stay was, nor did he thank us for staying there.

A couple more nit-picky things: The soda in the vending machines were over-priced, at $1.75 a bottle. Also, and this is kind of a biggie... Hampton Inn is famous for the warm cookies that they offer in the lobby. Well, we smelled cookies when we checked in, but they never materialized! And I wasn’t going to beg.

Small, outdated rooms. The bathroom was tiny, and there was no room for make-up, etc. the staff here was the worst part. One morning at breakfast the staff was talking loudly ACROSS the lobby/dining area about other staff members, including 2 staff who were apparently have sexual encounters in a room. Very classy. The only time I would recommend staying here is if you end up with a choice between here and the Embassy Suites (happened to me and I made the wrong choice). I would only pick this hotel if the other option was the Embassy. Feel free to read my sarcastic review for there through my profile.

I booked this room using my Hilton honors points as a stopping point between the adirondacks and home. I always stay at hiltons and have never been disappointed even in small towns and out-of-the-way places until this one. The bedding was fine, seemed very clean but the general state of cleanliness in the room was very poor. I can handle most oversights but the lack of cleanliness in this bathroom was more than I could take. The tub was stained beyond belief, and filthy and left with hair(pubic and men's shaved hair) in the tub, outside the tub and on the sink. Sorry but I draw the line there. Grout dirty in bathroom, mirror black on bottom... just so worn looking and unlike any Hilton I have experienced. Also when I called down to talk to manager on duty was astounded to be told that there was not one there.

My family and I stayed at this hotel for a couple of nights. Very clean and well maintained. Staff was very friendly and helpful and always had a smile on. Breakfast was simple, yet well stocked and the staff was constantly keeping the area clean. It is not a high class hotel but if you want a good night sleep at a decent price then this is the place to stay. The only thing that would have made it better would be to have a pool on site for the kids.