Hampton Inn Bartow FL

Liah at the front desk was the highlight, her upbeat, energetic manner made the stay feel exemplary. The king room was spacious and nicely furnished, and the hotel was very clean. There are lots of places to eat nearby, and Legoland is about a 20-minute drive away. The snack bar is a little expensive, though that’s what you’d expect at a hotel.

We won’t be coming back. Around 3:30 or 4, we arrived to check in for our booking after our friend had gotten there about ten minutes earlier. We’d heard that four rooms were ready when another couple checked in, but when our buddy asked about his room, he was told it wasn’t ready. He asked when it might be, and Liah, who I believe is a manager, told him not to worry because his reservation would be canceled. My family had walked in while this was happening. Liah and a coworker called the police, and we could hear them laughing and snickering in the back room. When they came back out, I was at the desk and they told me our reservation was canceled too, because we knew the first guest. We hadn’t said anything to staff. When I asked one of the two professional officers to ask why our booking was canceled, Liah said we were instigating things. We felt we were being blamed simply because we were associated with our friend. I spoke with corporate rather than emailing general manager Joyce, since I’d looked at past reviews and seen who responds and who still has a job. Liah’s decision brought two officers out and used up valuable Bartow community resources. I haven’t spoken with Joyce yet, but given the past reviews and that Liah is a manager, I wonder what the response will be. Will the person in charge keep costing the hotel money? Please check the tapes and show where we were instigating. Is this how Hampton treats its members?

The room wasn’t ready when I arrived after 3 PM, following a long tournament day with my two children. I asked why it wasn’t available after check-in time, and Liyah, the front desk manager, got an attitude and said she didn’t know when a room would be ready. I went back to my car, then returned to ask for an estimate so I could plan. Instead of helping, she rudely told me I didn’t need to worry because she could cancel the room, and then she did. I was shocked and embarrassed by the way I was treated as a paying Hilton customer. I travel often for work and have never had a hotel experience like this. After she canceled my reservation without cause, I said I wouldn’t leave over how it had been handled unless law enforcement made me. She called the police, and I was trespassed from the property. The whole thing was handled terribly and was inexcusable. Another teammate’s parent was also trespassed. She came in after me to check in and asked what had happened, and Liyah told police she had instigated things. We all had to drive back to Tampa even though there was a 7:45 AM tournament in Bartow the next morning. This was the worst hotel experience I’ve had, and it makes me seriously reconsider staying with Hilton again.

We’ve been here less than 24 hours, and several things have gone wrong. The card reader didn’t work at first, and in the room we couldn’t control the thermostat. It showed 72, but the room felt much hotter. I wiped up a little water from the bathroom floor and the towel came away filthy. Our card opens the room door but won’t work at the pool. We had planned to stay another night, but we’re leaving for somewhere else.