Hampton Inn & Suites Bessemer Birmingham

We were in town for one night to see Magic of Lights at Alabama Adventures water park, and the hotel was under 15 minutes away, about 16 minutes from Birmingham. The room smelled fresh and was SUPER clean. Breakfast was hot and free, with cookies when we arrived and travel kits for early checkouts. The woman serving breakfast even offered to wrap my plate so I could take it upstairs. That kindness really stood out. Everyone was welcoming, and I’d come back. You can hear people through the walls or from upstairs, though. No complaints otherwise.

Jeremiah Harris at the front desk made a real impression on us. My wife wanted a walk-in shower, and when I asked about switching rooms, he apologized and went to check the available rooms himself. He handled it seriously and without hesitation. The room we first got was immaculate and really nice, just didn’t have the shower she wanted. We’d already visited three other highly rated hotels nearby, where the staff seemed evasive or made getting room information unnecessarily difficult. Hampton has someone who’ll bring us back.

The mini-market is handy for forgotten essentials, even if the drinks and snacks there are pricey. I’ve found the rest of the stay consistently welcoming: the rooms are clean and roomy, the staff are friendly and accommodating, and my pets are always treated well. Breakfast has plenty of options, and there’s fresh coffee and hot chocolate in the lobby, plus coffee in the room. I’ve also been given a little bag with water and snacks, and sometimes fresh cookies. There’s plenty of desk space and USB plugs by the beds, desk, and dresser, which makes charging devices easy. A really nice place to stay.

The heating and cooling unit’s fan ran the entire time, even after I switched the unit off. That made it hard to enjoy any quiet and to hear the TV. Everything else was okay, but I won’t stay at this property again because of the constant fan. If you want a quiet room, this isn’t the place.