Hampton Inn Dickson

I arrived without a reservation while driving across the country, and they got me into a room straight away. I expected to sleep only a few hours, but I was comfortable enough to sleep until morning. The room was clean and nicely laid out, and the bathroom and shower were great. Breakfast downstairs was terrific. A very nice woman kept the dining area stocked and clean. A really nice place to stop.

The pool area is top notch, and the hotel was quiet when we needed it to be. The rooms are worn and have decor from the late 1990s, but the bed was clean and the room was quiet. Those were the things I cared about on the road, and both were fine.

We stayed here overnight on December 21st on our way to Kentucky for the holidays. The hotel looked clean and nice when we arrived, and there were no obvious concerns. We had two queen beds. I slept in one, my husband in the other, and I took a bath before bed. We checked out after breakfast. On the drive to Kentucky, my back started itching. I thought maybe my bra was bothering me. After we arrived, I showered, then noticed two small red welts when I dried off. My husband thought something had bitten me, but I still didn’t think much of it. On the way home, we spent another night in a different hotel. I checked the bedding first and it looked fine. The next morning, the same itch started under the side of my breast, and I realized it was in the same spot as the marks on my back. I’d scratched or rubbed both areas by the time we got home. My husband wasn’t affected, probably because he’d slept in the other bed. I started looking into bed bug bites, and everything I found pointed to bed bugs. I’m furious. I paid to stay somewhere where I expected my welfare to matter, and came away bitten three times. I’ve stayed in plenty of hotels over the years, some not nearly as nice-looking, and this has never happened to me. Looking back at when the symptoms began, this hotel is where I think it happened. I didn’t know to check the bedding before we left, so I have no photo to share, and I hope the bugs didn’t hitch a ride with us. I know bed bugs can travel anywhere. I wanted to explain why I’m saying this place had bed bugs, since the low rating is about that, even though the hotel looked clean. Check the beds and furniture!

The room was clean and comfortable, and the front desk staff were friendly and accommodating. I had no issue with the stay until I looked at the receipt at home. I booked by calling the hotel directly and assumed, probably wrongly, that I was getting the best rate as a senior and Hilton Honors member. My sister-in-law booked the same type of room two days earlier, on the same floor and next to ours, but her bill was $90 less. When I called the next day, they said prices are set by an algorithm and can change hourly, and that I’d agreed to the charge when I booked. I’m unhappy with that answer, and I’m not sure it counts as good customer service. I guess I learned a hard lesson about Hilton Hotels.