Hampton Inn & Suites Gillette

There are remodeling containers taking up half the parking lot. The room itself was clean and nice, and the staff were friendly and helpful. The one snag was the bathroom sink: it took a long time for the water to warm up, and it never got hot.

My husband and I stopped here for one night while passing through. The worst part was what appeared on the bathroom mirror after I showered: “I saw you naked, good luck.” I was horrified, not amused, and found it completely unacceptable. At check-in, the front desk agent was nowhere to be seen at first. When she did show up, she acted like we were an inconvenience and tossed the room key packet at us after looking up the reservation. She didn't tell us when breakfast was or share any other information. Her blouse was dirty and wrinkled, which added to the poor impression. When we checked out, we asked if the manager was available. The agent just said “no,” with no offer to connect us or ask about the room. We won't stay here again, and I've contacted the manager to report what happened.

We've stayed here three times now, and my wife and I will probably come back. It's clean and fresh, with very good service from check-in through breakfast the next morning. The price is great for the quality. It's also close to the interstate, with gas and a couple of fast food options nearby.

The manager followed up and did what she could to make things right. What happened still happened, but I appreciate the effort. The rooms are average, and the internet didn't work properly. We were also charged $6.56 more than the reservation price, and I don't know why. The bigger problem began at check-in, just before 9 pm. No one was at the desk, so after waiting maybe 5 or 10 minutes, I called the hotel. Melissa answered, heard that we were there to check in, then hung up without saying anything. She eventually came out, but said I should have gone behind the desk and knocked on the door. When I asked why that would be appropriate, she said she was joking. I didn't find it funny and said they could have a bell or something, and that I didn't understand the rudeness. She called me rude and said she wouldn't give me a room if I kept it up. I went quiet until she handed over the key. Then I told her she was the one being rude, and she threatened to have me removed. Threatening to leave someone without a place to sleep is serious, and it seemed like she might do that to anyone over almost anything. I know people in these jobs can be under stress and treated badly, but customers can still be treated poorly for no reason. I contacted Hilton about it and got unintelligible responses that seemed clearly outsourced, with no resolution. Hilton was one of the best hotel chains 10 years ago, but has become one of the worst in my view. On this trip I also had trouble with another Hilton property, which charged a made-up fee that hadn't been disclosed and then didn't respond. It's time for me to look at Marriott and other chains for a quality stay.