Hampton Inn & Suites Jackson Downtown-Coliseum

The room was a letdown, even though the lobby looked nice and the staff were friendly. It wasn’t clean to my standards: stained carpet and shower, a broken desk drawer, and a phone that didn’t work when I tried to call the front desk. Hilton customer service had found this as my second option. I needed to stay until 4:30 pm because my orientation ended at 3:30, but was told that would cost about $150, nearly another night’s stay. Management, please don’t spend time replying with an apology. Just fix the place and clean it up for the next guest.

The poolside area was nice in the evening, though the few bars nearby were a good walk away. We used this as an okay halfway stop on our drive from Memphis to New Orleans, and stayed at a few Hampton Inns during the trip. Breakfast was the weak point for us. If you want waffles, scrambled eggs, and sausage, you’ll be fine, but we usually eat lightly, like bagels or toast. There was only one kind of bagel and the bread seemed about as cheap as it gets. I don’t know why they wouldn’t spend a little more on better products. There was very little food, and we never saw it restocked while we were eating.

The room was clean and I enjoyed the breakfast, but trying to buy a drink was frustrating. The front desk guy, Damarco, was nowhere around. A housekeeper said he was in the laundry room, where he called out that he was doing something. We waited in line until he finally came to help us, and he had a terrible attitude. Other people were waiting too. That’s no way to treat guests.

The staff were really kind and offered to move us, and I could tell they wanted to help. Since we were only staying one night and just needed a clean bed, we stayed put. The bed was clean, but the rest of the room seemed so lightly cleaned that I didn’t want to walk barefoot. Neither bedside lamp worked, leaving just one working lamp in the whole room.