Hampton Inn Jacksonville/Ponte Vedra Beach-Mayo Clinic Area

We chose this place as a starting point for mornings at Ponte Vedra beach, and the location worked very well. There are also nice shops nearby, including Trader Joe’s, where you can pick up snacks for a longer visit. The room was comfortable and clean, and the hotel seemed quiet, with good insulation between rooms. Breakfast had something for everyone. The woman working both check-in and checkout was extremely helpful and nice. We didn’t get her name, but she’s about 5' 4", with dark hair and glasses. We’ll definitely be back.

The hotel had what I needed for my first Mayo visit: it’s close to Mayo, dining, shopping, gas stations, the interstate, walking areas, and more. The staff were kind and respectful, and knowing I was a patient, they offered discounts and accommodations for my needs. The room was clean and comfortable, and there’s a great outdoor pool. We had to extend our stay when more appointments were added to my itinerary. I called the front desk from the room and it was taken care of right away. I’ll stay here again for my next visit. A full kitchen would have helped since my stays are usually over five days, but it wasn’t a big issue. There was a mini fridge, microwave, and coffee maker, and everything else we needed was in the lobby or nearby.

I’ve stayed at this hotel several times and think people should know about this isolated incident. I called the hotel directly but was routed to Hampton Inn reservations. The person there either didn’t listen or misunderstood: they booked two rooms instead of one, and prepaid the reservation rather than using the Mayo rate I’d asked for. My email confirmation showed only one room, so I didn’t realize there was a duplicate. I thought I was making a Mayo Clinic reservation that could be canceled, and didn’t notice the prepayment because I was checking the room, dates, and number of guests, which was two. I stayed on the phone with reservations for an hour, and they canceled the duplicate. But at checkout, the hotel wouldn’t let me use the Mayo rate and said I had to pay for a second night I didn’t need. I checked out at 10:30 that morning. I always request the Mayo rate because appointments can change and you never know if you’ll need extra time. Before checkout, two hotel staff members had said this wouldn’t be a problem. One said I could leave when I no longer needed to stay. But when I checked out, that person wasn’t there. The front desk employee told me I should have noticed the prepaid terms in my email and said her manager probably wouldn’t let me check out when my appointment was over. She said she’d talk to the manager and they would call me. Instead, she later said the other staff had misspoken, as if she knew better than everyone else. I’m reasonable, and I know I should have noticed the prepayment, but I believe Hampton Inn should refund the unused second night. Be careful when speaking with Hampton Inn reservations by phone, because the service at the hotel may not match what you were led to expect.

The breakfast setup feels tired now. There’s lots of overprocessed food, fruit that’s sometimes overripe or underripe, and good hot oatmeal but no whole milk. Local news blares on several TVs while 1980s top 500 hits pound from what I assume are speakers in the ceiling. With room rates steadily rising, the value isn’t what it used to be. This is the third Hampton Inn where my phone connected to the property Wi-Fi over the past year but my Chromebook couldn’t. It seems to be a network gateway issue, whatever that is. My off-the-shelf Chromebooks used to work at Hampton Inns and still work in the Marriott chain, but not here anymore. The front desk clerks haven’t been able to figure it out either. I guess I won’t use Hampton Inns for stays longer than a few hours on long drives.