Hampton Inn Waco

Our only real complaint was the bed, which was too firm for us since we prefer a softer one. Everything else made this a good value stay. The hotel was very clean, the staff at reception, breakfast, and housekeeping were all friendly, and breakfast had a fresh, varied selection. It's also easy to get on and off the highway. We were surprised to see a $50 higher room charge than the online reservation, but the front desk kindly explained it was an incidental hold and it came back the very next day. We recommend the hotel.

The rooms were reasonable, though they could use some updating and had a few small issues. We booked because we expected an indoor pool and hot tub, but learned they no longer have them, even though Hampton had posted a picture showing them just a week earlier. That was a letdown, especially since the weather was too cool for the outdoor pool.

We didn't get into our room until 2:40 a.m., then had to be up at 6 for a 7 a.m. tournament. Jamie didn't seem to care that we'd spent almost an hour trying to sort out the booking. Another coach finally came downstairs around 2:15 and gave him the same four names I'd already provided. My other coach found the right paper too, upside down in the authorization binder, with doodles on it. Jamie had literally been doodling on the sheet with all our information. This was for a volleyball tournament on the 13th and 14th, booked in bulk by someone else, so I understand booking mix-ups happen. I knew my assistant coach and I wouldn't arrive before midnight, and the woman who answered when I called ahead was sweet and helpful. We got there by 1:30 at the latest and met Jamie. I gave him my name, my assistant's name, and our club, but he couldn't find anything and said the other coaches had checked in while ours weren't listed. He went back to doodling instead of troubleshooting and wouldn't take the confirmation code. My higher-ups were the ones helping me figure out what to do. I asked him to check the credit card authorization forms; he pulled out a two-inch binder, looked through it briefly, said nothing was there, then went back to doodling. While I was working it out with the other coaches, he came over to my fiancé and me and tried to sell us a room. I said we had no funds and it should already be paid for. He walked off, returned, and said the booking note showed individual payment, which wasn't true. He asked for my name and my assistant's around five times each, as if he kept forgetting. Eventually I got two other possible booking names and asked him to check the binder under any of the four names, or the club. This time I stood there watching him go through the whole thing.

We had a string of problems and won't stay here again. The first room had a broken lamp, no heat in winter, an inaccurate thermostat, no bar soap, and very weak shower pressure. The soap dispenser was mounted on the wall away from the sink, where it was out of reach for short people, so we had to move to another room because of the lack of heat. The second room had only decaf coffee. There was also a water problem because the city had shut it off, and the hotel put a sign by the elevator telling guests not to drink or brush their teeth with sink water. We only saw it after doing both. They could have told guests ahead of time. Given the hassle of changing rooms, I'm surprised they didn't comp us for the second room.