Hampton Inn Riverside March Air Force Base

Breakfast had lots to choose from, including fresh fruit, and was better than I expected. The whole hotel seemed new, clean, and well cared for, with a comfortable, modern room. Staff were friendly and made check-in and questions easy. I had a smooth, hassle-free stay at the Hampton Inn by March Air Force Base and would come back when I’m in town for work.

Brenda from housekeeping eventually met me in the lobby with a key to another room. She went out of her way to clean hair off the floor and sanitize it, and I appreciated her effort. Still, nobody from the front desk or management called to apologize or check whether the new room was all right. I’d never stay here again. The trouble started at check-in with Leah, who had just started her shift and seemed overwhelmed trying to log into the computer system. I’m Hilton Honors Gold and asked whether I could move from my booked Double Queen to a King Size bed. There were several available, but she said an upgrade would cost extra. She checked with her manager and still wouldn’t provide a complimentary upgrade, which didn’t seem to honor the Gold Status perk. When I got to the room, the shower faucet was dripping and a dirty face washer on the floor looked like it had black mold on it. The whole shower was covered in black mold, and the faucet was broken. I called Leah right away, and she said someone would come up immediately. After more than an hour with no one arriving, I called again. I’d travelled from another state, had a long day, and just wanted to use the bathroom and get some sleep. I overheard someone tell her the room shouldn’t have been booked because of the broken shower head, and that the face washer had been put down to catch the drip. No supervisor, AGM, or GM ever called or apologized. I finally went down to the lobby myself to sort it out. The time wasted over a room that should never have been booked was unacceptable. I attached pictures of the slimy, moldy shower.

The location was convenient, but the stay had a few annoyances. In room 213, the AC was noisy enough to wake me at night, and sound carried through the thin walls and ceiling. I could hear showers starting in neighboring and upstairs rooms, along with footsteps. I also had to sign back into the wifi every day, even when it still showed me as connected, though I didn’t use it much. Not sure why there’s no hand soap in the bathroom, but I found that inconvenient. The receptionists could be better.

The new digital key made check-in and checkout easy. I do wish the smart TV let me sign into my streaming services, since I don’t understand why that feature was removed. We’ve stayed here for the third year now, and the hotel and rooms are clean, maintained, and in pretty good shape. The breakfast spread is really good, and I enjoy it each time. Getting back to the hotel is odd because of the surrounding shopping center. Google Maps sent us a different way every time. And separately, California should spend road-tax money on roads. The 15, 215, and 91 were so rough that I need to get my vehicle’s alignment checked.