Hampton Inn Middletown

The room was nice, but the beds weren't comfortable and the pillows were terrible. Most of the staff were friendly and helpful. The exception was the night front desk lady, who seemed annoyed to be doing her job and was very rude. I was locked out of my room while staying with family, but my name wasn't on the reservation and I was alone at the hotel. She laughed at me while I tried to work out a solution, then said, "you can do that but it won't do you any good." I got it sorted, but she shouldn't be working with customers with that attitude. I enjoyed the pool area and hot tub. Breakfast was pretty subpar: the waffles and pastries were good, but the breakfast meats, potatoes, and eggs were gross. The eggs came straight from a plastic bag, and the meats were sitting in a pool of water.

The Hampton Inn Middletown Delaware has had several upgrades since my last visit four years ago, when breakfast was a cold brown bag. Now there's a hot breakfast, and our room was clean, with a nice king bed and lots of space to walk around. Check-in was quick, we got our key cards right away, then went downstairs for the pool and hot tub. I could give them six stars. There's a workout room, free wifi, and Hampton Inn members can earn points. Coffee and tea are free downstairs all day and night. The room had a fridge, coffee maker, ice bucket, and full-size shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. For a longer stay I'd bring soda or a cooler to save money while shopping. It's close to Middletown shopping centers like HomeGoods and Walmart, with lots of restaurants nearby. There's level parking for adults and kids, plus a small dog park. The night managers were great. You may need to ask for extra pool towels, since they go quickly.

The staff were great, but I wouldn't recommend this hotel, especially if you want somewhere modern. It feels very outdated, and the photos online are misleading. I booked mainly for the hot tub, but it looked old and disgusting; two similar photos show the actual tub, while the single photo they use online is different. There was blood on one of the bedsheets. The room had no microwave, and the TVs weren't smart.

I didn't end up staying, but Ariel was very kind when I called. She sorted out an issue with my third-party booking and handled it professionally. Thanks, Ariel, for the great customer service!