Hampton Inn Nashville/Brentwood-I-65S

The location was amazing, but I wasn’t sure about the service. I didn’t know it was under renovation. My room was clean, though the refrigerator only kept things cool, not cold. There was no microwave or coffee maker, and the air conditioner was kind of loud. The heavy doors made it easy to hear other guests coming and going. Coffee was available downstairs by the breakfast area, which is currently on the lower level, but there wasn’t much breakfast variety. Water from the bathroom upstairs flooded into mine. I told the front desk, and he brought towels and said there were no other rooms, so I cleaned it up. Before 6am the next morning, extremely loud talking across the hall woke me up, and smoke from the room next to mine was so heavy I could smell it in my room. I called the front desk about both the noise and smoking. When I checked out after three nights, I smelled more smoke and heard coughing as I walked past that same room.

I got a freshly renovated room on a business trip and was told I’d be the first person to stay in it. It was nice, clean as you’d expect from a new room, and had a comfortable bed, good pillows, and good shower pressure. I didn’t have an ice bucket, but the front desk got one to me quickly. The hallways smelled strongly of fresh paint because the hotel was still under construction, which also meant the morning breakfast options were extremely limited. My minor issues were that the room was right across from the elevator and I heard people all night, and no one came in to make the bed or bring fresh towels. I know many hotels do that now, but I don’t like it. Traffic nearby is a nightmare, though I think that’s more Nashville in general than this hotel. The staff were very friendly and helpful, and a clean room matters most to me.

I’d booked two nights, and this location has a 48 hour cancellation policy. A medical emergency in my family meant I needed to cancel within 24 hours, but the hotel wouldn’t answer. I called ten times over an hour and a half. I understand paying a penalty, but charging for one full night feels outrageous in the circumstances. I could only cancel by contacting Hilton Honors customer service. Their team tried eight times to reach the location too. That’s over 18 calls in three hours with no answer. It feels like an easy money grab and terrible customer service. I’ve been a loyal Hilton and Hampton Inn customer for over twenty years and had generally good experiences, so I never used to read reviews before booking. Today’s experience will change that. The reviews I’ve now read for this location make me think I should have checked before reserving. So much for brand standards being a benchmark.

We’ve stayed here many times over the past few years. The employees have always been friendly and helpful, and the hotel used to be dumpy and beat up, though clean. They’ve recently renovated a lot of it, including the lobby and breakfast area, and it looks great now. We’ll definitely stay again.