Hampton Inn & Suites Panama City Beach-Beachfront

I only stayed one night and wish it could've been longer. The view was amazing, the hotel had everything, and the pillow was just right, super comfortable. The best part was talking with Cardinal at the front desk. He was knowledgeable and helpful in every way. Say hi when you go in. He's a great guy, and I'll definitely be back.

The room was much bigger than I expected, and the bed and pillows made for a really restful night. I woke up to dolphins moving along the shoreline. The property felt fresh, clean, modern, and friendly, with an upscale feel at a reasonable price. Our balcony room looked out over the Gulf. Parking was paid across the street, with a skywalk leading to the hotel. Breakfast was free, delicious, and had plenty of choices. It’s pet friendly too, and I’d definitely like to come back.

Breakfast was excellent, with lots to choose from and a huge seating area. The checkout staff were great, too. We liked the beach location and being able to bring our dog. She’s only 2.2 lbs, and we wouldn’t take her onto the beach anyway. You can walk down to the pier, and pets are allowed on the other side of it. The room was clean, but after showering, our feet got dirty walking across the floor. Maybe carpet would be better, though that’s just my opinion. We wanted a beach view, so we asked to switch rooms. They quoted us a $20 upgrade, but at checkout we were charged $40. Parking was another $21. Paying for parking on top of the room felt a little crazy to us. We booked online, but there was no option to choose a beach view. Paying extra for the change seemed fair enough, but being charged more than we were told was crazy. We didn’t notice until we were already driving away, so we’ll call and ask about it.

Breakfast was the one real bright spot. It was much better than most hotel breakfasts I’ve had. The rest of the stay left me pretty disappointed, with one frustration after another. The room itself looked worn for a place charging over $200 a night. The desk lamp had visible rust, the furniture was beat up, and there were cracks in the ceiling and bathroom sink. In my kids’ room, there were no blinds. When I called the desk, someone brought a clothespin to hold the drapes together, but it barely blocked the light the next morning. Our room also smelled awful as soon as I opened the door, like stale gym socks left for a week. I called the front desk and got a “Yeah, so what?” attitude, without even an apology. They said they were fully booked and couldn’t or wouldn’t move us. They offered to send housekeeping with Febreeze. The housekeeper came in awkwardly, sprayed around, and left. It didn’t help. They charge another $21 a night to park in their garage. With room rates this high, I’d expect parking to be included. It felt like they assume guests in PCB will pay whatever they ask, even for a poor experience.