Hampton Inn & Suites Seattle/Renton

Across the road there's a lovely park with beautiful views of Lake Washington. The hotel itself was clean and spacious, and check-in was quick and easy. Breakfast was complimentary and had a better range of choices than most free hotel breakfasts. We stayed overnight after flying into Seatac, before driving to Leavenworth, and I was very pleased with the stay. I'd happily return.

The noise went on all night: doors slamming, then someone loudly singing the same song over and over. There were taped-off construction areas with plastic sheeting on the fifth floor, some of which had been cleared by morning, so I assume that was behind much of the nighttime noise. Paying another $30 for room 501 didn't feel worthwhile. I'd chosen a room digitally, but the only options for my reservation type were tiny rooms on each floor against the stairwell wall. Anyone who's stayed at a Hampton knows how loudly that door slams and how clearly you hear every footstep on the stairs. I felt pushed into paying $30 to move to a room more central in the hallway, away from the stairwell and elevator. It didn't solve the noise. I may be done with the Hampton brand.

On the positive side, digital check-in and checkout were easy, the TV controls worked, and the pool area was nice for kids. I'd stayed here before and had a good visit, but this weekend was disappointing. The parking garage gate seemed broken and stayed open for our entire stay, so we didn't need a key to enter or leave. Inside, the maintenance looked shabby. On the second floor, squares of wallpaper had been cut away for work inside the walls, then held back with painter's tape that clearly wasn't doing the job. The wallpaper stayed flipped down with loose tape attached throughout our visit. When we opened the pull-out couch, there was a large dead insect on top of the sheets, apparently caught there when the cleaning staff had folded the bed away. It raised obvious questions about cleanliness.

Theo at the front desk was the best part of our visit. We asked him for hiking ideas, and he wrote down two suggestions. We went to Snoqualmie Falls and had a wonderful time. I'd gladly come back and ask Theo for more tips. He's a great representative of Hampton Inn. The hotel is very clean and well located, about a quarter mile from Lake Washington and Gene Coulin park. Breakfast was excellent, with eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy, muffins, and especially good lemon scones.