Hampton Inn San Diego/Mission Valley

The breakfast was really good, and the lobby seemed welcoming when we arrived, with friendly staff. But the room was a letdown. The bathroom door was covered in what looked like a year's worth of toddler fingerprints, the light switches had makeup on them, the lotion bottle was empty, and the bed coverlets were frayed and coming apart. I asked someone to refill the lotion and clean the door, but nobody did until just before checkout. The beds were the worst I've ever slept on, like a sheet had been thrown over springs. After two nights of hardly sleeping, by day three we were so exhausted that we canceled our zoo plans. We were there for a four-day family trip to San Diego at the end of October for a wedding. I chose Hampton because it used to have the best mattresses, but clearly its priorities have changed. I was very disappointed and definitely won't stay here again.

The zoo was the highlight of our San Diego trip, and it was only seven minutes away. We liked the clean hotel, friendly staff, daily hot breakfast, pool deck, and lower price than comparable Hampton Inns. The pool and hot tub were nice too. The rooms were small, and while everything was clean, the furniture in both the room and lobby was worn, broken in, and tattered. I wasn't concerned about cleanliness; they did a good job there. We hadn't known that some non-chain hotels next to the property had been turned into public housing by the city to help homeless people find housing. A quick Google search can confirm it. There's a large homeless population around Hotel Circle, a circle of hotels beside a big multi-lane freeway. The roads made access confusing and difficult, and there were groups of homeless people along the street. On the days I was there, I saw police outside the hotel with lights on, talking to someone or stopping a car at least once a day, though I was away most of each day. We had a number of negative interactions over several consecutive days with one disruptive, erratic guest. I don't know whether he was staying on a county waiver or something similar. He acted psychotic and was verbally aggressive in public areas toward multiple guests. Staff seemed unable to resolve it. I told the front desk I was concerned about his behavior, and they responded by talking to me about discrimination. For context, he and I are both Caucasian. They seemed afraid I wanted them to discriminate against a man experiencing drug-induced psychosis, even though his behavior was affecting my family's and others' stays. The other guests were lovely families on vacation, like us. I'm a large 46-year-old male nurse with ER, psych, and ICU experience. I try to be polite, avoid judging people, and I'm good at de-escalating situations. Still, I felt amped up and worried I might have to assert myself to keep my wife and children safe. My 14- and 17-year-old couldn't leave the room unsupervised. We travel all over, coast to coast, and stay in plenty of mid-level condos and hotels. I rarely feel this way, and it took away from the trip. We checked in, had a zoo day, and checked out a day early, after I had to argue to avoid a $75 early checkout fee. I gave it three stars for cleanliness, good service and food, the nearby zoo, and the pool area. We like Hampton Inn overall, but I don't want to feel on edge or compromise on safety while vacationing with my family more than a thousand miles from home. This place is clean and has friendly service and vacationing families, but there are serious caveats. Hilton should consider closing this one. There may simply be too many problems working against the district.

We stayed one night in a king room on our last night in SD. The check-in team and breakfast staff were the best part, both friendly and helpful. The room and lobby furniture looked stained and beaten up, and the place didn't feel like other Hampton Inns we've stayed at. The extra parking fee was disappointing too, though it seems common in SD.

Quiet place in a prime spot, near SeaWorld, University of San Diego, and the beaches. The rooms were clean and cozy, and the pool was refreshing and well kept. Great stay.