Hampton Inn Santa Fe South

We chose this hotel because the kids were excited to use the indoor pool, only to learn it had been closed since September of last year. The booking information didn’t disclose that, even though “indoor pool” is listed among the hotel’s amenities. How can a hotel fail its pool inspection and still not have things sorted out more than six months later? Edit: The hotel offered us a decent number of points as Hilton Honors members and a free late checkout. At least they tried to work with us and make things somewhat right.

The buffet was nearly empty by the time I arrived. Almost every dish was gone, and just one staff member was there to replenish the food, only once during the 8:00-9:30 a.m. period. I understand it was the holiday season and busier than usual, but that level of service is unacceptable for a new hotel. The building itself is new, while management falls far short of acceptable standards.

The bed in the room we were moved to was so hard that we woke up stiff and sore, and breakfast was mediocre. At $260 a night, I expect a much better stay. I’ve never written a bad review before, but this time was an exception. We’d booked two nights through an agent. While we were at the Plaza, enjoying shopping, friends, and a meal at our favorite restaurant, the hotel called to say we hadn’t checked out and had to switch rooms by 1. We’d only arrived 30 minutes earlier, after coming in the night before, and had paid for all-day parking so we could enjoy our visit. We packed everything up and moved. We often come to Santa Fe to shop with local natives and spend time at the casino, but this time our plans were cut short. I hope this feedback helps.

The kitchen employees at breakfast were great, and the food was good. The management side of the stay was a mess. I’ve been a Hilton Honors member for over 21 years and booked online, but the desk clerk struggled to give us keys for our reserved room. She seemed undertrained and put us in an “assisted room” we hadn’t requested, insisting it was the only option. She later said she’d try to fix it. After a nine-hour drive, we unpacked and decided to stay put. Half an hour later, she called to say she’d found another room, even though the hotel wasn’t half full. We declined because we didn’t want to pack and move again. The next morning, another front desk employee apologized and said the evening clerk hadn’t known what she was doing, which sounded like a management failure, not her fault. I was told an assistant manager would call that day, but no one did. Hilton Customer Service was a joke too. They weren’t in the US, weren’t Americans, and stuck to scripts when answering my questions. They gave me 15,000 points, but the original problem remained unresolved. They contacted the hotel and said a manager would call back that day, and again no one did. Hilton is so large that this probably means nothing to them, but this longtime member is going back to Marriott. Avoid this hotel until its management gets sorted out.