Hampton Inn Santa Rosa

The front desk clerk was very sweet, and we were grateful to have somewhere to rest in bad weather. Still, the room cost far too much for what we got. The tub creaked and cracked as if it might fall through the floor, and the bathroom was dirty. A dog at the house behind the hotel barked all night, and gaps around the door let in hallway noise. The pillows were flat and smelled like an ashtray, and the toilet wouldn’t flush properly. Breakfast was horrible, though the coffee was good.

After 16 hours on the road, we stopped here, and the manager, who was the only staff member working at check-in, was kind and accommodating. The room was another story. There was hair on the sheets and pillow, the bathroom caulking looked terribly done, and the carpet clearly hadn’t been vacuumed. Even with two queen beds, the room wasn’t worth the more than $140 we paid. Looking back, we should’ve gone to the Holiday Inn Express down the road and paid less for an equal or better stay.

We’re okay with older hotels when they’re clean and looked after. This one was neither. We were exhausted after a long drive and took a chance despite the negative reviews, but opening the room door brought a strong sewer gas smell. We travel this route often and will avoid Santa Rosa from now on. Unfortunately, reviews for the town’s other hotels aren’t great either.

The hotel felt dirty, with grime all around the edges and in every corner. Three individually sealed coffee cups in the room were dirty when I opened them, and none had lids. It was hot inside, with the thermostat set to 74°F, which somehow felt closer to 80°F. The AC couldn’t keep up, and the windows only opened partway because of the stoppers. I didn’t sleep well because I couldn’t get comfortable, and the thin walls let hallway noise and sounds from nearby rooms through. We booked this place because its website said the rooms had full fridges. After checking in, we learned that wasn’t true and had to leave our freezer items, in a zipped freezer bag, in the breakfast freezer. The front desk repeatedly assured us we could get everything in the morning, but some things were missing at checkout, including the frozen water bottles we used for ice. Staff couldn’t find them or explain what happened. Hilton has a guarantee at the checkout counter, but no way to contact them listed there. The front desk person said she’d left a message for her boss. I found an 800 number, but I don’t do phone calls anymore, so I’m posting this social media tag instead. Don’t stay here. None of the hotels in this area have kitchens, so keep driving a couple more hours to a real city. Even resting by the roadside for a couple of hours and then staying somewhere good would’ve been a better experience. It was literally freezing last night. @HamptonbyHilton I haven’t been this disappointed in a hotel in quite a while.