San Antonio, Texas: Hampton Inn & Suites Riverwalk, Dining, Attractions

October 2023, weekdays, two nights, king suite 727

Reservations, arrival, diamond perks

I had two reservations for this stay, because one night was a paid stay, and the other night was a points redemption. The same guestroom type was not available both nights, so I had to reserve two different room types. I wanted to reserve a [king] balcony room; however, since a balcony room was not available, I reserved a Jr. suite with a king bed, and a Queen double. I called the hotel a few days ahead of time to make sure the stays were linked together, and to check the availability of a balcony guestroom. Although there were no balcony guestrooms available, the agent told me she could assign us the same Jr. suite for both nights, so we would not need to change rooms. She said this would probably be on floor 3. 

Hampton Inn San Antonio Riverwalk guestroom diagram;
star is location of guestroom 727

When I checked in on the app the next day, the only available guestroom choices were as the agent had stated; guestrooms 320 and 321. On floor 3, guestroom 320 overlooks the roof of the building next door, and 321 sets back in the building corner. I chose guestroom 320 to complete the check-in process. We had to go to the front desk when we arrived to complete check-in, because we needed an elevator key. The agent did not say anything about my guestroom location or type, although she did say something about it being the room I had chosen when I checked in on the app. Imagine my delight when she handed me a key for guestroom 727! We had been upgraded to a one-bedroom suite in a much better location. I also received bottled water and snacks.

Hampton Inn and Home2Suites San Antonio Riverwalk
Above, view from Hampton Inn guestroom 727 

I had a difficult time choosing a hotel and guestroom, so I am sharing a couple photos of the hotel and guestroom diagrams with labeled details. The Hampton Inn is located in the same building as Home2Suites. I originally chose Home2Suites, because we like the roominess and full kitchen that brand offers; however, I changed to the Hampton Inn, because it did not look like the Home2Suites guestrooms had balconies. Both hotels do have balcony rooms, although there are more balcony guestrooms in the Hampton Inn, and these rooms are also closer to the river.

King one-bedroom suite #727 in Hampton Inn San Antonio Riverwalk

Petoskey, Michigan: Hampton Inn & Suites

View from guestroom 304 Hampton Inn Petoskey

 March 2023, Sunday-weekend, one night

We previously stayed in this hotel in whirlpool guestroom 120 in January 2019. You can find details from that stay in the following link. The guestroom photos on the website were a bit incorrect before that stay, and it looks like some of those errors have now been corrected. This time we reserved a king bed studio suite with sofa bed. 

Guestroom diagram from Hilton Honors app

Arrival and diamond perks 

When my check-in notification arrived a couple of days before our stay, we were being assigned an odd numbered guestroom on floor three. Odd numbered guestrooms face the parking lot, so I ignored the check-in notifications. When I checked the app a few hours before our arrival, we had been assigned guestroom 304, which is on the side of the building facing the water. If the room we received was an upgrade, then some guestroom photos on the website are still incorrect. A king study suite shows a balcony door in the photos, and the guestroom type I reserved is $10 more than a king room that says bay view. None of the guestrooms actually say they have a balcony, although you can see the balcony door in the photos. The two even numbered guestrooms at each end, on floors two through four, have a balcony. The front [odd-numbered] guestrooms, like the room initially assigned to me through the app, do not have a balcony. I confirmed that our guestroom had a balcony when we completed check in at the front desk. The clerk was friendly and professional. She recognized my status, and provided waters and a snack.

Hampton Inn Petoskey guestroom 304

Jackson, Michigan: Hampton Inn & Suites

 March 2023, weeknight, one night, king guestroom 315

We stayed in the Tru by Hilton in this area in November 2022; however, I neglected to write a blog post after that stay. I am disappointed I did not complete one, because I could not remember the details of that hotel when I was trying to decide which property to choose. The Hampton Inn was $5 more a night than Tru by Hilton. Tru by Hilton is a newer building; however, that type of property does not provide in room coffee, or a seating area in the guestroom (only a desk work area and desk chair). I figured I would have remembered if there had been anything exceptional or horrific at the other hotel, so we decided to go with the Hampton Inn. 

Arrival and diamond perks

As usual, the app did not show me any available upgrade options when checking in. I looked again after we got on the road, and it showed that there were no rooms available. We were not going to be arriving until after 7:00 PM, so I decided to call the hotel. It took me four tries to reach someone in the hotel. Every time I chose the option to speak with someone at the front desk, the phone rang 10 times, and then no one answered. The fourth time I called, I chose the option for sales. This time, that call was picked up after one ring. When I asked the person who had answered, if I had the front desk, she said yes. 😲 Hmm... I am not sure if their phone routing program had issues, or if calls were only being answered if they thought it might be important. Anyway, I asked the person I spoke with if she could help pick out a room for me to get checked in, since we were not going to be arriving until late. (I did not want to be worried, if rooms were not showing as available because the hotel was going to be full). She told me to just come to the front desk when we arrived. She had asked my name before this, and apparently, she then gave us an upgrade and checked us in after my call. A short time after I hung up, I received a text saying my credit card had been authorized, and then I received a Hilton notification saying we had been assigned guestroom 315. This is a king bed study with sofabed, which is an upgrade from what I had booked. When we arrived, I received bottled water and trail mix snacks.

View from guestroom 315 in Hampton Inn Jackson, Michigan

King study 315

This spacious guestroom is on the top floor at the center of the hall. We appreciated the extra space, and the field view from the window was much nicer than the parking lot view. 

Guestroom 315 in Hampton Inn Jackson, Michigan

Murfreesboro, Tennessee: Hampton Inn & Suites

 January 2023, weekend, one night

View of Tennessee River on our way north to Hampton Inn

Arrival and diamond perks

Our arrival experience was a bit exasperating; however, all worked out okay in the end. There were two or three guests at the front desk when we arrived shortly after 7:00 PM. One woman wanted to get into the fitness center, and her key did not work (the new key the front desk agent provided also did not work; apparently, the door keypad needed new batteries). Another guest was seated in the lobby while the front desk clerk was apparently having trouble getting her room for her (the clerk eventually called her up and provided keys), and I am not sure if the other group of guests actually needed assistance, or if they were just waiting for their dinner ride (they were waiting by the front desk, but then left when a ride arrived before it would have been their turn). I waited about 15 minutes for assistance, during which time, I wondered if I should have chosen the DoubleTree across the street instead. No one said anything while I waited, so initially, it was difficult to know who-all was waiting for assistance. Especially, since one guest was seated across the lobby while the clerk worked at her computer. When it was my turn, the front desk clerk apologized, recognized my status, and gave us an upgraded suite on the top floor. We received water and snacks. I would have checked in on the app, if rooms had been available, as stated in the Hilton Honors program. The program says that diamond members will be offered upgraded rooms up to three days ahead of check-in, if available; however, I rarely see upgraded rooms available when I look at the app before arrival.

King suite 303 in Hampton Inn Murfreesboro, Tennessee

King bed studio suite 303

This guestroom was comfortable and clean. It looked pretty much exactly like the photos on the hotel website. The spacious entry counter/wet bar area included a sink, coffeemaker, microwave, and small fridge.

King suite 303 in Hampton Inn Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Jekyll Island, Georgia: Hampton Inn & Suites

January 2023, weekdays, 3-nights

February 2026, weekend/weekday, 3-nights

Tree outside our balcony in Hampton Inn Jekyll Island guestroom 404

Reservations, arrival, diamond perks

I booked a king standard guestroom with Friends of Jekyll Island promotional rate, which was less than the AAA rate. Before check-in, I received several notifications to upgrade to a larger balcony room for $16 more per night. I did not really want to spend another $50; however, we decided we definitely wanted a balcony guestroom, so I paid for the upgrade. My advice, if you are a diamond member visiting during off-season--do not pay for the upgrade! The cost is worth it when visiting during the busy season; however, since the hotel was mostly empty during our stay, I was quite upset with myself for this extra expense. Also, this was after just finding out about the $8 daily fee to be on the island (more info about that at the end of this post). The Hilton app check-in process did not work at this hotel, and it took about 15 minutes to complete check-in at the front desk after we arrived (two different systems, apparently). I received two bottles of water and two snacks.

Hampton Inn Jekyll Island king guestroom 404

Wytheville, Virginia: Hampton Inn

January 2023, weekday, one-night

Sunrise from the rest area after we left Hampton Inn in Wytheville, Virginia

Reservations, arrival, diamond perks

In 2016, we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in this area. I chose the Hampton Inn this time, as I was hoping to maintain my diamond status at Hilton. At check-in time, the app did not show any upgrades available. The day before, there were king rooms available on the top floor, and the afternoon on the day of our arrival these rooms were no longer showing. I called the hotel that afternoon to ask for help choosing a room. I asked if they could offer a diamond upgrade or a guestroom on the top floor. This hotel was apparently very busy, because this call took me almost half an hour (28 minutes)! I was on hold for 15 minutes, and then it took just about the same amount of time for the agent to assist me. Even though this took a long time, I was glad I waited. The agent was very thorough--checking my profile preferences, looking at available rooms, and explaining rooms she did not think I would like. She offered me a corner suite on floor two, which I gladly accepted. 

Call to Hampton Inn in Wytheville, Virginia

When we arrived, I received my choice of a beverage and a snack. 

Entrance to guestroom 202 in Hampton Inn in Wytheville, Virginia

East Lansing, Michigan: Hampton Inn

December 2022, weekday, one-night

Reservations, check-in, diamond perks

I reserved a king guestroom online, and that was the only guestroom choice available for check-in when I received the initial check-in notice the day before our stay. I contemplated calling the hotel, since Hilton perks say that room upgrades will be offered for diamond members 3 days before the stay, if available. I decided to wait, and when I checked again the morning of our arrival day, I saw we had been upgraded to a corner suite. I checked in on the app, choosing 4:00 PM as our arrival time, even though check-in at this hotel is 3:00 PM. That was a mistake on my part, because we ended up arriving in the area just before 3:00 PM, and our room was not ready yet. It was ready when we returned to the hotel shortly after 4:00 PM. We received two bottles of water from the front desk agent, after she asked if she could get me anything, like water or a snack.

King suite 400 in Hampton Inn East Lansing

King suite 400

This guestroom was spacious, and it was quiet. We did not hear any noise from outside the guestroom. Although the guestroom was clean and roomy, we did not think it was very comfortable, other than the work area. The desk chair was comfortable, and this area met my needs for working. The soft chair, and the sofa were both uncomfortable, and the bed was hard. If you like hard mattresses, and only want the room for working, you will probably love this room! I neglected to get a photo of the living room chair, and the work desk and chair, which were located at the left end of the sofa in the photo above. Photo #2 on the hotel website looks exactly like guestroom 400.

The kitchen area contained a coffeemaker with supplies, microwave, small fridge, and a sink. A closet and full length mirror were located in the hall area outside the bathroom.

Bathroom in suite 400 in Hampton Inn East Lansing

Sikeston, Missouri: Hampton Inn and more

May 2022, Weekday, one night

We had initially planned to stay at the Holiday Inn in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, and changed our stay to this hotel a few days before our arrival. We decided we wanted to travel a bit farther than Poplar Bluff before stopping for the night, and this hotel is fairly new.

Sunset from suite 429 in Hampton Inn in Sikeston, MO

Arrival and diamond perks

I booked a basic king guestroom, as the online photos showed a sofa in the guestroom. I decided to call the hotel after I received the email to check-in online, and the agent upgraded us to a suite. When we arrived, the front desk agent offered me a beverage and snack.

Entry in suite 429 in Hampton Inn in Sikeston, MO

Guestroom 429

This suite is on the top floor on the southwest corner of the building. Even though that is the end of the building closest to US-60, we were not bothered by traffic noise. The sunset view was excellent.

Suite 429 in Hampton Inn in Sikeston, MO

Texarkana, Arkansas: Hampton Inn and Suites

 May 2022, Weekdays, Two nights. King suite 426

Arrival and diamond perks

I booked a studio suite when I made this reservation because the rates were reasonable. I was glad I did, because there was some kind of issue with the guests checking in before me who had requested a suite when making the reservation, and were unable to get one. It sounded like the agent told them the hotel was almost full, although it did not seem like it was during our stay. Possibly, just the suites were taken. I chose guestroom 426 when I checked in via the app before our arrival. I stopped at the front desk to get a key for my husband, and the agent told me there were waters in the room for me.

Guestroom diagram on the back of door in
suite 426 in Hampton Inn & Suites, Texarkana, AR

Guestroom 426

This guestroom is located on the top floor at the end of the hall. It is spacious with a sofa, soft chair, and long desk/work area. Although the guestroom was comfortable, it was in need of an update. The furnishings and carpet showed signs of age and stains. Fortunately, there was extra bedding in the guestroom, as I was not comfortable sitting on the sofa without a clean sheet covering it. My apologies for not taking a photo of this area before I covered the sofa!

Furnishings in living room area of suite 426 in Hampton Inn & Suites, Texarkana, AR

The kitchen area near the entrance included a sink, microwave, small fridge, single serve coffeemaker with supplies, ice bucket, and two bottles of water. I think water may have been provided in all of the guestrooms, as I heard the front desk agent tell another guest the same thing he had told me, and he had not recognized my diamond status when he told me about the water. Bottled water was also provided in the fitness center, and the breakfast room.

Suite 426 in Hampton Inn & Suites, Texarkana, AR
Vanity area above; kitchen entry below

Englewood, Ohio: Hampton Inn & Suites Dayton Airport

November 2021, weekday, 1-night, king guestroom 402

Check-in and diamond perks

I checked in on the app, and chose room 402. I received two bottles of water when I arrived. I am glad Hilton is making the change to upgrade elite members before check-in, if available. I often wonder if it is better to choose my room on the app, or wait until I get to the hotel. This time, my choice of the end room may not have been the best choice.

Guestroom 402 in Hampton Inn & Suites Dayton airport 

King guestroom 402

Although this is an end top floor room, which is my preference, there were a couple of things that made it not my favorite choice. This guestroom has a connecting room door with room 404. This is visible in the guestroom diagram on back of the door. I am not sure if it is not designated as such on the app, or if I missed it when I chose my room. Also, this room is close to the expressway. Traffic noise does not usually bother me; however, it did this time. Fortunately, I was able to turn just the fan on in the guestroom without the heat or A/C to muffle the noise. I also needed the fan on because the air in the guestroom smelled musty and stale.

Guestroom diagram in room 402 in Hampton Inn & Suites Dayton airport 

The bed was comfortable and clean. The guestroom contained the usual items: flatscreen TV on an armoire, suitcase bench, work desk and chair, and single serve coffeemaker with supplies. I think it also had a microwave and small fridge; however, I did not take photos, so I am not certain.

Guestroom 402 in Hampton Inn & Suites Dayton airport 

Bedford, Pennsylvania: Hampton Inn & Suites

 October 20201, weekdays, two-nights, king suite 415

Arrival, check-in, diamond perks

I arrived after 6PM, and the agent prepared my key after I arrived. She asked if I wanted housekeeping during stayover, and she provided the breakfast times. She recognized my status, and then walked to the back room for two bottles of water. I received a guestroom on the top floor for the room type I had booked. The diagram on back of the door shows all of the guestrooms as the same size except the end one; 420 on my floor.

View from guestroom 415 at Hampton Inn Bedford, PA

Guestroom 415

This guestroom was spacious and comfortable. It is on the side of the building facing the turnpike, so there is traffic noise at all hours of the day. The traffic noise did not bother me, although the guest in room 417 the second night of my stay did. This person turned on their TV so loud at 3:30AM that it woke me up. After trying to cover it up for an hour (room fan, rain app, etc.), I ended up getting up early. Working while listening to the neighbor's TV was not any more pleasant than tying to sleep with it. I had thought the guestrooms were soundproof before this. Apparently, there was no guest in that room my first night, or s/he was very quiet.

Guestroom 415 in Hampton Inn Bedford, PA

There is a coffeemaker with supplies, a sink, and microwave in the entrance area across from the bathroom. There were also two closets in this area that contained the usual items: hangers, iron and board, extra bedding, and folding luggage rack.

Bathroom in guestroom 415 at Hampton Inn Bedford, PA

Mt. Pleasant, Michigan: Hampton Inn

March 2019, weekday, one-night, king studio guestroom 337

Diamond perks and check-in

This hotel has three diamond member parking spaces near the entrance, and two were available when we arrived. During check-in, the front desk agent offered me an item from the snack choices on the counter. We received an upgrade to a king studio on the top floor at the end of the hall, which is exactly my preference; I had booked a standard king guestroom.

Hampton Inn Mt. Pleasant guestroom 337

King studio 337

This spacious guestroom was clean, comfortable, well-lit, and the sleep quality was excellent. Our only minor disappointment with the guestroom was the small window. When we first entered, and observed drapes covering the entire outside wall, we were excited and expected a large window behind the drapes. The drapes gave the room an inviting feel, which turned to disappointment when we saw the small window. Not really that big of a deal, though--we otherwise absolutely loved this guestroom!

Hampton Inn Mt. Pleasant guestroom 337

Cadillac, Michigan / Hampton Inn

February 2019, Weekend, 1-night, King guestroom 427

Diamond perks and check-in

This hotel was very busy the night of our stay, and there was only one front desk agent working when we arrived. We waited about 5 minutes to check in, and then our check-in process was very quick. The agent recognized my status, and she offered a bottle of water and snack.

Guestroom 427

This guestroom is on the top floor on the north side of the building. If you complete online check in and choose your guestroom, I suggest this side of the building, as the view is scenic; whereas, the southern view looks over the main parking lot and businesses. 

Guestroom 427

Traverse City, Michigan / Hampton Inn

February 2019, 1-night, Weekend, king study guestroom #433

We previously stayed in this same guestroom March 2015, and you can find more details for the room and hotel in that blog post. This is a brief post with a bit of new information, and a reiteration of the fact that the hotel room diagram does not match the guestrooms. This is more clearly shown in my previous blog post.

Diamond perks and check-in

I did not intentionally try to stay in the same guestroom; that is just how it worked out. I had reserved a queen bed guestroom, and when I checked in online, I was able to choose any room type, so I chose a king study. Unfortunately, I had not read my previous blog post thoroughly before checking in, and I initially assigned myself guestroom 435, as that guestroom is closer to the end of the hall, and away from the traffic end of the building. After doing so, I recalled that the four end rooms are smaller guestrooms. I rechecked this information in my previous blog post, and then I called the hotel. The agent confirmed that the end guestrooms are smaller: numbers 434 - 437. She reassigned us to guestroom 433.

Diamond member bag received at check-in

This property has a designated parking spot for Diamond members, which was open when we arrived. Check-in was a breeze, as the front desk agent had everything ready for us, including a goody bag with some snacks.

Petoskey, Michigan / Hampton Inn & Suites

January 2019, Weekday, 1-night, King with whirlpool, microwave, fridge

Diamond perks and check-in

I called this hotel before arrival, because when I tried to check in, I was only able to access one guestroom choice on Floor 1, and I prefer a higher floor. The agent said that was because there are only 2 king spa guestrooms at this hotel, and there was already a guest in the [higher floor] guestroom. If you reserve this type of guestroom, and want a room on a higher floor, choose the room with a balcony. I did not reserve the balcony room because the cost was more (only $10, I think), and I did not think a balcony would matter much in the winter. If I had realized the non-balcony room is a room on the bottom floor, I would have made our reservation for a balcony guestroom. The front desk agent recognized my status during the telephone call, and during check-in. 

View from guestroom 120

Guestroom 120

When I had called while checking in, the agent told me this guestroom has a terrace, and it does not. There is another guestroom described as having a terrace, so I assume she misspoke, and was thinking of a different guestroom. Guestroom 120 is a basic guestroom with a whirlpool tub. Floor 1 is the level below the front desk, as this hotel sits on a hill. There is a partial view of the bay, which is not visible in the photo above because of the extreme winter weather conditions.

Kendallville and Auburn, Indiana / Hampton Inn

July 2018, Weekday, 1-night, Two-queen guestroom 305

Sunrise from Hampton Inn guestroom 305

For this trip, I initially wanted to stay at the Holiday Inn Express in Kendallville. I was unable to make a reservation online after July 17, 2018, so I called IHG to find out if the hotel was closing or what was happening. The employee I spoke with did not know anything. She transferred my call to someone at the hotel, who made my reservation. I provided my IHG member number, so I expected the reservation to show under my profile the next day. When it did not show up, I called the hotel back to ask direct questions. I found out the hotel was being transferred/purchased by a new chain. The person I spoke with said she thought it would be Choice Hotels, but did not know for sure. It seems like IHG would have known this property was leaving their brand. I decided to cancel my reservation in Kendallville a few days before July 17th, as the hotel still showed under the IHG profile, and it was not listed under Choice Hotels. When I drove by the hotel in Kendallville on my way to Auburn, Indiana, I saw that the hotel in Kendallville is now a Best Western.

Hampton Inn gold perks and Auburn check-in

I received my choice of two snacks when I checked in at the hotel. The room I was initially assigned was not on the top floor. My profile and special requests are for top floor, so I asked if there was a top floor room available. The employee said she did not have a king guestroom on the top floor, although there was a queen room available, so I said I would take that.

White House, Tennessee / Hampton Inn

December 2017, Weekend, 1-night, King guestroom 300

This post is a tad shorter than most with a bit less information, since it has been a few weeks since our stay.

Diamond perks and check-in

We had arrived in the evening after dark with takeout dinner. I received a bottle of water and the bonus points listed in my profile preferences. I inquired about the location of our guestroom, and I asked if there is a table with seating in the room. The agent said there is not a table in the guestroom, and she did not offer an upgrade. After we got the keys, we sat down in the lobby to eat before taking our luggage to to the guestroom.  

Guestroom 300

This is a basic guestroom on the top floor at the end of the hall. The only seating was a chaise lounge and the desk chair. The guestroom looked similar to the photos on the website. It is sufficient for one person; however, we would have preferred more room for the two of us. 

Guestroom 300

This past year, I have not experienced much of a benefit for being loyal to a hotel brand. This hotel was not very full, so it does not make sense to me why they would not give an upgrade to a Diamond member. It would have been nice to eat our dinner in the guestroom, and it would have been nice to be able to sit on a sofa together.

Independence, Ohio / Hampton Inn & Suites Cleveland/Independence

September 2017, Weekdays, 2-nights, King suite 220

Arrival and diamond perks

There are three diamond guest parking spots at this hotel, and I got the last one. My guestroom was ready when I arrived a bit before check-in time. I had not checked in online to choose my room, because the app was only showing me a room on the second floor, and I prefer to be on the top floor. During check-in, I learned that is because the only suite left was the one on the second floor. I have bonus points checked for my on-site amenity, and the front desk agent also offered me a bottle of water.

Sushi from nearby restaurant; info below

Guestroom 220

This guestroom is located near the elevator and center of the building. I did not hear a lot of noise from the elevator or guests in the hall, although I did hear the guests overhead (precisely why I always try to get a top floor room).

The suite was quite spacious. The open kitchenette and living area contained a small fridge, a table with two chairs, microwave, sink, sofa, footstools, table that slides under seat, flatscreen TV on an armoire, desk and chair, ice bucket with disposable cups, and a single-serve coffee maker with supplies. The coffeemaker was on the slide out shelf in the armoire; I had already moved it to the kitchen counter before I took the photos below.