Traveling south for the kid’s Basic Training graduation, we took a night at the end to go visit some friends up in Spartanburg. Not wanting to pile all of us into their home, I booked rooms nearby at the Hampton Inn Spartanburg-North I85. The night we stayed there was plagued by rain. We arrived there in rain, it rained all night, and it was still drizzling when we left in the morning. The photos show a bright-looking beautiful building, but in the dreary weather, much of that was lost on us. It’s in an area with a number of restaurants, although we didn’t try them as we were having dinner over at our friend’s house.
Located not far off exit 78 of I85, it was easy on and off from both directions.
CHECK IN & ROOM
Many of the Hampton Inns right now are undergoing renovations with a new lobby and breakfast area design. The day we arrived I looked around and asked the woman at the desk about it. She said they had just finished it that day, as in the last of the new furniture had arrived that morning. The result is a bright lobby and a much less crowded breakfast area with plenty of seating.
Our room was typical Hampton Inn. Two queen beds in the room with the great Cloud Nine bedding. I swear it feels sometimes like there’s no comforter on me, yet I stay warm. The new plasma television got plenty of stations to keep us entertained for the brief time we were actually in the room.
The bathroom was clean and spacious as well. There was a coffee-maker on the counter-top along with the usual shampoo, conditioner, lotion, etc. There were plenty of towels for the three of us. My morning shower was hot and I had no problem with water pressure.
We slept good in the room which seemed to be at the back of the hotel furthest away from the road. Even with the rain pouring down, there was no outside noise to keep us awake.
AMENITIES
The Hampton Inn Spartanburg-North I85 has an outdoor pool, so it wasn’t open in February. That was my one disappointment at two of the hotels I stayed at on this trip. Even “the south” can sometimes be too cold to swim a good chunk of the year and you’d think they would have their pools indoors.
When we arrived, there were fresh cookies at the desk along with 24 hour coffee, tea & hot chocolate nearby. The teenager traveling with us made use of the Fitness Center after we came back from our visit and said it was fine. Most Hamptons now have three pieces of equipment: an elliptical machine, a stairmaster, and a treadmill.
I didn’t use the business center, but the in-room wifi had a good signal and is complimentary.
The breakfast in the morning was good. With the new design, there’s plenty of room to move around even when it’s crowded. It was pretty empty as we were down there first thing. The food seemed very fresh although I just had some cereal, a pastry & juice. There were also hot items available as well as a waffle station, yogurt, bagels, bread, muffins, fruit, and fresh oatmeal. I’m kind of over Hampton Inn coffee, preferring to stop at Starbucks or elsewhere.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Our bill wasn’t under the door but available at the desk. Everything was fine. All of the staff we encountered was friendly and talkative.
I’d have no problem staying here again if I were visiting friends in the area. I wouldn’t use it as much more than a place to sleep, especially in the winter, since there’s not as much to do with it only having an outdoor pool. The recent renovations add a lot to the place. Our room was very clean and I had no issues with it, including no noise issues.
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