Hampton Inn Columbia SC/Fort Jackson - Great Graduation Stay

When my one kid was scheduled to graduate Basic Training at Fort Jackson in February of 2013, I immediately made a reservation at the Hampton Inn Columbia SC/Fort Jackson.  It was nearly a brand-new hotel at the time, having just opened within the last six months.

LOCATION & CHECK IN

The Hampton Inn Columbia SC/Fort Jackson is conveniently located to the base.  It is just off of Exit 9 of I-77.  Getting to the hotel was easy.  Getting off of the street it was on and back on to I-77 was a bit more difficult.  I hope they put a traffic light in at the end of the street soon.  It is convenient to many restaurants in the area as well.

The night we arrived was just after “Family Day” at the base.  I had a problem with my debit card I had reserved this on earlier in the month.  They tried to authorize the card and when it was declined, they called my workplace and got an authorization from them.  However, we just switched it to my new card once I arrived there.  Be warned that on busy nights such as events like this at Fort Jackson they will likely try to authorize your credit card and if it’s declined you could find yourself without a room when you arrive.

ROOM

Our room had 2 queen beds in it.  There was plenty of room for the 3 of us for 2 nights.  Even with our luggage.  The beds had the Hampton Cloud 9 bedding on them which I love.  It feels like there is no bedding on you while you sleep, yet I am snuggled in comfort.  The television was a flat-panel with enough stations to keep us entertained while we were in the room, including cartoon and family stations.  There were drawers beneath it for clothing although we lived out of our luggage.  The refrigerator in the room did come in handy as we ordered in both evenings after coming back from the base and had a place to keep leftovers.  Our room overlooked the interstate, although this isn’t a place you go to for the views.

The bathroom was comfortable and spacious.  Hair dryer that worked fine, coffee maker on the counter with a selection of shampoo, conditioner, lotion, soap, etc. The shower pressure was good even in the morning when there were likely so many people getting ready at the same time to head out to graduation.

AMENITIES

Hampton offers a complimentary breakfast with their rooms and this is pretty uniform throughout the chain.  I was kind of disappointed they didn’t have grits instead of oatmeal, this being the south, but otherwise this was fine. The selection of hot items is decent – you are getting food that comes frozen in bags and is reheated so it’s pretty much the quality you expect.  Other than the hot items there was bagels, muffins, pastry, cereal, yogurt, fruit, and a waffle station.  Even on the morning of graduation there was plenty of food out and plenty of seating.

The indoor pool was nice if a little cool in February.  I couldn’t bring myself to get in above my waist although my son enjoyed it just fine.  The biggest disappointment was no Jacuzzi.  I was so looking forward to soaking in it, as was our soldier the afternoon after graduation when he came back to the hotel with us.

Wifi internet access was complimentary and the speed was also fine.  There was a shop near the desk to grab snacks and drinks as well.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This being a brand-new hotel it was in fine shape.  All of the staff we encountered was courteous, despite it being a time when events such as graduation put a strain on them.  They had recommendations for food for us both nights.  The place was comfortable and inviting, with a good location.  The only issues we had were really minor, being getting back to the interstate from the street (something they can’t control) and the lack of Jacuzzi.