Hampton Inn & Suites Astoria — Hotel in Astoria

While this may be a bit lengthy, I believe it's important to provide as much detail as possible.

The hotel was fine. The room is a bit dated but reasonably clean. The front desk person was kind and accommodating. However, an employee responsible for the breakfast area should not interact with guests.

My family and I were checking out, but decided to have breakfast in the dining area before we leave. We spotted an empty table next to the TV and placed our belongings there. I couldn't help but notice a visibly agitated man heading toward a vacant table next to ours. He grabbed the remote from that table and slammed it onto the shelf in front of the TV. At the time, I was unaware that he was an employee responsible for the breakfast area. I was a bit confused as of why he did what he did but chose to ignore it and proceeded to grab breakfast with my family.

As we were getting food, I observed the same man addressing one of the guests in an exceedingly angry tone. He insisted that she use the tongs rather than a fork to serve herself because he couldn't be certain whether the fork had already been in her mouth. The guest said it was a new fork but apologized. He told her “Don’t do that again” and walked away. She appeared quite upset but didn’t respond.

I made my way over to the juice dispenser on the right side of the area, while my daughter and my wife were toasting muffins and making waffles on the left side. Suddenly, I heard a man's voice screaming, 'Put the tongs down!' Startled, I turned around and saw the same employee forcefully snatching the tongs from my daughter's hand and slamming it onto the tray in front of her. He then stormed off to the back, while saying the F word.

My wife looked at me in disbelief, and my daughter had teary eyes. I hurried over to my daughter to comfort her. After a moment, the same man returned to our area, and I decided to approach him to understand the situation

He appeared quite upset and explained to me that when guests simultaneously use all three appliances (toaster, waffle maker, and microwave) located next to each other, it trips the fuse, and he has to reset it. I suggested that he should inform his manager and consider putting up a sign, as guests wouldn't know about this issue. He responded by saying that the manager was already aware of the situation.

I then asked him why he had yelled at my daughter and forcefully taken the tongs from her hand. He simply stated that he had told her to put them down. I told him that he absolutely could not treat guests this way. My wife was becoming increasingly upset so I guided her away and requested that he walk away so we could finish getting the food, which he did.

I could hear other guests making comments about his behavior, and it seemed that they were also upset with this employee.

While we were having breakfast, I observed him moving back and forth between the dining area and the back room. He was slamming objects and continuing to display disrespectful behavior towards other guests. This employee is clearly unfit for customer-facing roles. His actions went beyond rudeness; he exhibited extreme aggression towards guests and a lack of self-control and emotional restraint. While it is possible he had a bad day, his behavior was unacceptable and reflects poorly on Hilton as a whole

I've traveled and stayed in hotels domestically and internationally and have never encountered or witnessed such behavior from a hotel employee. I've consistently enjoyed exceptional customer service at Hilton, which is why I usually opt for Hilton when traveling. Experiencing something like this at a Hilton-branded hotel is very...

Spacious room with two beds, well suited for the disabled traveler. Family - no teens. My mother (in her 70s) and me (disabled and in my 50s). We stayed in a two queen bed ADA wheelchair accessible room (though there is no roll-in shower, just a tub and you need to request a bath chair if you need to bathe). We were only staying one night, so I did not use the shower.

The room is excellent for a disabled traveler - it is spacious, with plenty of room on either side of the bed and in between the beds. The beds are also low enough to transfer from a wheelchair. There is also a huge desk (with drawers on either side to put clothing in if needed) in the middle of the room separating the beds from the small couch, chair, and ottoman. The TV is fairly normal sized and can be turned to watch from the seating area or the beds.

There is a small balcony and the room overlooks the Columbia River. Travelers note: the sea lions bark incessantly and while the room is well sound proofed, you can hear them. Earplugs are offered to guests at the front desk if they want them. It is a pet and family friendly hotel, so be prepared as you will hear people in the hall and anyone in the room above you.

There is a mini refrigerator, microwave, sink (and a roll of paper towels) area by the door so you can bring your own food and drinks. The large desk area can be used as a table for eating, a place to put your suitcases, or whatever you want. There is a very large closed (the door to the closet is a floor to ceiling mirror.

Caveats for disabled travelers (especially if traveling alone): the door to the room is heavy (as most hotel room doors are) and there is a large (unnecessary, in my opinion) door to the bathroom that when opened blocks full wheelchair access to the toilet. You have to roll into the bathroom, close enormous door, and then go to the toilet. It would be much better if that door wasn't there at all, honestly. The toilet does not have a lid and all of the towels are on shelving ABOVE the toilet, really difficult to access if you are wheelchair user and have to reach up and behind you while sitting on the toilet. Also, with no cover on the toilet every time the toilet is flushed it is spewing on the "clean towels" on the shelves above it. Not ideal. I recommend moving any towels you are going to use to a drawer.

The staff were all friendly and helpful. There is handicapped parking right next to the entrance (though note it is better to unload under the covered by the entrance, as there is no covered parking at this location - and we were there when it was raining...

Let me start my negative review by saying that almost everything about our stay was actually wonderful. The staff were very friendly, the rooms were clean, and the location overlooking the water is stunning.

But here's the thing. We're in the middle of a global pandemic, and the Hilton brand has strong messaging about their commitment to guest safety. This hotel is not abiding by those guidelines nor by Oregon state law.

Many staff are not wearing masks or face coverings. There are signs posted everywhere asking guests to do so, in compliance with state law, and yet I counted more than 10 occasions in 24 hours of staff members not wearing face coverings of any kind. This was true at the front desk, where multiple staff members were standing right next to each other behind hanging plexiglass. Perhaps the glass gives some protection to guests, but the multiple staff members behind it are not protected from each other. We also watched the front desk staff walk around the plexiglass, maskless, and out through the lobby past guests. Three times we saw housekeeping staff without masks, including twice while inside guest rooms cleaning. That does not lend confidence to the supposed sanitation of the rooms.

We also observed the staff not enforcing mask-wearing for guests. I watched a family of 3 walk maskless past the front desk, greet the staff, and continue out with no one asking them to wear masks. I know there was likely no medical exemption involved, given they were carrying masks in their hands.

It is incredibly disheartening to pick a hotel brand based on their claim to have such high standards of covid-19 safety, and then arrive to find such safety practices not actually in place. Even worse is that I brought the issue up the night of our arrival. The front desk staff promised to ensure staff were wearing masks, but the next morning the same staff members were not.

We love Hampton Inns, especially this one, but will not be back at any Hampton until we are assured Hilton policy and public health laws are being followed, for the safety of our family and all guests, as well as that...