Hampton Inn & Suites Albany-Downtown — Hotel in City of Albany

I stayed at this hotel while I attended my daughter’s graduation from Albany University this past weekend.When I went to check in, I inquired about the parking as I noticed there was a parking lot in the back of the building and one directly across the street. As I inquired I was told that the parking lot in the back was $16 and the one across the street was $10 and I was advised by the receptionist at the desk named Abdul to park in the parking lot across the street as we were allowed to because we were staying at the hotel, pay at the machine and place the receipt in the windshield of my car, which I did. The next morning I woke up and checked out and went to the parking lot only to discover my car was gone. When I inquired with the folks that owned the church that the lot was attached to, I was told that I wasn’t allowed to park there so my car was towed. When I called the tow company , the said I had to pay $190 CASH only to receive my car. I was infuriated. When I went back into the hotel and spoke with the day time receptionist, he kept saying that he didn’t know why I was instructed to park there and he was trying to reach the general manager who apparently owns the place, he called and texted Mr. Mohamed Hemmid who never answered any of the calls or text. I was able to get the manager’s number and called several times myself and he never answered or called back. When I went to pick up my vehicle, the guy had all of my info already filled out on the paper and ready for me to sign which was strange since he didn’t know me and shouldn’t have know any of my info or which vehicle was mine, since I wasn’t the only vehicle towed. I was able to speak with 2 other guests that stayed here who faced the same situation and it appears as though this may all be a scam with hotel and the tow company Osborne Towing in Albany. I am reporting this hotel to the BBB and my company’s website for it to be immediately removed, as I am an airline employee and my company offers this hotel on its site to us at a reduced price. I am still attempting to reach the manager to be refunded my $190 but he still isn’t answering or responding. This place is horrible, do not go here as you will be scammed! Also there’s some reviews on the tow company that suggests that they are criminals and needs to be out...

Truly a horrible experience...

I told myself I would not rate negatively based on the Valet parking situation... That was until I saw what it really was. "Valet" means moving your car roughly 20ft from where you drop it off. The parking lot is literally right behind the hotel. To make matters worse, upon checking out of the hotel, the Valet did not retrieve my car. He handed me my keys and I had to get it myself.

The parking situation alone was enough to prevent me from ever returning to this location. Luckily everything downtown was within walking distance, so we didn't need our car that night.

There are other hotels in the area that have free parking. I only chose the Hampton due to its proximity to the Palace Theater. Next time, I will opt to walk or Uber to the show.

Now, onto the rooms...

Our first room (yes, first..) was a King Studio on the 10th floor. We arrived in our rooms and my wife began to get ready for the show we were in town to attend. After using the sink, she realized she could not shut it off. I called the front desk and they sent the maintenance man to repair it. He turned the handle clockwise - then counter clockwise - then clockwise again - until it finally shut off... he then stated "I dont know why it does that!", before leaving our room. Within 10 minutes, I was placing another call to the front desk because our shower would not turn on... This time, I asked for a new room.

The front desk was kind enough to "upgrade" us to a smaller room on the 3rd floor. This room had to be at least half the size of the first room. Within 5 minutes of entering this room, I was on the phone with the front desk because the shower in this room was not working either.

We finally moved to another small room on the 9th floor. Luckily all of the plumbing worked. The rooms were not very comfortable, but at that point, we just needed a place to get ready.

All in all, there are better options in the area. Maybe our visit was a fluke, but if you want a hassle-free stay, don't take a chance...

My family needed a pet friendly hotel and this was the nicest and most affordable one we found. Check in was pleasant and the staff was very nice. Carts are available for luggage. We were given access to the parking lot via our room key so we never needed valet and were able to come and go with ease. The hotel is clean, well lit (I’m big on light sources) and had hand sanitizing stations strategically placed around the ground floor. The lobby is airy offered access to the parking lot, conference rooms and a business center for printing or computer needs. There is a coffee station and a snack area, along with the continental breakfast station.

Which, by the way, was great. Breakfast is offered from 6-10am but really got going by about 6:30. We made waffles and had choices of omelettes, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, toast and cereal and a few other options. The combination open dining/casual meeting/lounge area had multiple seating options from counter high seating, two seat intimate tables, some one-sided curved booth style seating to casual lounge seating. There is a wall mounted tv in the lounge seating area.

The elevators are secured as to only allow customers access to the floor they’re booked on. The floors are well carpeted and all available rooms have a certified sanitized sticker on the door.

We booked a double Queen and it was really nice. The beds were comfortable and pillows just right, not too soft or too firm. There was a desk with built-in outlets and a good office style chair. I was even able to participate in my zoom after we settled in and had a nice background with the curtains, neutral walls and evening light from the window. We could control the air to blow a/c or fan. The bathroom was stocked and the water pressure was everything.

I would come here even if I didn’t have a pet but since I do this hotel will be my goto every time I visit Albany in the next four years as my son attends the...