Hampton Inn & Suites Saratoga Springs Downtown — Hotel in City of Saratoga Springs

Annual review of Hampton Inn @ Saratoga It is time again for my yearly review of the Hampton Inn @ Saratoga – This hotel opened in 2008 and according to my memory I have stayed there for a visit every racing season (not the entire season) for about the last 10 years (less 2020 pandemic season). Used to stay at the Holiday inn The best feature of the Hampton Inn is the location – Perfectly situated within all attractions. The racetrack is about a 30-minute walk as well as Skidmore College which is about 30-minute walk. The heart of Saratoga Springs is Broadway, and this hotel is a 1-minute walk from all restaurants and shops. Nightlife on Caroline Street is as close as you would want it to be without disturbing your stay. Parking is $12 per day in the indoor garage. There is also street parking and city parking lots across the street. The farmers market every Wednesday & Saturday is a short walk from the front entrance. Being this hotel is only 15 years old it seems strange that it has many maintenance issues. Being a part of the Hilton chain is appears routine maintenance and staff, were cut, to trim expenses and maximize profit since the racing season is the peak tourist season. Stayed in room 426 for 1 week this season. The room itself was pleasant but some minor issues that would be fall under routine maintenance. The toilet handle giggles and if one did not notice the water would run constantly, the shower also the handle was loose and had many stains and mold building up, as well as the rust buildup on the shower slide that made closing and opening the shower doors a bit difficult. The room could use a deep carpet and wall cleaning. Hopefully the cleaning is done before next racing season. There is also no clock in the room, I personally don’t have my iPhone always attached to my hand. Room Cleaning – is only done on request and for stays of 4 + days, it is best to request any towels and toiletries and leave any garbage outside your door when going out for the day. As for the other hotel amenities Breakfast is served 6-10 AM – normal reheated fare – It seems to alternate days for the food – Eggs (scrambled and cheese fold over omelet), Grits / Oatmeal, Potatoes, hard boiled eggs Bacon/ Sausage (some non-pork), cold cereals, yogurt, and juices. The best part is the make you own Waffles. The fresh fruit sometimes does not appear as fresh some days. Plenty of coffee and teas. There are also too go bags if you are short of time There was a beautiful guest reception on Thursday nights (this was custom before the pandemic on Wednesday and Thursday nights) Hot catered foods and well and shrimp cocktails. Soda and water, no alcoholic beverages worth the time to stay at the hotel instead of venturing out to the local scene. Pool – The indoor pool and whirlpool was relaxing but needed some repairs (regular maintenance seemed to be missed) The whirlpool timer and temperature gauge was out of order and could not be shut off. Since there is no longer a clock on the wall it is hard to determine how long one was in the whirlpool (I don’t carry my phone near water). There are ceiling holes above the pool that could cause debris to fall on to a patron or into the pool. Paint peeling around windows and rust along bathroom doors. Lobby – Roof leaking in seating area Since racing season is the peak season for the area rates will be above average for any accommodations. With possible expansion of the racing season in the next 2 years and in the future, it may go higher. Might have to try The Embassy next trip, but that hotel is also un the Hilton...

We recently stayed at the Hampton in Saratoga Springs, for five days.

1994: We started going upstate for the racing. We made the rookie mistakes - the whacky group bus tour from Queens N.Y., staying at the creepy hotel outside Albany; then The Old Wreck Hotel on South Broadway (trucks hitting potholes at 3 a.m. - 25 feet from your pillow!).

1996: We hooked up with a great B&B where we stayed for years - until the always-obnoxious owner fired the manager (who, each year, was doing a perfect job). Outrageous! No more (we conservatively estimate that losing our business in the long run so far has cost him @ $10,000. Good. I'm sorry it wasn't $100,000).

Next: Relocated to another B&B. Then last year was our first Saratoga Springs chain hotel (not the Hampton), where we were forced to stay after the B&B was sold overnight to private owners just four weeks prior to the Travers.

The experience was depressing. The staff was quite decent, but why do chains have to be so inherently mediocre? (at the same time that this particular chain was charging a premium rate).

So we weren't enthusiastic about the Hampton - simply because it was Another Chain. But we were pleasantly surprised & enthusiastically recommend it to people looking for a place to stay in Saratoga Springs.

Their staff was completely professional AND warm. Examples: When our AC unit went into overdrive on our first night, making unacceptable noise, their maintenance men the next morning were personally offended that this happened & replaced the entire unit pronto.

Then when the replacement machine ceased to cool the room, that problem was tackled the next morning by another competent repairman (a sensor had burned out).

He fixed it. wrote a nice note & left it on the table, explaining what had gone wrong & apologized on behalf of the entire hotel staff for the inconvenience. Not a single obsequious word was written, which was just as nice as getting the problem solved. He really meant it.

Note: The hotel itself is perfectly soundproofed (it's probably the most solidly built building in Saratoga since City Hall was erected), so don't worry about the noise from the Broadway & Caroline Street bands & bars not faraway, which cranks up on the summer weekends.

When you close the terrace door (ours faced west, towards Broadway), the noise is shut out, completely. The only better place for peace & quiet would be stringing up a hammock overnight in the two-foot thick white marble-walled vault of the Adirondack Trust Company on Broadway. But I don't think the bank manager would go for this arrangement, no matter how generous the tip you'd be willing to give him. Besides, who knows if their A/C works?

Enjoy your stay at the Saratoga Springs Hampton...

Hampton Inn is always a good place to stay, and the Saratoga Springs location didn't disappoint. The rooms were very clean and, for the most part, well kept. there were a few issues during our stay, but all of them were taken cared of properly and to our satisfaction. We had a balcony room with a view of the police precinct, not the ideal view but it was nice to have some fresh air in the room. There is some construction next to he hotel, a little loud, but it was not an issue at night. They have a small indoor swimming pool with a hot tub. Keep in mind you need to make reservations ahead of time to get access to the pool area. Due to the covid pandemic, they limit the access to 10 people max. If you ask in the front desk, they will let you make the reservations a day before (towels are provided). Breakfast is limited to take out or indoors if you keep your distance. We chose to eat in our room, but the menu was rather small without many options. Nevertheless, it was good for a quick bite for the morning breakfast. Overall, it was a good experience, my kids and family loved the place and enjoyed the few restaurants recommended by the staff. We would definitely recommend this place to anyone to stay. Note: Sadly we had a car incident in the parking lot, someone had hit our rear bumper overnight and did not leave a message on the window. Unfortunately, the cameras were not able to pick up the culprit and I had to spent an hour writing a police report (having the precinct across the street was very convenient). To my surprised, I learned the hotel is not responsible for the damages (I spoke with the manager) and he refused to write an accident report saying it was unnecessary. A little bump on the road in our trip, the good thing about this, was the quick response from the police department in Saratoga Springs, it was very efficient and the officer was very helpful...