Hampton Inn & Suites Marksville — Hotel in Marksville

I stayed at Hampton Inn & Suites Marksville from May 22-24, 2020. I have frequently stayed at this hotel with no complaints so when we had to travel because of family circumstances, I felt a little more confident. I read Hilton’s website and Hampton’s website about new safety precautions because of COVID19. I also called this Hampton Inn before arrival. I was told that they have increased sanitation measures and that housekeeping would not come in the room unless you needed something. There was no buffet, but they did make breakfast on the go bags that included a breakfast bar, water and fruit. The breakfast isn’t what we normally get at Hampton but that was fine. I was given a letter about this at check in but did not read until Saturday. It stated the same thing I was told over the telephone but listed breakfast times. When I arrived, I was assigned to room 334 which was a king suite. We had air condition problems, I called to the front and explained the room wasn’t getting cooler. I was informed the third floor had not been used recently because they painted the floor. Give the room time to cool down. About six, it was still warm. I called the front desk again. I was told to turn air on 70 or 71 and give it more time. By seven, I was perspiring. I called to the front and told them I could not take it and I don’t sleep well in warm temperatures. So the young man said he had another room down the hall that I could take. When I went out of the door, it was so warm in the hallway. When I got downstairs, I asked If I could move to a different floor because the floor was hot. He said he did not have any more suites available. I still had to submit some reports for work, so I needed the extra space the suite offered so we took room 303. When I entered room 303, it immediately felt better. I always sleep at 68 degrees at home. That night, it never got to 68 but I wasn’t miserable. Saturday morning, we got up early and went to Walmart and then dropped by family house. I saw my sister in law, who also had a room on the third floor, and she said she went by the front desk at 8:30 to get her bag and they told her it was too late. I told her that doesn’t sound right because breakfast is normally served later during the weekends. I read the letter and sure enough it said 6:00-8:00 am. That did not make sense to me. During normal operations, these are not the breakfast times. COVID19 should not have changed breakfast times. I questioned the man behind the front desk about the time. I asked could I have a bag anyway. He said they did not have anymore. I don’t know if he was telling the truth, but it doesn’t make sense. I don’t why wouldn’t they make bags for everyone and have them available until a normal breakfast time on all days they were guest? The next day, we left at 5am so we still did not get a bag. We still paid full price. On Saturday, when I got back to my room, house keeping had the door open. I never want cleaning when I stay in hotels. I was told no one would be in the room so I did not put the do not disturb tag on my door. I had my work documents out and my purse out. Nothing was missing but I had to go an sanitize everything again. This was my third time sanitizing. Too much. I was disappointed in Hampton this weekend. I don’t ask for much. I even accepted the spiderwebs behind the doors in both of my rooms. I cleaned the corners myself and...

Bottom line: Pay extra and just stay at Paragon. Otherwise, bring cleaning supplies for your room. The photos they have posted must be AT LEAST 10 years old. It does not look like that anymore.

I genuinely hate to leave a bad review, but I’d want to know these things before booking a stay here.

My experience: The Hampton Inn staff at the front desk were friendly. The coffee & breakfast in the lobby were fine. Unfortunately, the room and the property were not kept up or maintained well. Our room had mold in the bath tub and in the coffee maker. The microwave had old food dried on the inside of the door. The furniture surfaces were very dirty and dusty. The headboard had pretty large grease spots on it. Both lamp shades were broken. We had no ice bucket in our room. The pump soap provided in the shower ran out after 1 use (so obviously the pump bottle hadn’t been checked or refilled). The pool was unusable and smelly. Then there was the poor Louisiana flag (see photo). The grass was not cut, which was a nuisance when walking our dog. When the room and property are so poorly maintained, it honestly makes you wonder if the sheets and towels are even clean. The cleaning staff took many (many, many) smoke breaks right outside the back door, so it was easy to overhear them complaining about a guest who had reported an issue with their room. Tacky! My room key stopped working Saturday afternoon, so I couldn’t get back in the building. The front desk fixed it in no time, but it was still frustrating. Checkout is at 11am, so I asked for a late checkout on Sunday since my husband would finish his golf tournament at 2pm. He wanted time to shower after. Unfortunately, “late checkout” is 12pm. Considering the fact that check IN is 3pm, it was upsetting that they would not allow us to check out any later than 12pm. I hope the Regional Manager pays a surprise visit soon. This place needs a wake up call.

Overall - I don’t recommend...

The rooms are tiny and have a tiny amount of space for unpacking and storing clothing. The mattresses and pillows were in the lower end of average because of wear.

The luggage cart is nearly impossible to use. It was designed completely around the modern style decor and missed the mark for functionality. It's a battle to get the ridiculous luggage cart to fit in the elevator and again into the narrow hallway that leads into the room.

The room and all common areas were oddly styled but very clean. The decor reminded me of the house in Beetle Juice after the new couple renovated. It just doesn't work.

The local staff is the bright star of this hotel. We were impressed with the courteous front desk attendants, accommodating house keeping and delicious breakfast.

They really work hard to provide above average details for the normal breakfast buffet.

Waffle station: Vanilla or pumpkin flavored batter, mini chocolate chips, Nutella , sprinkles, whipping cream and various syrup options.

Popular cereal is available in prepackaged bowls.

The hot buffet included fresh biscuits, sausage gravy, eggs and sausage patties.

Creamy grits with options for adding grated cheese and real bacon pieces.

Beverages including fresh juices, milk, hot chocolate, hot tea and coffee. Extra touches such as flavored creamers and sweetener pleased our group.

There's also an assortment of fresh pastries and fruit along with yogurt.

I recommend this hotel in spite of the oddly designed decor completely because of the staff that makes it a pleasant stay. We appreciated the efforts they...