Hampton Inn & Suites St. Petersburg/Downtown — Hotel in Saint Petersburg

I stayed (am staying) at the Hampton Inn (Downtown St. Pete) in June 2012 for the Front End Design Conference, and it has been an excellent stay. I will totally stay here again next year if I can make it back for the conference.

I roomed with a colleague, so we got a room with two queen beds. The beds were fine to sleep on -not like my bed at home of course, but had a great night sleep just the same. The room has a nice desk and chair for a working space, a TV (which I didn't really use at all), and a microwave and fridge (#winning). AND there is complimentary WIFI, which is crucial for me.

The staff was helpful and friendly as far as I interacted with them. Also, there is a decent outdoor pool on the second floor, and a small weightroom with a couple treadmills, a bike, and a bench with free weights.

One of my favorite touches was the evening beer, wine, and appetizer selection from 5 - 7. The appetizers were legit! They had crackers and cheese, a veggie tray, and then this amazing fried pockets with cheese and veggies in them.

I was also thrilled with the continental breakfast which had TONS of selections, including fresh fruit, cereal, hard boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, oatmeal, etc. The food aspect is a big deal for me personally because it means I got to save some money on eating out (or at least save money for my company), and it's convenient.

The hotel is also located right along beach street, the other side of which is the pier.

They even called me this evening (my last night) to ask if there was anything that could be done to make my stay better. I said I didn't really think there was.

OH - and the AC units are actual, working units (as opposed to the fake ones that a lot of hotels are using these days).

Hope this doesn't come across as a paid endorsement or something - just love to give glowing reviews when I legit have an excellent experience. So this was def one of those...

I’m a bit surprised by the good reviews for this hotel. We’ve been staying at Hilton for years and this one was the poorest one we’ve stayed at. The cleaning staff decided not to clean our room when we asked it to be cleaned at 8:30 am, again at 3pm and at night. We asked for clean towels and had to go down and get them ourselves. I asked the lady who came the next day why it wasn’t cleaned the day before when we asked a few times and she was shocked it was never cleaned. She said her coworker was assigned to clean it and thought she did.

One thing I noticed every-time I stepped into an elevator with a cleaning staff already in it, every floor was pushed and we would have to stop at every floor. I’m guessing it was their break to be on their phone.

The fitness room AC didn’t work at all. The pool guy shut down the pool in the middle of a hot day with people laying out to clean it. Not sure why it wasn’t done in the morning or when no one was at the pool. The hot breakfast was awful as it all tasted fake. The room AC was so loud when it kicked on. The AC unit from upstairs dripped noise on the window sill so when our AC kicked off all your heard was loud dripping. Not sure if it’s the area and all hotels are like this but our room was always humid. Living in Florida we get the humidity but not usually indoors.

The positives I did see was the valet staff who were excellent and on top of things. Location was really good. The bed was comfortable. Coffee was good. The front desk staff did refund one nights stay for not getting our room cleaned.

Not in line with Hilton and we will not be staying at this location...

I stay at Hampton Inns quite often. This location is excellent.

The staff here are super. The front desk, the breakfast buffet, and the valet staff were all outstanding. I know many of us are still a little uneasy traveling around during these COVID times, but the staff here wore masks at all times and were extremely courteous and helpful.

The location of the hotel can't be beat. I didn't know there were so many restaurant options so near, but the big plus is that there is a CVS and a Publix within easy walking distance. If you are a walker, this is a good location to be in. The St. Pier is very near and you can walk along the shore (sidewalks). There is also a nice neighborhood nearby where you can walk. Having Publix right there was great, so we got Publix subs for dinner one night.

The breakfast buffet was well organized and well stocked. I've stayed at Hampton Inns for multiple days many times, and there is a rotation of breakfast items so you don't have the exact same thing every day. Again, kudos to the kitchen staff for doing such an outstanding job here.

My negatives are that you have to pay for parking, but I understand they are in a prime location, so it's sort of logical that parking would not be free. Also, the price of the hotel room was a little bit more than I expected to pay for a hotel room, but we live in a period with inflation, so what do I know? (What is a normal price with a worldwide pandemic going on???)

In sum, I truly enjoyed my stay here. I'll be back, but I hope to catch this hotel at a time when the room prices are a little bit lower.

Another great...