I arrived at a particular Hampton Inn hotel property recently. While I was checking in for the night, I noticed a small blackboard near the front desk which called this hotel property “historic”. Why is this Hampton Inn historic? I still do not know.
Why Is This Hampton Inn Historic? Hotel Review.
The hotel property in question is the Hampton Inn Columbia-I-26 Airport in South Carolina. It is certainly an older Hampton Inn — but it does not seem to be historic.
The words on the aforementioned blackboard were as follows:
Welcome to the
Historic
Hampton InnHot
complimentary
breakfastmon-fri – 6:30 – 9:30am
Sat & Sun-6:30 – 10:00amTHANK YOU!!
By the way, I have never seen a number 3 used as an ampersand before.
The person behind the front desk who was checking me in to the hotel property for the night could not answer my question. “Maybe this hotel is so old that it qualifies as historic?” I asked. We both had a good laugh about that.
The corridor to the two elevators is the narrowest which I have ever seen. It is slightly wider than two floor tiles — and it seemed to be approximately double the width of a typical aisle aboard an airplane. The hallway to the room was ordinary but nice, clean, and illuminated well.
The flat screen television in the room displayed a welcome message for me.
The bed was reasonably comfortable. Night tables were built into the wall on each side of the bed, with an alarm clock on one side and a telephone on the other side. Curiously, one side had a table lamp; while the other side had a lamp built into the wall.
What was weird was that the other side of the bed was somewhat messy. It appeared that the member of the housekeeping staff who attended to it did not finish. Also, the room was hot upon entering it, as the thermostat on the wall did not seem to work properly.
Speaking of not finishing, I have never walked into a hotel room and seen the cushion of a chair upright. Perhaps this part of housekeeping had not been completed either?
The floor lamp next to the desk did not have a light bulb in it. I tried adjusting the temperature on the climate control unit; but that did not help to cool the room either.
Behind the chair was one of the most bizarre closets that I have ever seen — similar to the closet at the Hampton Inn Concord-Kannapolis hotel property in North Carolina. Are these the typical closets in rooms at Hampton Inn hotel properties in North Carolina and South Carolina?
In the “closet” were six hangers, a plastic laundry bag, and an ironing board. A closer look shows wiring for the lighting of the “closet” that appears to be installed haphazardly…
…as further evidenced by the use of some sort of tape which was not electrical tape. I am not an electrician; but do wonder how safe is this wiring. Could this be a fire hazard?
Even the structure of the “closet” itself did not appear to be installed correctly or finished properly. A portion of an electrical wire can be seen “peeking” above the top.
The room was not all that large. A black square ottoman of sorts, a microwave oven, assorted tea, coffee, mugs, condiments, and an ice bucket all were included in the room.
At least I did receive two complimentary bottles of water, which I promptly placed in the refrigerator. A Holy Bible that was placed by The Gideons was strangely found in one of the wire basket drawers inside of the unit.
The Bathroom
The bathroom was that of a typical Hampton Inn hotel property; but it was quite small.. A mirror was installed on the wall above the vanity, which included a bar of ZERO/o soap, a shower cap, a small bottle of blue mouthwash, a packet of makeup remover, and a box of tissues.
Adjacent to the vanity were an adequate number of assorted sizes of towels, a toilet that flushed too slowly, toilet paper, a bath tub with an adjustable shower head, and a hair dryer in a bag which was hanging from one of three hooks on the wall between the bath tub and the door to the bathroom.
Installed in the wall above the bath tub were bulk dispensers of shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel — all manufactured by ZERO/o.
On the mirror was the following notice:
For your comfort, housekeeping services are
provided every other day during your stay.Make
BedReplenish
AmenitiesReplace
TowelsEmpty
TrashNeed anything else? Call or message
Guest Services, and we’ll be happy to assist!While we value your privacy, please note that we
reserve the right to enter the room if the need arises.
Problems With the Room
The drain in the bath tub had discoloration around it; while hair was above the drain in the sink.
I do not even want to think about what happened to the base of this floor lamp behind the chair — but it appeared to be incredibly disgusting.
The finishes around the room — such as on this handle on the vanity in the bathroom — were showing significant wear and tear.
Were these burns from cigarettes — or did the edge of this desk suffer from a different malady?
In addition to the burns from cigarettes, stains were found around the room.
The popcorn ceiling had cracks in it.
Breakfast included a waffle iron to create your own waffles, oatmeal, one hot breakfast item, yogurt, dry cereal, and assorted “juices” that were watered down significantly — as well as a few other items and condiments. The breakfast at this particular hotel property was not as plentiful — nor was the food as good — as what is found at a typical Hampton Inn hotel property.
Views From The Room
The views from the room were not very good.
In addition to the parking lot of the hotel property itself, the views mainly comprise of the interchange between Interstate 26 and United States Highway 378…
…as well as trees and other buildings in the area.
Overhead highway signs directing traffic from Interstate 26 to United States Highway 378 east towards Lexington and west towards West Columbia.
No Hampton Inn Guarantee Invoked — Or Even Found
During my stay of one night, I received the following text message:
Welcome to Hampton Inn Columbia-I-26 Airport, Mr. Cohen. Thank you for being a valued Hilton Honors Diamond member. We are elated to have you! Please let us know how we assist you during your stay. -Xxxxxxxx
I responded with a text about my stay. I never received a response. I informed the person behind the front desk about the issues which I experienced during my stay. Nothing was done.
Hampton Inn once had a 100% satisfaction guarantee that quietly disappeared a few years ago. Now no guarantee seems to exist at all.
Final Boarding Call
This Hampton Inn hotel property may or may not be historic — but it will be remembered…
…and not in a good way, as it would be hysterical instead of historic if the stay was not so bad. Although members of the staff were nice, polite, and friendly, I unfortunately cannot recommend staying at this hotel property when in Columbia. The issues which I experienced were never resolved; and many better choices of lodging are available nearby.
The total cost for the room for one night was $121.40 in United States dollars, including all taxes and fees. I thought that was overpriced for what I received.
This hotel property — which is conveniently located off of Interstate 26 and not far south of Interstate 126 — has no fitness center. I did not use the outdoor swimming pool.
Hampton Inn Columbia-I-26 Airport
1094 Chris Drive
West Columbia, South Carolina 29169
United States of America
1-803-791-8940
Free parking is available.
All photographs ©2024 by Brian Cohen.
