Hampton Inn Portland-Airport - Hotel in South Portland - 171 Philbrook Ave, USA

My wife and I stayed at the Hampton Inn and Suites 171 Philbrook Ave Portland during the month of July 2024. My wife is a Hilton Honors member and since 2015 we haven't stayed with any other hotel chain remaining loyal to Hampton Inn. But that changed after this last trip. We have noticed a decline in Hampton Inn and Suites for quite some time now, but this time sealed the deal for us. We will never again stay at a Hampton Inn and Suites. Our gripes include the lack of towels in the rooms upon arrival and after requesting more, the lack of response. This wasn't the first time we have run into this issue, which has prompted us to pack our own towels before leaving home. The breakfast area has also declined in recent years, and there is nothing truly notable to report other than we now bring our own breakfast with us. The only thing we get from the lobby in the morning is coffee. So....for $300 a night we supply our own towels and breakfast items from home. We are no longer recognized as Hilton Honors members at check-in or when making a reservation. Usually the outdoor appearance of the hotel is clean but this time the garbage can adjacent to the electronic door was full to overflowing and there was a squirrel rooting through it. We checked in after 2 and it was clear the garbage had been there for awhile. We've reached our limit and will now look elsewhere for places to stay when traveling.

Free breakfast? Sure, as long as you are looking for mildly warm bread or a yogurt. No eggs, no bacon, waffle iron was broken, there was cereal but no milk. And breakfast was by far the best thing about this hotel. Rooms smelled like a locker room. AC cooled the room to 80 at best, and it was 70 outside! Key machine didn’t work so someone had to walk you to your room to let you in. Cleanliness was mediocre at best. TV was a nice model in 1997. The only possible reason to stay there could be the airport shuttle, but that too was inoperable. This hotel is genuinely horrible in every possible way.

My concerns are generally two fold. First the state of the facility and secondly the service provided by the team working at the hotel. We booked this hotel as the end stay for a week in Maine. Our goals were to have a comfortable place to relax in our last 3 (or 2 as was the case for my sister's family), facilities for swimming and hot tubbing for ourselves and our children and to be close to the airport to allow transportation to the airport on our day home. Hotels in general were expensive in Portland, Maine. The cost of the Portland Airport Hampton Inn was not the cheapest, nor the most expensive, but it seemed to provide what we needed so we booked the facility on the Hilton Honors program and prepaid $859.51 for our 3 night stay. Unfortunately the hotel and its team met none of those expectations. In general, the hotel is in a poor state of repair. The furniture in common spaces is old, nicked and stained. There is construction on the way to the pool/exercise area and guest staff gave no instructions for how to get to this area when we arrived. They did not disclose that the hot tub does not have hot water, in fact is colder than the pool! After our first trip to the pool area and upon realizing this to our dismay, we went to talk to the front desk staff. Their response was that the hot tub had water in it so it was functional. This makes no sense. There does not seem to be any attempt to fix this, as we were at the hotel 3 days and used the pool each day and never saw any repair persons there. Additionally we saw the same cleaning cart with dirty water and cleaning supplies sitting just outside the doors to the pool and exercise area, not appearing to have been used any of the 3 days we visited. (This was substantiated by the huge pile of dirty towels overflowing the basket in the pool area). Other guests would arrive at the pool area ready to relax in the hot tub and we would have to warn them that it was a very cold pool. They too had obviously not been forewarned by the hotel staff that the hot tub was not functional. Our guest room was in a similar poor shape. Our family of 4 found only 2 towels in our room and had to wait for supplies to be sent. When we had clean towels exchanged on day 3 of our stay, again only 2 towels were provided. The furniture in the room was in similar poor condition to the common areas. The bathroom shower was moldy and there was only 1 shower gel container provided for our 4 person family planning a 3 night/4 day stay. The fan in the bathroom did not work and there was an odor to the room. The breakfast the first morning was satisfactory, but on the second morning there was initially no breakfast laid out. When it became available there were none of the hot items available and only the same muffins from the day before, a few English muffins and pieces of bread. It was very disappointing and none of the hotel staff seemed to care or have a stake in providing service to the guests. We were told when we checked in that the hotel shuttle could be requested the night before. We are leaving tomorrow and we asked to reserve the shuttle at 5:30 am for our 7:40 am flight. The person at the desk told us that it should be fine and she would confirm with us within an hour. It has now been over an hour and no follow-up. When I went to ask the front desk a different employee stated that "yeah, it doesn't start until 6 am". I asked why we were told twice different information and he said "some people just don't remember information". To me this means that there is no standard and no true guidelines, just what they feel like offering. The silver lining is I learned to always check Google reviews, as they all are saying the exact same things OVER & OVER again, before blindly reserving a hotel on the Hilton app. DO NOT STAY HERE!

Disappointing Stay - Below Expected Standards I recently stayed at this hotel and unfortunately found my experience to be significantly below expectations, especially for a property that is expected to uphold Hilton standards. **Room Condition:** Upon entering the room, I was disappointed to find it in an unsatisfactory state. The chaise lounge had stains, and it seemed that instead of properly cleaning it, staff simply flipped the seat over, leaving dirt and food remnants underneath. The sheets were too small for the mattress, which itself was stained. Additionally, the carpet was dirty, and there was visible dust on the lamp shades and behind the furniture. The bathroom did not fare any better; the overhead vent was unclean, wall paper peeling and I discovered mold in the shower. **Service Experience:** When I brought these issues to the front desk, I was offered a room change, but the alternate room was equally unkempt, leading us to stay in our initially assigned room. Unfortunately, I was unable to receive any type of refund that evening so I could move on to another hotel and had to wait until the following morning to discuss these problems with the manager, Tracey. While she listened, her response of "I’m not the housekeeping manager" felt dismissive. As a manager, I believe it is important to take responsibility for the overall guest experience. **Breakfast Situation:** The breakfast service was another letdown. When I arrived around 8:30 AM, the coffee was already empty, and it took about 15 minutes for staff to replenish it, leaving a crowd waiting. Furthermore, the waffle maker was malfunctioning, with employees instructing guests to dip batter from an open well, which seemed unsanitary. **Future Renovations:** I noticed that renovations are planned from July to November 2024. However, I believe that more than just physical improvements are needed to meet the standards that guests expect from Hilton properties. Overall, my stay was disappointing, and I would advise potential guests to reconsider if they are seeking the quality typically associated with Hilton hotels. I truly hope that the management takes this feedback seriously to improve the experience for future visitors.

Accommodations: The room was generally clean and well-maintained, with the exception of uncomfortable pillows and visible marks on the walls. Service: While some staff members were friendly and helpful, the overnight front desk clerks were unhelpful and unresponsive. There was also a safety incident involving a homeless person gaining access to the hotel due to an unsecured door. Amenities: The pool and hot tubs were not adequately maintained, with debris visible on the floors. Peleton's seat height doesn't adjust, and the two treadmills don't work as they should. One simply doesn't turn on when plugged into wall power, and the other doesn't increase in speed. The water dispenser doesn't appear to be operational. I'm guessing people don't report these types of things, so you may have never known. I'd probably omit these emenities or have a disclaimer until things are repaired. Thanks for reading. Value for Money: Despite the lower price compared to other local options, the safety concerns and service issues significantly detract from the overall value. Recommendation: I would not recommend this hotel due to the safety concerns and subpar service. Additional Notes: I would be willing to revise this review if the hotel demonstrates a commitment to addressing these issues.

I am a long time Hilton Honors member and have stayed in numerous Hampton Inns over the years. This was by far my worst experience. The overworked staff were great. Unfortunately they were in an impossible situation. No room keys were able to be made as there machine was down. So for over 24 hours they had to let guests into their rooms. Our first room had peeling wallpaper and a toilet that wouldn't flush. We requested and received a room change. This room had missing covers on lights, peeling wallpaper, bathroom door so warped it would not close and heavily damaged furniture. No other rooms were available we were told. Until the ownership takes some pride in their facilities and spends money on maintenance and upkeep. I would not stay here.

This hotel is in serious need of an upgrade. Very dated. Pillows look like they’ve had them for years. The bath towels were so thin and small. There were no toiletries in bathroom. Not very clean. For $300 I would expect more. Hilton needs to do better with this hotel. I would not stay again. Due to global outage the room keys didn’t work we had to be let into our room by front desk and there was only 1 person.

Key card machine didn’t work but you can’t blame the hotel. It was a worldwide issue But you needed someone to escort you to your room to open it and of course you leave and come back, they were no hurry to escort you back to the room. It was annoying waiting around for someone. We changed rooms because the first one smelled bad. No soap in room, heard someone complain to the front desk about no towels in their room. A/C shut down at night and could not adjust it. Thermostat broken. Needs updating and better maintenance