Another flood in my apartment (donât ask), another hotel stay to get some sleep outside of the construction zone. This time, our weary bones landed at the Hampton Inn and Suites by Hilton Corona. And the objective reality of this place? It was⌠fine. Just âfine.â
Letâs start with the good, because there was someâthe price. Hotel prices in Los Angeles arenât cheap, and most places tack on heavy parking fees, making life financially complicated for self-funded citizens seeking shelter when their landlords dodge responsibility and phone calls about open walls and ceilings being uninhabitable living conditions (donât ask!). Typically, we wouldnât commute over 60 miles one way out of LA just to sleep at a Hampton Inn for a couple of nights, despite the easy Hilton status nights, but watching water steadily drip from an open hole in our ceiling was a great motivator, and complimentary parking and the average cost of $158.50 per night after taxes and fees were our best options at the time. Not inexpensive by any means, but comparatively okay.
The check-in process was similarly⌠efficient. The woman at the front desk, bless her heart, was perfectly inoffensive, if not exactly radiating sunshine. She got us our key cards without any fuss, asked us which Hilton Gold Member snacks weâd like before tossing the wrong ones into a bag (oh well, they were free), pointed vaguely in the direction of the elevators, and that was that. No lingering pleasantries, no offer of local recommendations. Just the transaction, pure and simple. Which, honestly, sometimes is all you want.
The gym passed my husbandâs inspection, the 1 King room was a decent size for two people, and while the hotel felt isolated in a mostly empty parking lot, there was a shopping center on the other side of the freeway, technically walkable, with a Stater Bros. Market and a few fast-casual restaurants for variety.
Now, letâs meander into the territory of the âcould be better.â As a mild germophobe, I try to keep calm and carry on with a pack full of alcohol wipes in hotel rooms. This one looked okay at a glance, but a closer inspection revealed some housekeeping shortcuts. Specifically, some surfaces were sticky (shudder), and there were a few visible stains on the bedspread. Thankfully, the hotel was new when we stayed, so the bathroom grout hadnât had time to deteriorate, and wipes took care of the surfaces, but unwiped surfaces only a few months after opening donât bode well for future upkeep. Not terrible at the time of our stay, just⌠unremarkable.
The closet door, which also served as the bathroom door, created a curious experience. Not a problem for a single traveler, but coordinating simultaneous access to the bathroom and closet as two people got ready for the day added a wrinkle to the process. My husband and I have a good sense of humor, so we laughed about it, but I can imagine more contentious âroommatesâ having a bit of a challenge.
And then there was the breakfast. Oh, the continental breakfast. A staple of the mid-range hotel experience. This one offered the usual suspects: lukewarm coffee, watery juice, liquid egg slabs passing as omelets, and an always-greasy-handled waffle maker. I suppose it did the job of providing sustenance, but it wasnât a culinary adventure.
There was a pool area overlooking the parking lot. The hotel was right off the highway, making it easy to find, but it also meant a constant hum of traffic. Not deafening, but definitely noticeable. The pool itself was open but dirty. Before you judge me for judging the Hampton Inn for not cleaning said pool in February, the website and the front desk staff advertised it as a Monday-Sunday heated amenity, and Corona, CA temperatures were over 70â / 21â by January 2, 2025. I donât mind seasonal pool closures, but I do question the policy of offering âamenitiesâ without upkeeping them.
So, where does that leave us? The Hampton Inn and Suites by Hilton Corona is precisely what it advertises itself as: a comfortable enough place to spend a night or two. It wonât blow your socks off, but wonât leave you seething with rage. It exists in that vast middle ground of perfectly acceptable mediocrity.
My final verdict: 3.4 out of 5 stars.
Itâs the kind of place youâd book when you need a bed and a roof over your head and donât want to spend a fortune. Itâs the beige of the hotel world. Utilitarian. Unoffensive. Forgettable. And sometimes, thatâs all you really need. Just donât expect any bells or whistles. Or particularly enthusiastic service. Just a solidly okay stay that moved us closer to the Hilton Diamond Status we crave. And in the grand scheme of things, maybe thatâs okay enough.
Birdie
The Hampton Inn and Suites by Hilton Corona was a temporary haven, but letâs be real, just âfineâ isnât exactly the travel dream. But what if those necessary hotel stays could actually accelerate your travel goals? Could your occasional hotel stays be the key to unlocking upgrades and unforgettable vacations? Weâre using the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card to rack up points and move from the card-granted complimentary Hilton Honors Gold Status to the room-available suite upgrades of Hilton Honors Diamond Status. If turning “meh” into “more” sounds good, explore the possibilities here with my husbandâs referral link!
0 Comments