Hampton Inn

My stay at the Hampton Inn was sponsored by a donor during the opening night of a recent fundraising event along the Cardinal Greenway that starts in Marion. I arrived the night before the event and planned to relax and renew while enjoying a night away from home. I’m not a frequent Hampton customer as I’ve honestly never found them to be quite worth what they usually charge.
Of course, there are exceptions. I’ve had some VERY good Hampton stays in the past.
My fundraising event toured through Marion last year. I’m unsure why I didn’t actually stay in the city, but this time around I made plans to enjoy the area. I arrived during the late afternoon and had no issues with check-​in. They knew my room was sponsored by someone else and check-​in was a breeze. The doors are automated and the lobby was a warm, wooded décor that felt pretty welcoming. The overall atmosphere felt less spacious than some Hamptons, but it worked pretty well. An accessible room was reserved and a room with a roll-​in shower was received.
My room did have an accessible shower with a bench attached to the wall, though I would note that the shower size was a touch odd and I actually had trouble reaching the detachable shower head from the bench. Admittedly, I am short. Hey, I don’t have feet. What do you expect?
I eventually was able to coax the showerhead down, but that’s a potential fall hazard that didn’t make sense. The bathroom itself was a tad smaller than expected given turn-​around space needed for a wheelchair. It worked, but if someone is spastic it could get interesting.
I really felt like this Hampton Inn was on the lower end of the Hampton experience. Compared to the Muncie Hampton, the lobby area was decorated well but had a more industrial feel and not in the industrial design way. It didn’t feel uncomfortable, but it was definitely more compact.
I was really tempted to give a 2-​star rating due to a couple of semi-​major issues — 1) There was a dead bug on the floor in my room and 2) One of the two bedside lights flickered constantly. The bug was accompanied by a couple of gnats. While I obviously disposed of the bug, it seemed like something that should have been caught before I arrived. If I’m in a room donated by the hotel, I acknowledge that I may get a not quite market-​ready room, but if someone has paid for the room the it’s not acceptable. I also simply turned off the light for the rest of the night, but the constant flickering for a while was bothersome and, once again, shows a lack of attention to detail. The internet was spotty, though I actually found the internet to be better here than in Muncie. As is a corporate policy, there’s free wifi along with a premium option for $ 4.95.
Despite the modest issues, I’m keeping Hampton Inn at 3-​stars primarily on the strength of a warm/​welcoming staff, a solid continental breakfast, a quality television, and an overall atmosphere that felt comfortable. There is part of me that feels like some of the problems were the exception and not the rule — While I did find a bug, I can also say the good majority of the hotel and the rest of the room was quite clean and functional. I felt the same about the flickering light — everything else worked and the bed was incredibly comfortable.
While this Hampton is more reasonably priced than the Muncie location, one would hope they work out the bugs, pun intended, and bring the quality of the facility up to the price point.

Always a pleasure! Marion is my husband’s hometown so this is where we stay when we visit. Always clean, good breakfast, nice staff, will definitely be back!

When you first walk in the wood finish makes it feels like you’re on the Titantic. However, you quickly realize it’s like any other Hampton Inn. The service was good and the room was clean and spacious.