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| - Thank you to the fine folks at the Hampton for saving the day when the Sheraton Downtown (Eau Claire) completely dropped the ball and 'lost' my reservation on the May long weekend! After a long day of road tripping, arriving to find our original reservation was 'lost,' and scrambling to find another hotel room on a very busy long weekend, we were tankful to arrive at Hampton to say the least.
Having worked in the hotel industry for a number of years, I know how the whole availability/rack pricing stuff works. We paid $209.00/night for a room with a King bed, Jacuzzi tub, 46" (ish) flat screen TV, fridge/microwave/etc.. With the complementary underground parking and breakfast, I thought that this was actually a very reasonable rate for 8 pm on Saturday of the May long weekend.
The staff were very friendly and helpful. Check in was quick and went smoothly. The room was nice (I would agree that the décor was a little circa 1980's: hello tacky, colourful, flowered wallpaper) and everything within was clean and worked well. The room was quiet, and the amenities included hair conditioner (which is a big deal to me!!).
The complementary breakfast was good: fruit, yogurt, muffins, pastries, toast/bagels, cereal, make your own waffles, sausage, eggs, etc...The breakfast space was a little small, so, although we lucked out, there were times where all the tables were full. That said, the lobby itself was big enough that it didn't feel crammed or over-crowded at all.
The location, although not necessarily in the heart of the action, was not far from many restaurants, drugs stores, grocery stores, etc. Although I would likely call this a 4 star if I wasn't slightly biased by my experience, I would definitely recommend this hotel for the cost conscious traveller, and would most certainly be willing to stay here again.
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