The Inn in Hammond, Louisiana Review

Hammond, Louisiana is located about an hour north of New Orleans near the intersection of Interstates 10 and 12. It is a nice, quiet, sleepy little town, and a good place to stop if you are looking to visit the area but don't want to stay in the city, or a just looking for a place to stop on a long drive across the south.

If you are looking for a hotel to stay at here in the city of Hammond, don't stay at The Inn, located at 14175 Hwy. 190. And yes, that is its full name: The Inn. The sign out front advertises it as the best for less and while it might be less, it is definitely far from the best.

The price for a single was $55 dollars for the night, $10 less than the Super 8 down the street. This was also Mardi Gras season (although Mardi Gras hadn't technically started yet), so prices might be a bit lower during off seasons. For the area, though, it is not a bad price. So less is not an inaccurate description.

It is the best part that is the real problem. That is not to say The Inn is a bad looking place. It actually looks quite nice. The lobby is very well done up, with comfortable chairs and a nice looking lounge area, although I did not use this. There is a very nice looking pool. The rooms are clean and comfortable. Not the best rooms I have ever seen in a hotel, but far from trashy.

The real problem with the Inn is not in the hotel itself, but the staff. I have never seen such discourteous staff. First of all, they put us in a room directly across from the laundry room. Which means that as soon as they start working in the morning, you are going to be hearing banging as the laundry room door opens and closes.

If that wasn't enough, the staff believes that when they are working there is always time to party. Talking loudly, laughing, joking, doing whatever they can do to be loud and obnoxious. In fact when I was first woken up at 8:00 in the morning I assumed they were simply loud, obnoxious guests who had no respect for anyone.

Unfortunately, I was wrong. They were not loud, obnoxious guests who would pass by and then never be heard again. They were the staff, who would congregate it seemed about every twenty minutes to laugh and talk and be as loud as possible. For some reason they had no idea that they were working in a hotel and there were people trying to sleep. Except, of course, when the door opens and an angry guest pops their head out and the staff members all scatter like frightened geese.

Of course, that didn't put an end to it. They came back as loud as ever. When confronted they said "Take it up with Miss Helen." "Miss Helen" was the manager of the hotel. I talked to the front desk about it, they informed me they could do nothing without Miss Helen since she was the manager. I asked when she would be available, I was told she would be in and out because it was a Sunday but assured me she would get back to me. I gave them my cell phone number so she could get in touch with me.

Which of course she never did. The woman at the front desk when I was checking out and mentioned how rude the staff was said flat out that she "Does not care." Which was obvious, because if the staff cared about their guests the incident would never have occurred in the first place.

My original plan had been to spend 2 nights at The Inn, but once I found what rude and inconsiderate people they were I changed them. It might be cheaper than some of the hotels there but what is the point of paying $50 for a hotel room if you are not even allowed to sleep? And although I have had incidents with staff at hotels before, never have I seen staff who care so little about their guests that they will do absolutely nothing to rectify the situation.

Do not stay at The Inn if you have any interest in getting a good night's sleep and being taken care of by friendly and courteous staff, because you will find none of that at The Inn in Hammond, Louisiana.