Travel Review: Hampton Inn at Hershey, Pennsylvania

On a recent family vacation to Hershey, Pennsylvania, we stayed at the Hilton owned hotel Hampton Inn, located on 749 E. Chocolate Avenue. I chose this hotel because of its proximity to the Hersheypark Amusement Park and because I belong to the Hilton loyalty program called Hilton HHonors.

This property is located five minutes from the famous Hersheypark, Zooamerica and Hershey Chocolate World family attractions. The amenities at this hotel include an indoor pool and hot tub, free continental breakfast, the USA Today newspaper delivered to your room and a game room arcade off of the lobby.

We arrived in town at 12:30 pm and attempted to check in. The front desk manager advised that there were no available rooms yet and to come back at 3pm, which is the official check in time. We came back at 2:30 and our room was ready. We had booked a room with two double beds and a pull out sofa. Also included in the room was a refrigerator, a lap desk to use while reclining in bed and Purity Basics brand toiletries.

In general, I found that the room and bathroom looked clean and comfortable when we arrived. However, I found the mattress to be too soft and didn't think the bed was as high a quality as other hotels I have recently stayed at. Of course, it could have also been the case that the mattress started out as firm and just needed replacing.

Since my husband and I were traveling with our two kids, we were required to check out the Hampton Inn's indoor pool. The pool is located on the first level and I was pleasantly surprised to find a hot tub there as well. The pool was heated and the water was clean. Small, rough-feeling towels were provided. The hours of the pool are from 8:30 am until 10:00 pm. The kids had a great time at the pool and we never stay at a hotel which doesn't include this amenity.

Hampton Inn's continental breakfast is included in the rate and is served from 6:00 to 10:00 am. Each morning, there are two hot dishes served. Examples of hot offerings are round, patty-like eggs that look as though they were made from a powder mix and sausage patties. The other breakfast selections were: several types of bread (including English muffins, white and wheat bread and bagels). The guests toast their own bread.

The bread toppings were cream cheese, butter, butter substitute, peanut butter and an assortment of jams and jellies. Four kids of cereal, a fresh fruit salad and bananas were also available. The cereals were Fruit Loops, Cornflakes, frosted corn flakes and Cheerios.

There was always skim or 2% milk and apple, orange and cranberry juice near the beverage section. Of course, there was coffee and I though it tasted fine. I'm not sure which brand of coffee it was.

I found a nightly rate through my local AAA travel agency. I paid $204.00 per night plus taxes. Since I stayed there at the end of June, during the kids' summer vacation, I thought it was a good rate. I recommend the Hershey Hampton Inn for singles, families or couples who want to receive a lot of amenities for their money.