Hampton Inn’s 100% Satisfaction Guarantee
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FacebookA couple of weeks ago we stayed in a Hampton Inn on the way from our old house to our new house. We got in late and crashed immediately. The next morning when we awoke, I decided to hop on the free wireless internet to check my e-mail, read a bit of news, and check hotel prices at the next stop along the way. Much to my chagrin, it was down. I’ve stayed at that particular hotel in the past and have sometimes had a tough time picking up a signal in the room, but the connection itself has always been great.
When we (and by we, I mostly mean my wife) got the kids dressed and headed down for breakfast, I stopped by the front desk and mentioned to the clerk that the internet was down. He replied that he was aware of the problem, and that hopefully they’d have it back up later in the day. Having been deprived of my morning internet, I was a bit grumpy, and replied that later in the day wouldn’t help us much as we were headed out within the hour.
His response? “Would you like your room for free? I’d be happy to take care of that for you.”
I responded that a free room seemed a bit excessive, as everything but the internet had been great. But he persisted. “No really, it’s not a problem. Let me just take care of that for you.” And so he did.
While the room had started off at something like $119/night (plus astronomical taxes), we walked out without paying a dime. Not only had we slept perfectly well, but we also took advantage of their complimentary breakfast (for six, no less). To be honest, it felt kind of slimy, as if I had somehow pulled on over on them. As it turns out, this is just business as usual for Hampton Inn, where they promise:
Friendly service, clean rooms, comfortable surroundings, every time.
If you’re not satisfied, we don’t expect you to pay.
That’s our commitment and your guarantee. That’s 100% Hampton.™
I’ve always felt that every little snafu is actually a tremendous opportunity for a company to win over a customer. In this case, it definitely worked. Not only am I now a huge fan of Hampton Inn, but I’m also singing their praises publicly.
Published on June 13th, 2006 - 10 Comments
Filed under: Travel
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About the author: Nickel is the founder and editor-in-chief of this site. He's a thirty-something family man who has been writing about personal finance since 2005, and guess what? He's on Twitter!
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10 Responses to “Hampton Inn’s 100% Satisfaction Guarantee”
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June 13th, 2006 at 10:30 am
Not only are you singing their praises publicly, but you will probably convince at least a few people to actively look for their accomodations in the future.
June 13th, 2006 at 12:12 pm
I always stay with them on business and have had to use the “free night” only twice.
The first instance was when a fire alarm went off in the hotel and woke us all up at 4 am. We had to go out into the cold in shorts, t-shirts, etc. There was no fire. Reason for the alarm: a malfunction.
The next day, my traveling companion asked if we could get a discount for the inconvenience. The hotel clerk said “no problem” and promptly gave us a free room!
The second time, I had problems with the web connection and got zero help from the “too busy to talk to you” front desk. I contacted HQ, and they gave me a free night.
Great company, great service (usually) and always a good breakfast. I recommend them 100%!
June 13th, 2006 at 12:14 pm
I agree with your feeling that a free room is sometimes too much. We tend to stay at Hampton’s exclusively when traveling, so we have lots of experience with them.
In the last year they have been very aggressive about the free room. There have been times where I feel almost embarrassed when they offer since the problem was so minor.
They do bend over backwards to make everything ok for your stay.
June 13th, 2006 at 1:05 pm
You should call their Customer Service line and let them know how well they took care of you. More people that call in will probably keep perks like that alive.
June 14th, 2006 at 4:01 pm
Good point by Steve, I’ll have to try hampton inn next time! Their policy is getting customers already!
July 26th, 2007 at 11:58 pm
I have a friend who works at a Hampton and I couldn’t agree more.
They will do anything for you to make you happy. She told me they are prepared for virtually anything you can throw at them.
Forget a bathroom item… they will give it to you free. (Note: Hilton Garden Inn which is also part of the Hilton family of hotels like Hampton charges you for these things… and it’s supposed to be a classier joint.)
Need some gift wrap? Just ask.
Batteries… they have them.
Cut your finger? Bandages are available.
She told me they even have tickets to local events they can give away if you have a problem as well. One time I think she may have even metioned a certificate for a manicure as too. These last two things are probably rotated out and might be someting the manager at her location does that is above the norm, but all in all I consider Hampton to be the best value out there.
The free breakfast is great too… and it’s more than just the “Continental” deal that’s available at most places.
Oh yeah… at Hilton Garden Inn you have to pay for breakfast too.
August 14th, 2009 at 8:34 pm
I couldn’t agree with you less. Our stay there at Hampton inn was a Nightmare. We were staying with our club soccer team for a weekend in San Diego. We booked through priceline Group Sales who passed us on the the Sales Manager Victor Ravago. We requested 20 rooms with 2 beds due to the fact we were traveling with families. Victor put in a bid and promised us at least 15 rooms with 2 beds. When we arrived, there were no @ bed rooms available and they only had Kings with a Twin pull out. Enough to sleep 3. Victor had lied to us to sell rooms. We had numerous complaint by our parents about the front desk attendees who were very rude. The rooms weren’t clean and we had to wait till 4:30 to get our rooms. In one of the rooms, the floor was wet. Our coach got stuck in the elevator for 10 minutes with his 2 year old screaming. Our key never worked in our door after numerous attempts to fix it. One parent was promised a pool view, when they entered their room it was a view of the parking lot. Too many complaints to list. Other parents were turned away due to the hotel deleting their reservations.
Im sure not all Hampton Inns provide this service, but the Hampton Inn Sea World in San Diego was a horrible experience.
August 14th, 2009 at 8:35 pm
Oh yeah, and when asked about the 100 % satisfaction guarantee, they laughed in our face and told us that we didn’t qualify for that. So the Guarantee doesn’t always work.
August 28th, 2009 at 3:26 am
I work at a Hampton Inn and I complete disagree with the 100% Satisfaction Guarantee I have seen some of the meanest people complain about the dumbest things ( about the newspaper in front of the door ) I can’t help it its corporate policy to put it there.
January 8th, 2010 at 10:18 pm
Hampton Inn Southwest in Fort Wayne, IN, has been like a second home to me for the last five years. I have a business there and stay so often I’ve gotten to know some of the hotel’s excellent staff – and vice versa. The rooms, the service are always top notch. I even made ‘guest of the day’ a few times. I was such a frequent customer that I had favorite rooms and was happy to leave tips for ‘house cleaning.’ But now that corporate has decided to go 100 percent non-smoking, I have to say good bye. My business is now going to Staybridge next door. It was good while it lasted. Until the major corporate brains can figure a way to allow a room or two for a few of us remaining social smokers, my money is going elsewhere. If demand for smoking rooms are low, fine. But why not have four or five “flexible rooms,” that can accommodate either? It’s not rocket science. Until then, I’ll wave from my room hosted by your competition next door.