Frederick MD: Hampton Inn Frederick (December 2012)

My spouse and I stayed at the Hampton Inn Frederick for one night in late December 2012. We were in Frederick to dine at VOLT restaurant's Table 21. What a cute town! It made a nice weekend getaway destination for us; we live about 3 hours away by car.

This property is a better-than-average Hampton Inn; it seems as though it may have been another chain property prior to becoming a Hampton Inn because of the layout and the additional amenities. There was an independent restaurant/bar (Pastimes Cafe) on the property; however, it closed just weeks prior to our arrival after being in business for 20 years (or so the sign claimed). An on-site restaurant/bar would have been a welcome amenity; it would have been somewhere that we could enjoyed a nightcap after dinner without worrying about the drive home.

Complimentary hot breakfast buffet is provided (or you can grab a bagged breakfast on weekdays if time is short) in the cafe area, which has both indoor and outdoor (seasonal) seating. Wi-Fi is free to certain levels of Hilton Hhonors members. There is an outdoor pool that is open in the summertime; we think that we saw a sign indicating that the maximum occupancy for the pool was 100 or so people, so it is rather large, surrounded by concrete decking. Lounge chairs were stacked for the winter, but seemed numerous. There is a natural-looking pond with a lighthouse-type structure in the center (it used to be the bar for the restaurant). Plenty of free parking is available, and many chain restaurants and a shopping mall are nearby, along with many retail and commercial properties. Downtown Frederick (the historic part) is a 10-minute drive (it is too far to walk; you also cannot walk to the mall, even though it is close, because of the busy roads). The hotel is located adjacent to the highway, but we did not hear any road noise. It shares a parking lot with some office buildings. A fitness center, laundry facilities, and event/meeting space are also available. We did not see the pantry/store area that we have come to expect at a Hampton Inn, but it seemed that the hotel had plenty of space for one, so perhaps it is tucked out of sight.

Our room was a king-bed study, standard Hampton Inn issue, with a king-size bed, sofa bed, coffee table, and desk/chair, and the bathroom was a decent size. The exit map on the back of our door indicated that there were larger rooms available, and the hotel did not look anywhere near filled to capacity, but we seemed to have received the room that we booked - no Diamond Hhonors upgrade. Our room had a mini-refrigerator, microwave, and coffee maker.

We would stay here again if we were traveling, or if we visited Frederick again, particularly in the summertime when we could relax for an hour beside the pool.





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