Hudson River Valley: Hampton Inn & Suites Poughkeepsie (August 2013)

My spouse and I stayed for 1 night at the Hampton Inn and Suites Poughkeepsie in mid-August 2013. The hotel has 129 rooms, including 8 Whirlpool Junior Suites as well as other types of suites. Rooms ending in 01, 02, 31, and 32 are corner suites, and rooms ending in 03, 04, 29, and 30 are also suites. The hotel has five floors and two elevators, and there are ice and vending machines on each floor except the first/ground/lobby level. The hotel has an indoor pool and Jacuzzi, and there is a small outdoor space with tables and chairs accessible from the pool area. It also has a small fitness center and business center. The hotel offers the standard Hampton Inn breakfast, with both hot and cold options. The hotel provides freshly-baked cookies in the late afternoon. We did not see a pantry area where you could purchase snacks, but it may have been hidden. There are plenty of convenience stores, gas stations, shops, and restaurants nearby, so you can buy whatever you need very close to the hotel.

The hotel is located about 7 miles from Hyde Park, so if you are visiting the Culinary Institute of America, Walkway over the Hudson, the Vanderbilt mansion, or Springwood (the FDR estate), this is the closest Hilton property, and it is an easy drive to those sites on well-marked roads (actually, those sites are ON the same road as the hotel). The hotel shares a parking lot with a Super 8, but this Hilton property seems like a much better choice. A restaurant/bar called Coppola's on 9 is right next door, just a short walk through the parking lot. (We had some drinks in their basement bar, which was a bit of a dive! However, the bartender was very friendly, and gave us good tips on the area.) The hotel has plenty of free parking on all four sides. If you plan to travel north from the hotel, rather than exit onto South Road (Route 9) traveling south (because you can only make a right-hand turn on the divided road), drive through the parking lot at Coppola's and exit on the side street (which might be called IBM Road), which leads you to a traffic light where you can then turn left.

We stayed in Room 403, which was a Whirlpool Junior Suite, the best room category in the house. The layout was a bit odd, though, because the bathtub, separate shower, and vanity were open to the rest of the room (the toilet was enclosed in its own small room). Although this room worked for us as a couple, if two friends were staying together, it would not be possible to take a shower privately. We were a bit concerned about the bathtub in our room - it had an outlet on the wall next to the tub, and it was not a GFI outlet designed to deal with water. The foyer area of our room had a small wet bar area that contained a microwave, refrigerator, and sink. Three sets of towels were provided, along with some basic toiletries like shampoo, conditioner, and body lotion. The room contained a hair dryer, iron, and ironing board. Besides our king-size bed with two nightstands on either side, our room contained a flat-screen TV on a small stand, desk and chair, and a sofabed and glass-topped coffee table. Every room in this hotel had a live plant (we could see them in each window when we looked at the front of the hotel), which is a somewhat homey touch when you are on the road.

We would stay here again if we re-visit the Hudson River Valley area.