My one stay at the Hampton Inn Lafayette will always stand out in my memory, not as much for the hotel itself, but for the events surrounding my stay there. My only stay at this hotel was on the night of September 11, 2001, and was booked on very short notice when it became apparent that I would not be making a scheduled flight on the morning of September 12 from Houston to Birmingham. So, in order to get a head start on a long road trip, I left for Lafayette on the evening of 9/11 and had one of my coworkers book me at this Hampton Inn.
The Hampton Inn Lafayette is a standard Hampton Inn located just off of Interstate 10. There is a newer Hampton Inn and Suites located near the Lafayette Airport, but this is not that property (which I have not stayed at yet). Upon checking in, I was upgraded to a nice, large room with a king-size bed because of my Hilton Honors Gold VIP status. In the room, the bed linens had been turned down (a nice touch, but not something I consider overly important in making my stay more comfortable) and a welcome snack consisting of two bottles of water, a bag of microwave popcorn, a package of four Oreos, and a small bag of chips on the table with a "Welcome Hilton Honors VIP member" card. Such snacks are standard at Hampton Inns for Honors VIP members, although usually it’s just the water and one snack, so getting a variety of snacks was a step beyond the usual here. Not being very hungry, I packed the snacks and one of the water bottles in my bag to take with me the next morning when I hit the road again, knowing they would come in handy later on. The room itself was immaculately clean, which is something I’ve had an issue with at other moderately-priced hotels in Lafayette.
Hilton has announced that all Hampton Inn locations are being upgraded with new room features and a hot breakfast buffet. According to the hotel’s website, these changes had not yet been implemented at this location as of October 10, 2004, but Hilton has stated that the upgrades should be in place by the end of 2004. In addition to an enhanced complimentary breakfast, some nice features, such as complimentary high-speed, wi-fi internet access, ceiling fans, curved shower curtain rods, and lap desks for use in bed, are being added to the guestrooms. All of these enhancements should make an already nice moderate hotel even better.
The one downside I can find with this hotel is its location. While very convenient to Interstate 10, it’s not very close to many of Lafayette’s great local restaurants, the airport, or most of the local companies. However, for easy access to the interstate, the location is great, and there is generally less traffic than on the "hotel row" a few miles away on the Evangeline Thruway.