Hampton Inn & Suites Hope in Arkansas [In-Depth Review]

I stayed at the Hampton Inn & Suites Hope in Hope, Arkansas, in March 2024 with my family of 5, and we had a great overnight visit. Located strategically between the natural wonders of Hot Springs National Park and Crater of Diamonds National Park, this hotel was an ideal choice for convenience and comfort on our road trip.

Positioned well along our route and offering free parking and a complimentary breakfast, Hampton Inn & Suites Hope was an easy place to rest and recharge before our next adventure. We loved the room layout, too.

Read my review to see what this hotel has to offer travelers in Arkansas.

Booking Hampton Inn & Suites Hope

I booked a King Studio Suite at Hampton Inn & Suites Hope at a nonrefundable rate and paid $192.78. Though I could have used points for this stay, I prefer to save Hilton Honors redemptions for stays when I can use the fifth-night free benefit or get the resort fee waived by booking an award stay — neither of those situations applied to this night.

I paid for the stay with my Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card, which earns 12x Hilton Honors points on Hilton purchases.

That night, I earned 5,648 Hilton Honors points among the base points, my Hilton Honors Diamond elite bonus, a Points Plus promotion I enrolled in, and MyWay preferences.

Once my card statement closed, I earned another 2,304 points for using the Hilton Surpass card, for a total of 7,952 points. We value Hilton Honors points at 0.5 cents each, so the points earned were worth around $40.

Hot Tip:

Award nights at this property can run from 30,000 to 71,000 Hilton Honors points per night.

Hampton Inn & Suites Hope Location

I chose Hampton Inn & Suites Hope for its location. It’s less than an hour and a half from Hot Springs National Park, where we were coming in from, and about 45 minutes from Crater of Diamonds State Park, where we headed in the morning. We also discovered the hotel was right in front of a Walmart Supercenter, which was convenient, as we realized we needed to pick up rain boots to dig in the mud for diamonds.

We were certainly not the only hotel guests visiting Crater of Diamonds State Park. A couple of people in the parking lot were managing tarps, buckets, and boots as we packed up to head to the park. Although we didn’t unearth anything valuable in our day of digging, we had a fantastic time, learned some geology, and our kids made a friend who found a 0.75-carat diamond that day!

Hot Tip:

If you’re visiting Hot Springs National Park, bring bottles you can fill with spring water — it’s free! Visiting Crater of Diamonds State Park? Be sure to wear clothes that can get dirty and don’t forget rain boots and sun protection. The park rents out digging equipment for a reasonable fee, but you might want to bring a bucket you can fill and take home to check further for diamonds and other gems.

Checking In

We checked in to the hotel in the evening. I parked under the covered drive and got checked in while my family waited outside.

I was greeted warmly at the check-in desk, where the front desk agent quickly got me checked in and informed me of the breakfast hours and pool location.

Between the front desk and the elevators was a coffee station stocked around the clock with dark, light, and decaf roasts. It also had hot water, teas, a selection of creamers, and hot chocolate. Complimentary newspapers were available below the coffee.

Opposite the front desk was a small fireplace seating area within the breakfast dining room and lobby.

Down a hallway near the breakfast area were the lobby restrooms.

Elite Benefits

As a Hilton Honors Diamond elite member, I get benefits at Hilton properties, but there aren’t major benefits at Hampton Inn & Suites properties. I have a MyWay benefit preference in my account that gives me 250 Hilton Honors bonus points per stay instead of a bottle of water and a snack.

The free parking lot had a Diamond parking spot, but it was occupied. We parked right next to it!

Amenities

This Hampton Inn had an indoor pool, patio, and a dog walking area in the back.

Pool

An indoor pool on the first floor just a few steps away from the lobby. Pool hours were 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., and the door required a key card to get in. Towels were provided within the pool room.

When we visited, the pool was a little small but clean and unoccupied. I appreciated that it was indoors, as it was a little too chilly to swim outside.

A back door in the pool room led to a small patio with a few tables and chairs featuring umbrellas.

Dog Walk

Another outdoor feature in this area was the dog walk, which was well-lit, had freshly mowed grass, and offered dog waste bags.

Getting back into the hotel from this door required tapping a room key. A sign insisted on no smoking in this area, but the cigarette smell from the smoker’s pole next to the door was impossible to avoid.

Fitness Center

The first floor also featured a fitness center with hours from 5 a.m. to midnight. This door required a room key tap to get in.

Within the fitness center, I found a few bikes, treadmills, free weights, a weight bench, medicine balls, and a balance ball.

A small water station had room temperature and cold water.

There were also towels and a towel collection bin.

A Peloton bike was among the cardio machines.

Market

Next to the front desk was a small market with mostly dry snacks, some toiletry items, souvenir shirts, and a cooler with frozen and refrigerated items.

Room

I booked a King Studio Suite, and that’s what we got. I chose this type of room because we’d stayed in a room almost exactly like it last year at Hampton Inn & Suites Aurora South Denver, and I really liked the layout.

Just like in Aurora, we were happy with the way this room was laid out. It had a kitchenette at the entrance, a living room area with a sofa bed, and a king bed on the opposite side split off by a long desk with dresser drawers. The bathroom had a large vanity area separate from the toilet and shower, and the closet was larger than expected.

This type of room is great for our family of 5. With the somewhat separated living room, we can get the kids to go to bed and still stay up, as long as we keep the lights and sound low. The sofa bed sleeps 2, and we have plenty of floor space to set up a cot for a third kid.

In this particular room, extra linens were in the closet.

Bedroom

On the far side of the room was the king bed with a wooden headboard flanked by nightstands with lamps. The wallpaper behind it was textured like snakeskin.

The nightstand on the right had a phone, a lamp with a single outlet, and a nicely sized drawer.

The other nightstand had the same lamp with an outlet but an alarm clock instead of a phone.

In the middle of the room was the desk. This multifunctional piece of furniture had 6 drawers, a lamp, a phone, outlets, and a TV. A desk chair and a sitting chair were also in this area.

The TV was mounted to the side of the desk, and we could use the swivel to turn it away from the kids at bedtime.

Below the TV was another phone and a wall outlet. The desk lamp had a couple more plugs, too, but there were no USB outlets in the room.

Living Room

The living room was near the door and featured a sofa bed with a couple of small tables and lamps. This sofa folded out to a full-size bed, and we still had plenty of room to set up a travel cot to accommodate a third sleeper.

Bathroom

The bathroom had a configuration I appreciate when we have 5 people getting ready at once in a single bathroom, with the vanity separate from the toilet and shower. This area also featured a large mirrored door closet.

Some amenities were on the counter: Zero soap, Neutrogena lotion, a packet with cotton swabs, a shower cap, and a makeup-removing towelette.

Beneath the counter was a hair dryer in a bag.

The toilet and shower area was a little small but functional. This room could have benefited from a vent fan, as it got very steamy any time we took a shower.

The shower had a small shelf and an adjustable showerhead, which we could click to our water pressure preference. We didn’t have any issues with the water pressure or temperature.

The shower featured wall-mounted amenities — shampoo, conditioner, and body wash — from Zero.

I was fairly impressed by the size of the closet, which went back further than the mirror doors suggested. We traveled light on this trip, but this kind of storage would’ve been nice if we’d had more bags with us.

The closet also featured an iron with an ironing board, a luggage rack, and extra sheets and blankets on the top shelf.

Kitchenette

I don’t always expect a kitchen area when we stay at a Hampton Inn, but it’s a nice perk when our room has it. This room had a kitchenette right at the front door, which was great as a drop zone as we walked in.

The kitchenette featured a sink, coffee maker, paper towels, an ice bucket, minifridge, microwave, and cabinet storage. Like the closet, I would appreciate this feature more on a longer stay, but it was great to have this spot available for drinks and cold storage.

A small fridge was under the counter that worked fine for keeping drinks cool.

The kitchenette also had an ice bucket, paper towels, and an in-room coffee maker with cups, creamer, and sugar. However, with a 24/7 hot coffee station downstairs in the lobby, we never bothered with in-room coffee.

Food and Beverage

The room layout and hotel amenities were nice, but breakfast buffets are the real reason we often stay at Hampton Inn as a family. I love a fancy hotel breakfast, but when there are 5 of us, and we’re trying to get out the door quickly, a hearty breakfast buffet where my kids can serve themselves is pure gold. Hampton Inn & Suites Hope delivered on a great breakfast, so we were well-fed and on our way.

Breakfast was available from 6 to 10 a.m., and we all found something we liked.

The breakfast seating was off the lobby, with various options ranging from a long table to armchairs and traditional square tables with chairs.

The long dining table in the middle featured bowls of fresh fruit and had pop-up outlets on the counter.

Hot items on the buffet included cheese omelets, bacon strips, and biscuits and gravy. Although these omelets sometimes have a weird texture, they were perfectly soft and cheesy at this hotel. I can’t resist these egg and melty cheese pockets.

Waffles were another hot item on the breakfast buffet. We ran into some fellow Texans at breakfast who forgot they were in Arkansas and commented that a Texas-shaped waffle would be better. I have to agree, though these mini waffles were a nice feature and easy for the kids to manage. In addition to the classic malted vanilla waffle flavor, this buffet offered a seasonal apple cinnamon waffle batter. It would have been nice to have multiple waffle makers, as this station got a little busy, and there was a wait for waffles.

Next to the waffle maker was an assortment of toppings, including maple syrup, chocolate syrup, nuts, honey, and peanut butter.

A pot of oatmeal rounded out the hot breakfast, and dried fruit, nuts, butter, and honey were next to it for mixing.

Next to the oatmeal was a selection of breads and pastries, including muffins, English muffins, and bagels. The counter also had a large toaster and spreads, including butter, cream cheese, jams, and jellies.

There were also Chobani yogurts, hard-boiled eggs, and whole apples and bananas.

The island in the middle featured cereal dispensers and milk with some cut fruit.

The opposite side had hot beverages, including light, dark, and decaf roast coffee and hot water. Teas, hot chocolate, creamers, and sugars were also available. My family is always amused by the Hampton Inn coffee cups with mustaches or lips on the cups and decorative sleeves, including a Hawaiian shirt print.

The juice machine offered cold drinks such as orange juice, apple juice, cranberry juice cocktail, and strawberry-kiwi-enhanced water.

In addition to the breakfast buffet, our floor featured a drink vending machine and an ice machine.

Service

We experienced good service at this hotel. The front desk checked us in quickly and politely. We were satisfied with the comfort and cleanliness of our room, and the breakfast buffet stayed fully stocked even though it was busy when we visited. The front desk was equally polite and efficient as we checked out.

Final Thoughts

Hampton Inn & Suites Hope was just a quick stop along our road trip, but it was perfect for our needs. The location was ideal for visiting both Hot Springs National Park and Crater of Diamonds State Park, the room size and layout were great for my family, and breakfast hit the spot. We’d be happy to stay at this hotel again.