Four years into my new job, I finally got to take a business trip. To Nebraska. In January. But hey, I love cold weather, and I’d get to check out a new airport. My meeting the next day was in Lincoln, 55 miles to the west. Thus, I looked for a hotel on the west side of town, to get a head start in the morning. I also wanted to stick with a Hilton brand, to take advantage of the triple points promotion. The Hampton Inn Omaha Midtown offered the best price by a wide margin, making the choice easy. More on why cost mattered later in this review.
Hampton Inn Omaha Midtown – Aksarben Area
- 1401 South 72nd Street, Omaha, NE
- Website: http://hamptoninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/nebraska/hampton-inn-omaha-midtown-aksarben-area-OMAAAHX/index.html
- Features: free breakfast, free WiFi, meeting room, fitness center, indoor pool, business center
Location: roughly halfway between I-80 and Dodge Road, 10-15 minutes west of downtown. In addition, the hotel lies approximately 15-20 minutes from Omaha Eppley Airfield. You can reach the hotel by taking I-80 west from downtown, then heading north on 72nd Street. Alternatively, head west on Dodge Road, and turn left on 72nd Street.
Hampton Inn Omaha Midtown – Check-In and Common Areas
If you’ve seen one Hampton Inn check-in area, you’ve seen them all. As you enter, the front desk is to the left, with a large dining area to the right. This hotel’s dining area, though, seems especially large. Perhaps it’s the long, communal table down the middle.
About halfway down the hallway towards my room is a meeting room. Nothing fancy, but a serviceable, quiet space for 10-12 people.
Meanwhile, across the hall from the meeting room is a small fitness center. Once again, it isn’t much, with a couple of treadmills, a stationary bike, and some weight equipment. It’s not terrible for a downscale hotel, though.
Also, next door to the fitness room is an indoor pool. Unfortunately, I arrived after 10 pm, and it was closed for the night. Thus, I couldn’t take a picture. I must say, I don’t recall seeing another Hampton Inn with an indoor pool. It’s a nice touch, especially considering how cold Omaha gets in the winter.
Speaking of the hallway, if you’ve stayed at a Hampton Inn, it’s going to look familiar. Nothing bad, but rather plain and corporate.
Hampton Inn Omaha Midtown – Rooms
I booked a standard room with one king bed. I found the room on the small side for a Hampton Inn, with the large bed eating up a good amount of space. On the plus side, plugs are plentiful, with two each on each nightstand, and two more at the desk. Those who need to work will appreciate the proper desk and work chair.
I’ve always enjoyed Hampton beds. In addition to finding them comfy, the duvets are consistently warm and toasty. Given that I’m constantly cold, I greatly appreciate a warm bed. Especially on a chilly Nebraska night. The free wifi, meanwhile, was reasonably fast. However, it annoyingly booted me from the network everytime my phone went into sleep mode. That gets old after the third or fourth time.
The bathroom also seemed a tad tight, albeit well-appointed. It features a shower only, which some of you undoubtedly will appreciate. (Personally, the trend towards shower only is a pet peeve of mine, though I know I’m in the extreme minority.) Sorry for the bad angle of the shower photo. I tried to get the whole thing, but ran out of real estate as I backed up to the wall.
Hampton Inn Omaha Midtown – Breakfast
Perhaps the signature amenity of Hampton Inn is the free hot breakfast. Admittedly, while this was a somewhat unique perk 20 years ago, it’s fairly common in these types of hotels today. But I still find it valuable, especially so now that I hit the road with a baby. The spread featured brand-standard goodies, starting with a cold cereal and yogurt station.
Also on tap – a variety of breads, pastries, and oatmeal. A toaster is provided if you prefer your breads warm and crunchy. Next to the bread and pastry rack is a waffle maker. I’m sure Ashok will find these fascinating in a few years.
To the right of the bread are a few fresh fruits.
Breakfast also includes a couple of hot items; it was too crowded, though, to get a picture. I believe the options were scrambled eggs and bacon, typical for a Hampton Inn.
Hampton Inn Omaha Midtown – Location/Service
I arrived around 10 pm and hit the road by 8:30 the next morning, so I didn’t have time to explore the area. Technically, despite the name, the hotel is NOT located in Midtown. That section of the city ends a couple of miles to the east, at 48th Street. It lies about a half mile west of Aksarben Village, which features a variety of dining and entertainment options. It’s not a bad drive at all from downtown or the airport. However, if you have business downtown, there are numerous hotels there, albeit at a higher price point. Numerous shops and restaurants are also found at the intersection with Dodge Street, about a mile north. For you road trippers headed west – it’s a great location. You’re clear of rush hour in the morning, yet have plenty of services nearby.
Service was good for the most part. The front desk personnel were friendly and cheerful, and checked me in quickly. Breakfast items were frequently topped up in the morning. I did encounter one minor disappointment, though. I left my computer power cord in the room – a problem I didn’t discover until later that day at my meeting in Lincoln. Since I had plenty of time before my flight home, I stopped back by on the way to the airport. To my disappointment, even at 4:30 pm, the clerk claimed nobody could access the lost & found box, and I’d have to check back the next day. Not worth it, given the cost to ship it back.
I admit it was my fault for losing it, and not calling earlier to ask about it. But contrast this to my last Hampton stay in Paris, Texas. I left a baby pillow in the room, and the manager proactively called to let me know. I then arranged to pick it up on my way home. No, this hotel had no obligation to do anything, but it would have been nice – and encouraged me to go out of my way to stay here, even at a higher price.
Hampton Inn Omaha Midtown – Overall Thoughts
Other than the smaller than usual rooms, this is a pretty typical Hampton Inn. In other words, it’s clean, the beds are comfy, and the breakfast is decent. But as I hinted at in the intro, there’s a very good reason to stay at properties like these during Honors points promotions. I stacked triple points and 5,000 bonus points for booking through the app and paying with a Visa. That, plus the 15% Silver bonus, earned me 7,806 Honors points for a one night stay for $105, including tax. That’s a terrific return, even at .4-.5 cents a point. Hamptons like these are definitely worth a look with those returns.
