Hampton by Hilton Hotels in Carlsbad

Located almost opposite to the McClellan Palomar airport, the Hampton Inn is a good option to stay in Carlsbad. The hotel is located almost 3 miles from Interstate 5, but the road connecting the hotel to the highway, Palomar Airport road, is pretty wide and I found that it can get you to/from the interstate fairly quickly. The check-in experience was smooth. Andrew, who was at the front desk, was able to give us a room earlier than their usual check-in time because we had called ahead earlier to say that we will be arriving prior to the hotel's 3 PM check-in time. The room was a standard Hampton Inn room, decent sized and some adequate toiletries in the bathroom. However, the Wi-Fi strength was very bad in our room and when I informed the front desk about that, they were able to change my room to a different room the next day morning, closer to the center of the hallway where the routers were placed. While the signal strength was better there and I was able to connect and use it for work, there were occasional instances of the Wi-Fi cutting out disconnecting my laptop. The beds were comfortable, there was little noise as almost all of the property barring the front portion, faces away from the main road. There was a microwave and mini fridge in my room. The complimentary breakfast was really good during my stay here - there were some items that varied from day-to-day. There were eggs, bacon, sausage links, waffles, bread, muffins, oatmeal, cereals and fresh fruit on offer on all days. They also served biscuit and gravy for breakfast one day. It was a fairly good spread, something that I have come to expect from Hampton Inn! I did check out the hotel pool, it was a fairly basic outdoor pool and they had pool towels available at the front desk. I wouldn't term the pool very appealing but hey, the Pacific Ocean is quite nearby! There are a few restaurants nearby to grab food. It would also be a miss from my part if I didn't specially mention the staff at the front desk, who were always available with a smile and helped me with an early check-in and late check-out because of my travel plans - kudos to everyone going the extra mile! There are a few cons though, I did feel that the property is a little bit older than some of the Hampton Inns that I have stayed at in the past. I was a little surprised by the lack of sanitizing stations at the hotel, especially near the front desk/breakfast areas. While they did have hand sanitizing stations, they were non-functional and that isn't good. I would also encourage the property to take a closer look at Wi-Fi and internet speeds at different rooms - in this competitive environment, these points can hold sway on whether a traveler chooses to stay in a property or not.