Hampton By Hilton Krakow

"My friend and I stayed here for four nights last fall as we did some sightseeing in the city. The hotel itself suited our needs perfectly though the location wasn't ideal for sightseeing. Still, it was easy enough to get to the Old Town if you're willing to walk a bit and ride the tram. The Hampton and the DoubleTree are connected to one another. The DoubleTree's entrance faces the main road while the Hampton's faces the side. We had a standard twin room that overlooked the sporting club across the street. While there were often activities there at night, we never had a problem with noise or lights from that facility. Our room featured two beds that were larger than twins but smaller than doubles, so we each had plenty of room. I liked that there were electrical outlets built into the night stand between the two beds. It's always nice to be able to have the phone nearby. The safe is also in the night stand, cleverly disguised as the top drawer. There's one real drawer below that but that's the only one in the room, so there's not exactly a lot of room to unpack. The closet and bathroom share a (heavy) sliding door so that if you can access the bathroom, the closet is covered and vice-versa. The bathroom itself was roomy. While there was no tub, the shower was very large and I liked that the controls were at the back of the shower stall, so you didn't get hit with cold water first thing. Instead of a standard half-glass to block water from the rest of the bathroom, there was a curved panel and there was a tiny lip on the floor to help direct the water back into the stall. While it didn't keep 100% of the water out of the rest of the bathroom, it certainly helped. My biggest complaint about the bathroom was the lack of storage space. There was very limited counter space and not much room underneath the vanity. The room did feature a towel warmer, however. A surprisingly large breakfast buffet (at least in comparison to US Hampton Inns) was available 6:30-10:00 AM weekdays and until 10:30 AM on the weekends. We had to leave very early the last morning and since we let them know ahead of time, they were able to whip up a to-go bag for us, which was greatly appreciated. There's also a bar that serves bistro food from 4-10 PM and the bar closes at 11 PM. We were quite tired after traveling from overseas so we just had a pizza the first night and it was hot, fresh, and quite good. Since the hotel is connected to the DoubleTree by just a hallway, you can also eat at those restaurants and bill your meal to your room at the Hampton. Be aware that before you do this, you must have a credit card on file at the Hampton and must have authorized them to place a small hold on your card. Also on the lobby level is a kids rooms with a surprisingly large ball pit, including a slide. I can see little ones having a blast in there. For adults there is a sofa to relax on. On the lower level are the fitness center, pool, and the spa. While these amenities are available to DoubleTree guests, they are only complimentary for Hampton guests if you hold Gold status or above with Hilton. The gym was narrow but quite deep and had a very solid selection of workout machines and weights. The pool was not huge but it did have a lane marked off for those who like to do laps, and there was a substantial hot tub. Parking was 60 PLN/night and can be paid either at the station in the DoubleTree lobby or at the front desk. If you're planning to arrive at the hotel from the airport, I'd suggest a rideshare or taxi vs. public transportation, especially if you have rolling bags. The hotel is about a 10-minute walk from the nearest tram station and you'll be completely exposed to the elements. The sidewalk is not consistent along that route and while there's not necessarily a lot of traffic on the road, if it's raining or after dark it's possible cars might not see you. While this hotel is not super-convenient to Old Town and sightseeing, it's a solid property and we didn't mind the walk and tram rides. Were I to come to Krakow again I'd prefer to stay a little closer to the sights but if I ended up here again that would be just fine."

"After the last hotel, which was to say the least AWFUL, we were looking forward to a good one, and the chance to have a swim, which never happened, but more on that later. We eventually found the hotel, but initially wondered what we had booked with dumped cars in the car park, damaged and destroyed, lots of overgrown weeds and rubbish, we worried that our car would be safe, we managed to get a parking space right outside the doors of the hotel, as I had my blue disabled badge with me, but no other cars throughout had any form of disability label in their cars, which is dreadfully selfish. Checking in was simple and quick, and once we got to our room we found that there was no fridge or cooler, which was a pain as I had medication that needed to be kept cool. Speaking with reception they looked to see if a fridge was available, which it was not, and a compromise was met with a bucket of ice with us having to constantly refresh it, as the ice melted so quickly. The staff on reception were polite, understanding and quick to respond to any and all requests, we dumped our luggage in the room and headed back down to the restaurant, as we had had a long journey, breakfast in the last hotel was rubbish, and we were hungry. We saw one of the waitresses bring out a pizza for another customer so we decided to have one of them between us, with a couple of side orders or fries and onion rings, but it was our first, what we call slob out food, or fast food, of our holiday. When it all came these was just so much of it, but between us both we managed to clear our way through it all, we had no room for dessert. Back in the room, which was really nice, lots of room to move about, a desk and decent chair, and a sofa as well, and a beautiful bathroom with decent sized shower, that pumped out loads of hot water, there were toiletries on the wall of the shower and the sink. Big decent towels too, there was a hair dryer in the room but we never used that. There was also a wardrobe with an iron and ironing board, should we have need those, the TV was huge, and the one of only two down points on this hotel was that the TV had a really bad signal on the TV, every channel, meant you just could not watch it, thankfully we watched streaming services on our laptops so we still managed to chill in the evening. We had three nights at this hotel, and in our first full day we got a BOLT taxi, which is easy to order from the app, they pick you up at the door, and drop you off as near as possible to your chosen destination, unfortunately the driver we had was dangerous, was on his phone more than looking at the road, speeding and honking his horn at every opportunity, we also found that the majority of the drivers we used were not very friendly. We got back to the hotel and thought about a swim, so we eventually found it, through a maze of corridors, only to be told that it would cost us 50zl each, which in sterling is around £10 each, we do not pay those prices in the UK for public pools and never pay for a hotel pool, and we never will, so we left that there, but it really did put a downer on the first day in Krakow. We had another meal that night, in the hotel, and that was beautiful, we even had a dessert which was ok, Sleeping for me has always been an issue, I need lots of pillows to support my back and neck, but we find Euro hotels use these horrible pillows that just deflate to nothing when you put your head on them, we asked for extra on night one, and they were very nice comfortable pillows, and I had three good night's sleep. When we woke on the day of leaving there was this dreadful disgusting smell in the room, and no it was not me, a drain/rotting food smell, it really was not nice, we ran the taps in the sink and the shower in case the drains had dried out overnight, but no, the smell persisted. We took some luggage to our car, before we had breakfast, one waitress kindly filled our water bottles with ice so we could have cold water on our long journey to the next hotel. Which is in Austria, Vienna. Overall, for a hotel of this supposed quality, and using the name Hilton, to be charged extra for a swim, and the amount of charge too, no fridge in the room, and the drains smell, did put a downer on the stay, but over all the friendliness of the staff, lovely, if limited food for main meals, clean and well kept public areas, brilliant selection for breakfast, and decent rooms, would make us stay with them again. I will add that along with the added costs for swimming, they also charge a rather extortionate fee of 60zl per night to park, Which is around £12, this we found laughable when the car park is in such a dreadful condition with dumped broken down cars just sitting in the car park rusting away. Not a very nice way to arrive at the hotel."

"Positive vibes only! 😊 Probably the best breakfast selection in Poland – a wonderful mix of vegetarian options, local products, and classic breakfast favorites. Parking can be a bit tricky if you don't speak Polish. I highly recommend using the hotel's parking, as you can simply give your license plate number to the reception, and they will activate your entry and exit. The private parking behind the hotel should only be used if you understand the Polish payment system and -good to know - it is in Tariff Zone B. The lobby is clean and spacious, with live sports broadcasts and news on TV. There are also small outdoor terraces where you can relax or have a cigarette. The swimming pool is available for a modest additional fee—good to know. 😊 The welcome for dogs is exceptional, including a "Pet in the Room" sign to place on your door when you leave your furry friend alone. They also provide an excellent information pack for dog owners, with tips for nearby walks, including the large Park Lotników (Park of Aviators), which is perfect for both you and your dog. Highly recommended!"