Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton San Jose Airport

Despite its location near a railway track and major arterial roadways, the Hampton Inn & Suites enjoys a surprisingly calm setting on a quiet no-through road. Pretty landscaped gardens and majestic palms introduce the beige four-story building, and continue out the back, creating a surprisingly tranquil and lush outdoor pool scene. While not the epitome of chic, interiors are attractively styled, spotless, and colorfully dressed. The small-ish reception has a bright patchwork rug and big tropical bouquet at the center. The lobby adjoins a large, lofty lounge space dressed in a warm blend of woods, reds, and wicker, with drum lights suspended from the lofty ceiling, contemporary artworks on the walls, and a wall of glass showcasing the greenery outside. Populated with sofa and table seating, this is where guests eat the free buffet breakfast, and it also offers a pleasant space to work, chill, or kill time throughout the day and night. Given the hotel’s proximity to the airport, it draws mostly business and leisure travelers on stopovers. 

The hotel is located in a fairly uninspiring area of the Alajuela province that’s convenient to the airport, a couple of chain restaurants, and a casino (about three minutes’ walk), but not much else. It’s a five-minute drive from Juan Santamaria International Airport, and downtown San Jose is about 25 minutes away. There are some other restaurants (like Denny's) within short driving distance, and if anyone is looking to kill some time, there’s outlet shopping about a 10-minute drive away, and it’s nine minutes to City Mall. There are a number of car rental offices right over the road which may be convenient for those collecting or returning cars. 

Available in Guest Room (with singular king or two queen beds), and Suites (with king beds), all are all extremely spacious and pretty well-equipped for a mid-range chain hotel. Furnishing is fairly sparse, so there’s plenty of room to move around, and Suites upsize layouts and features with living/dining areas, sofa beds, and kitchenettes. Signature Hampton beds are dressed in luxe white bedding. All rooms feature microwaves, mini-fridges, coffeemakers, and flat-screen TVs. Decor is subdued but pleasant, with beige walls, matching blond wood laminate furniture, and some color contrast in bed skirts and generic nature artworks on walls. Spacious work desks, ample tech outlets, and free in-room high speed Wi-Fi are provided, as are irons, ironing boards, safes, and hairdryers. Bathrooms are also nice and large with a good selection of Neutrogena products, wall-mounted hairdryers, and shower/tub combos.

Features are especially nice for an airport hotel. The outdoor pool is a highlight, with a couple of umbrella-shaded dining tables and deck chairs for lounging. The free daily buffet breakfast is a highlight with its variation, but it’s all served with paper plates and cups which feels a bit cheap. The restaurant is otherwise closed, so no meals can be purchased on-site for lunch or dinner. Free tea, coffee, and hot chocolate are on offer in the lobby, 24 hours. A small Cybex gym is open 24 hours, though its equipment is limited to a treadmill, an elliptical machine, and a stationary bike. The hotel offers free on-site parking and a free regular shuttle service to the airport.

The lobby also offers a small gift shop, a business center, and a little sundries store with basic snack food, drinks, and beers for sale. There is a car rental desk and a sightseeing/ tours desk on-site, and foreign currency exchange is also on offer. A coin-operated laundry is available. Free high speed Wi-Fi is provided throughout, and reception provides basic business services.