Hampton Inn San Marcos

Hotels
•
Hampton Inn
7.9 (175 reviews)
123 East Carmel Street , San Marcos , US
+1 760-736-9249

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Free
Children allowed

Facilities

Fitness facilities
WiFi available
Free WiFi
Parking
Free Parking
Non-smoking rooms
Air conditioning
Fitness center
Swimming pool
24-hour front desk
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Review Highlights

Pros:
Good location
Helpful reception / accommodated early check-in
Reasonable/comfortable for some stays
Some guests found rooms clean
Cons:
Bugs reported in room
Stained carpet and tub, dirty furniture
Property described as rundown/old with damaged wallpaper and walls
Noisy/musty air conditioning and overpriced for condition

Categories

Cleanliness
4.5
Multiple reports of bugs, stained carpet, dirty chair, tub stains and general feeling that the property was not very clean.
Service
8.8
Reception was helpful and accommodated early check-in; staff responded when issues were reported.
Location
9
Good location; mentioned as near meeting place and convenient.
Room Quality
5
Rooms and hallways described as rundown: wallpaper damage, gash in wall, worn furniture, old tub and fixtures.
Amenities
10
Standard quality for this hotel tier
Value for Money
6.3
Guests felt the rate (around $300/night) was too high for the condition; would not recommend at this cost.
Food and Beverage
9.8
Standard quality for this hotel tier
Overall Experience
9.8
Standard quality for this hotel tier
* This sentiment is summarized by AI based on user reviews.
Updated at: 2026-11-05 15:04

Property Description

Convenient Location
Situated just off Route 78 in San Marcos, California, Hampton Inn San Marcos offers easy access to nearby attractions, recreational activities, and theater performances.

Attractions and Activities
Explore the vibrant city of San Diego, located just 56 km away, or catch a live performance at the San Diego Civic Theatre West. With 22 golf courses nearby, hiking trails, and the Pacific Ocean for swimming, there's no shortage of entertainment options.

Amenities
Start your day with a delicious hot breakfast at the hotel's complimentary buffet. Stay connected with free high-speed internet and unwind with a refreshing swim in the outdoor pool.

Experience comfort and convenience at Hampton Inn San Marcos - book your stay now!

Important information:

Upon check-in photo identification and credit card are required. All special requests are subject to availability upon check-in. Special requests cannot be guaranteed and may incur additional charges.Guests are required to show a photo ID and credit card upon check-in. Please note that all Special Requests are subject to availability and additional charges may apply.
A deposit may be required at the property.

Check-in and check-out hours:
Check-out: 11:00 AM
Airport code: SAN

Location

Property Accessibility

Total Disability Score: 35.71
Public Area
  • Ramp: No
  • Entrance Leveled: Yes
  • Pet Friendly: No
Reception And Restaurant
  • Reception Hearing Accessible: No
  • Reception Wheelchair Accessible: No
  • Restaurant Wheelchair Accessible: No
Elevator
  • Elevator Audio Signals: No
  • Elevator Braille Numbers: No
  • Elevator Contrasting Buttons: No
  • Elevator Visual Signs: No
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Guest Reviews

7.9
Based on 175 reviews
Cleanliness: 4.5
Service: 8.8
Location: 9
Room Quality: 5
Amenities: 10
Value for Money: 6.3
Food and Beverage: 9.8
Overall Experience: 9.8
R
Rogelio • family_with_children • us
10
2026-09-10 • via Nuitee
L
Lienert • solo_traveller • us
2
Bad
Pros:

It was 🐛 bug in the room. Bed and wall.

Cons:

Clean and desigfect the place

2026-08-22 • via Nuitee
P
Patty • couple • us
4
2026-08-04 • via Nuitee
T
Tamara • family_with_children • us
5
Pros:

Standard hotel, good location.

Cons:

Property is rundown - carpet stained, tub old, elevator was old, etc. Would not recommend or stay again at this cost.

2026-08-02 • via Nuitee
M
Maryalice • solo_traveller • us
7
Pros:

The hotel was clean and it was near my meeting place.

Cons:

The hotel is older, the air conditioner was loud and musty. It was about $300/ night after taxes, I expect more for that price.

2026-07-22 • via Nuitee
S
stephaniedA7671OI • Family
4
Unfortunately, not very clean
Pros:

The reception was good and they accommodated us by letting us check in early. As we walked through the hallway I noticed many stains in the carpet. The wallpaper has been scraped by something wearing against it. Upon entering the room I saw a large gash in the wall/wallpaper and the fabric chair was terribly dirty. I took pictures and brought them to the front desk. The front desk sent maintenance over. The worker already knew about the gash in the wall and told us that the wall paper needs to be re-doneand that is a big job. He did remove the chair oee my request and later we saw him cleaning it outside. The tub had dark stains in it too. I realize the property is old and the tub fixtures have been replaced over old ones.
I know they allow pets and having fur babies of my own I readily acknowledge they can make messes. I was disappointed because it was listed as a 3 star hotel and I think it's misleading. I didn't go and complain about the tub, as I assume the entire hotel needs updating. The chairs in the lobby have tares in them too. It did not feel very clean and I was quite uncomfortable.

2026-07-17 • via Tripadvisor
L
Lisa • solo_traveller • us
8
Nice place to stay.
Pros:

Reasonable price for comfortable hotel.

Cons:

N/A

2026-07-08 • via Nuitee
C
Carlos • couple • us
10
Plus’s 100
Pros:

Super nice customer service

Cons:

Everting

2026-04-06 • via Nuitee
M
Mary • solo_traveller • us
8
2026-03-17 • via Nuitee
J
Judith • couple • us
9
Pros:

Near our destination. Appreciated the 24 hour coffee and tea bar.

2026-03-15 • via Nuitee
J
Jennifer • couple • us
8
Good location and near restaurants and near the freeway.
Pros:

Great location.

Cons:

Unfortunately there was some kind of water leak in the main hallway.

2026-03-05 • via Nuitee
E
Edwin • couple • us
7
2026-01-25 • via Nuitee
B
BeachRydr • Couples
6
Not your usual Hampton Inn
Pros:

This Hampton Inn is worn down and somewhat on the dirty side. I normally stay at Hampton Inn's and this is the worst one I have ever seen. I saw a management response on another recent review saying that renovations to the property are due to start soon. That's good because they are definitely needed. In the meantime, I would suggest the management focus on cleaning this hotel up. The hallway carpets are visibly beat down and dirty. Front entrance matts, doors, concrete, etc all worn and dirty. Seating in the breakfast area stained in many areas. Elevator doors and adjacent walls dirty and trim paint chipped up. Thresholds grimy and dirty. Its all easy to see and easy/inexpensive to fix. Most stains (especially in the breakfast area seating) can be removed with a wet/dry vac and spray bottle. A cleaning field day perhaps with some temporary extra labor would do wonders for this hotel while waiting for renovations to begin. I can understand that renovations are expensive and must be carefully planned well in advance. Simple cleaning, light painting, and attention to detail is something that should be done on an ongoing basis.

To be fair the rate charged for our stay was less than many other nearby comparable hotels. The provided breakfast was good and the staff were friendly and courteous. The room I stayed in was acceptable. The hotel also provided complimentary copies of the Wall Street Journal which I thought was very nice. Overall, an ok stay.

2026-01-21 • via Tripadvisor
B
Bruce • couple • us
10
2026-01-20 • via Nuitee
J
Jose • family_with_children • us
10
2026-01-19 • via Nuitee
T
thomas • family_with_children • us
9
i came, I stayed, you provided, I left
Pros:

easy access to highway

Cons:

not applicable

2026-01-19 • via Nuitee
M
Mary • family_with_children • us
7
Frustrating sheets and not enough beds
Pros:

It was close to the family we were visiting and clean. The breakfast had good options for protein in addition to the typical breakfast breads and cereals.

Cons:

The sheets didn’t fit the beds. They went half way down the mattress, so when you rolled over in your sleep they popped off. I also expected a pullout couch in the room, but it was just 2 teen beds for our family of 5.

2026-01-07 • via Nuitee
E
ernesto • extended_group • us
9
Great location and friendly staff
Pros:

Is a very quite area, lots of places to go and explore, staff was very friendly

Cons:

We stayed on third floor and the only thing was we had a few young children around so running around screaming very early morning was not fun but otherwise everything else was great

2026-01-01 • via Nuitee
M
Miguel • couple • us
8
2025-12-13 • via Nuitee
D
Dennis • couple • us
8
Pros:

It needed a little more variety. The scrambled eggs were good.

2025-12-06 • via Nuitee