The Hampton Inn Midway is an old reliable for me, although it was a shock to have to pay an extra $10 a day now for parking anywhere around the hotel complex, which is some kind of county requirement (?), I am told. The hotel is quiet, despite its close proximity to Midway Airport. The free breakfasts aren't inspiring but are edible, including apples and bananas. Really weird, flat, frisbee-shaped eggs, though. Wired or wireless internet is available for free, which is a plus, although, if you stay for a few days, you will probably need a new access code. You may also note that this free access isn't as speedy as your cable connection at home, and if it fails, you will be the one, not the front desk, to contact the nationalHampton Help Desk for internet repairs.

Housekeeping was less than effective at this hotel. Although I got ice in my bucket every night, no one ever changed its plastic bag for a week. My frequently falling hair was still on the bathroom floor when I came home every day, and washcloths were rare. The soaps were dinky. The bathtub drain was sluggish, and when I left the plug out, there it stayed for the duration. Probably because of some water-saving regulation, the shower is equipped with a head that basically sprinkles you with a mist, and one wastes a whole lot of time and water trying to get clean. Also, the Hampton now changes your sheets only if you request a "freshening," and this never happened, as far as I can tell. At least the bed, equipped with four generous pillows, was very comfy, and the duvet was clean and warm.

As for the general appearance of the place, the hotel seems a bit worn. It was updated a few years ago, but is again showing its age. Numbers and no smoking signs have been removed from the room doors, but the scars remain, or are covered up by useless decorations. The carpets are clean but faded. The lobby hasn't changed at all in several years.

I can say that I have always been treated well by the front desk staff at this hotel, and felt warmly welcomed, so I'll probably stay at this Hampton again. However, it is getting to be less than a bargain, and downtown is looking more enticing, especially with the new parking charges. Welcome to Chicago, I guess.