It is difficult to believe that this hotel has such good ratings. I am a Hilton Honors Diamond member, and have stayed at their properties across the nation. This is not one of the good ones. I stay in lots of locations for the Hampton Inn brand; this would be in the lower third. Major issue: This is an old Hampton Inn and is in dire need of remodeling. Everything about this hotel says old: the room furnishings, the sub-standard bed for a Hampton, the tiny front desk that is squeezed in just across from some of the first floor guest rooms, and even the dated furniture in the breakfast area. I decided to give it a shot on this trip because of the rate and the good reviews that it had received, but won't stay here again until I hear that they have updated the property. Positives: This is an expensive area of Birmingham to stay in, and this hotel is a good value in comparison to other Hilton properties nearby. Also, for those doing business in the Colonnade business area, this hotel is at the epicenter, and is across the street from a great breakfast place (Edgar's Bakery), and near multiple good restaurants.

A buddy and I stayed at this hotel during the 2008 NCAA basketball tournament 1st/2nd rounds. We found it to be a complete and convenient hotel. We arrived in town around 10:00 a.m. on our day of check-in and tried our luck at the front desk and, they let us check in early, which was very nice of them. The room was clean and comfortable and, as always at every Hampton Inn, the FREE wireless Internet service was wonderful. We only ate the free hot breakfast on one morning, and it was all right, with biscuits and sliced smoked sausage. (Nothing to write home about, but it made us full for free before we walked out the door.) This hotel is located in the Colonnade shopping area at the junction of I-459 and Highway 280 in Hoover, AL, just outside Birmingham. There are a variety of shops at the Colonnade as well as several restaurants. I'd recommend the Fox & Hound (just across the complex) for all of your sports viewing needs. Another thing about the location is that it is convenient to most areas of Birmingham you'd care to go. You can be downtown in less than 20 minutes; down 280 to Brook Highland or Lee Branch in less than 15 minutes; the Galleria in around 10 minutes; and The Summit in about 5 minutes. All of those times are dependent upon traffic, of course, but still--you're in the middle of everything. One big bonus for this hotel was that after I got home, I realized that I had left a few clothing items in a drawer in our room. I called the hotel and they not only had my clothes, they shipped them via UPS to me the very next morning. While I did have to pay for the shipping costs, it was an unexpectedly easy process to get my stuff, so that was nice. If you're going to be in Birmingham and need to be somewhere from Downtown to the 280 corridor/Hoover area, this is the place to stay.

What a great hotel! I was traveling on business and booked this hotel - I got a great AAA rate and got a King suite. Very clean and cozy, with all the amenities (fridge, microwave, couch, desk, etc.) and the bed was very comfortable. The bathroom was clean, the tub, hot water and water pressure were all very good. The location was great. I'm not familiar with Birmingham, but this particular area was very upscale and clean. There were several great restaurants literally across the street and shopping and sightseeing were very close. The staff was great! The front desk was friendly and speedy. When I checked in, they told me that they were having "snacks" in the lobby. Once I got settled, I came downstairs to discover that the "snacks" were pulled pork BBQ sandwiches with baked beans and chips. That's dinner! I thought that was such a great touch. On top of a wonderful continental breakfast, I was really impressed.

While vacationing in Birmingham, I spent 7 nights at the Hampton Inn (room 514) at the Colonnade, located conveniently off of Hwy 280, just south of the Summit. Despite it's location at the I-459 / Hwy 280 interchange, it was a quiet hotel. During the first weekend (Fri - Sun), the hotel was completely booked with families in town for a soccer tournament, so the hotel was not quite as clean as it was the remainder of the week. On Monday, many business travelers arrived and I was pleasantly surprised to have the carpet in my room freshly shampooed and the hallways and elevators vacuumed. The bed was very comfortable and the room had a microwave, coffee maker, and large refrigerator. Since coffee and tea are available around the clock in the lobby, I did not find a need to use these appliances. Breakfast included hot coffee, tea, cereal, oatmeal, bagels, yogurt, fresh fruit, and either eggs or other hot item each morning from 6 - 10 AM. It was as you might normally expect from a Hampton Inn, but the fresh fruit was very nice healthy alternative. The business center was a nice perk - free internet, a copier, phone directory and a printer. Unfortunately, it was not very clean with much dust on the countertop by the monitor and other equipment. A bit of regular housekeeping in this area would really enhance the use of the small space. Although I did not use the exercise room, I did take note of the Precor eliptical trainer there. There was also a treadmill and a combination weight machine, along with a TV and fresh towels, in the room as well. Overall, the hotel was nice in a perfect location and I would book another stay there in the future. A bit of attention to cleaning the lesser used areas would really make this hotel a first-choice!

We booked a room for four girlfriends for a shopping weekend. The hotel was clean and very much up to our expectations. The room was nice and we had everything we needed. We didn't eat breakfast in the hotel but it looked great. We ventured across the street to Edgars Bakery. It is a MUST if you are in the area! All in all, the hotel seemed fine for our stay, and was very convenient to our shopping spots. We would stay there again!