Hampton Inn Rolla

The 2021 renovation was a significant refresh, not just a paint job. All ninety-six rooms received new carpet (durable patterned commercial grade), new mattresses with the Hampton Suite Dreams pillow-top, new soft seating, and refreshed bathrooms with updated tile and rainfall showerheads. The desks were replaced with smaller, more flexible work surfaces appropriate for laptop work, and additional outlets and USB ports were added at the bedside and desk.

Bathrooms are bright and clean, with full-size toiletries in wall-mounted dispensers (the Hampton brand moved away from individual bottles in 2020 for sustainability) and decent water pressure. The shower is a standard tub-shower combination in most rooms; the king studio suites offer a small upgrade with a separate walk-in shower and a sitting area with a sleeper sofa.

Rooms on the back side of the property face a quiet residential area and are recommended over the front-facing rooms that overlook the parking lot and I-44 frontage road. Highway noise is minimal but not zero from front rooms; light sleepers should request a back room when booking. The building is three stories with elevators at both ends; upper floors are quieter overall.

The Hampton free hot breakfast runs from 6 to 10 a.m. on weekdays and 7 to 10 a.m. on weekends. Hot items typically include scrambled eggs, sausage or bacon (rotating), waffles from a make-your-own station, breakfast potatoes, and biscuits and gravy. Cold items include yogurt, fresh fruit, several cereals, oatmeal, bagels, and pastries. The Hampton breakfast is widely regarded as one of the better offerings in the mid-range chain space, and the Rolla property executes it consistently. The breakfast room seats about fifty and is rarely crowded outside of Saturday mornings.

The indoor pool is heated and twenty-feet long, open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. There is no hot tub. The fitness room has two treadmills, a stationary bike, an elliptical, and a small free-weight set, plus a wall-mounted TV. The 24-hour business center off the lobby has two PCs and a free printer that the front desk will help you use.

The lobby market sells the usual snacks, drinks, microwave meals, and a few basic toiletries, charged to your room. Free coffee and water are available in the lobby around the clock, and the staff will brew a fresh pot if the carafe is low. Pets are not accepted at this property, which is one of the few downsides versus the nearby Drury Inn; travelers with dogs should book the Drury or one of the smaller independent motels along Bishop Avenue.

The Hampton Inn sits at the Martin Springs Drive interchange just off I-44 Exit 184, putting it within a five-minute drive of the Missouri S&T campus, downtown Rolla, and the Totem Pole Trading Post. The Mule Trading Post and Memoryville USA are about a ten-minute drive east. Parking is free in a large surface lot with RV-friendly back spaces; no permit required.

For Hilton Honors members, the Rolla Hampton is a strong points-redemption option, typically running 15,000 to 25,000 points per night depending on season. Elite members (Gold and above) receive complimentary water and a small snack on arrival, plus the usual upgrade-when-available benefit which often translates to a king studio suite for the same price as a standard room. Diamond elite members typically also receive bonus breakfast items but the Hampton brand-wide hot breakfast is already free for everyone, so the marginal value is small.

Combine an overnight at the Hampton with morning visits to the Stonehenge replica and the Memoryville USA car museum, lunch at Al-Saedi or Zeno's, an afternoon at the Mule and Totem Pole trading posts, and dinner downtown before turning in. The Hampton Inn is also a popular base for parents visiting S&T students; book early for fall family weekend and spring commencement.