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Sonesta Essential, Vacaville-Napa Valley



Formerly Hampton Inn ...


SERVICE & TRANSITIONS -- 👍good

Friendly & easy-going check-in w/good banter from Angel.

Walking into the decorative lobby felt festive & fun but the vibe was eerily vacant.

Slow sluggish elevators featured a nice view of the big (empty) atrium.

Coin-operated laundry was available on-site.

12pm checkout provided

MVP employees: Angel ✨




ROOM [King Studio Jetted Tub] -- 👎poor 

I was disappointed by the condition & turnover of the room: visibly & heavily worn, disorganized staging/housekeeping, & in need of a true deep-cleaning.

The dimensions & functional windows were the most redeeming amenities. 

It was a long list of complaints otherwise:

mediocre seating

Severely limited storage

weak lighting

non-functional outlets


BED [King] -- 👍ok

Mediocre pillows (Dream Surrender) w/a weak build quality. These were undersized & severely lacking in support.

Conversely, the duvet was soft, clean & comfortable. Great at retaining heat.

Overall an average sleep experience.


BATH -- 👎 poor

Cleaning standards were dismal 🤢.

Cosmetically it was gross. The amount of paint splatter, rust, & discoloration throughout was nauseating.

Functionally, it was surprisingly strong, offering: a large vanity, substantial counter space, good sink installation, decent dimensions, & convenient storage cubbies.

The shower experience wasn't bad. I enjoyed the high temps, Dove bath products, & multi-pattern shower-head.

Towels were rough... but clean.



TV SOLUTION/ACTIVITIES -- 👎 ok

Finally something noteworthy -- a gorgeous pool w/modest dimensions. Despite facing the highway, the vibe was nice.

TV situ was serviceable and that's about it. The display was too small for the room type & the placement was impractical for watching from bed. Volume was also a challenge due to the low-budget model.



WI-FI & CELL RECEPTION -- 👎 poor

Status quo unencrypted Sonesta WiFi portal. 

Performance was stable, just very weak. 

--Performance--

Video streaming - good

Online gaming - good

Video chatting - good 

--Nerd Stats--

8-10 Mbps download 

9-21 Mbps upload

0% packet loss

16 ms latency

4 ms jitter


FOOD & DRINK -- 👎 ok

There were a lot of fun vending options -- including a popcorn machine! Free coffee was also provided.

Breakfast was an unflavored smorgasbord of traditional offerings (cereal, potatoes, eggs, etc).

Inside the room however, was an unsanitary, unsafe, disgrace for a kitchenette:

Old dirty sponges, half-used (cheap) cleaning supplies, random arrangement of kitchenware, unusable water pressure, & wet dishes left to dry by live sockets. Yikes.

in-room:

✅ microwave (mini)

✅ mini-fridge (small)

✅ coffee/tea

❌ wet-bar

❌ mini-bar



NOISE -- 👎 bad

Acoustically miserable...

Loud pipes, creaking floors, thin walls, & thunderous door slams.

At full (or even half) occupancy, I can imagine this one being a noise-nightmare.


LOCATION -- 👎 poor

Outlet mall area a few miles away... And that's about it; a non-redeeming "0" for walkability.

Surroundings are desolate but it is close (next) to the highway, for better or worse.



RECOMMENDATION

Final Price: $162.00/night

Was it worth it? no

Best part: Amazon locker

A low-effort rebranding of a failed Hampton Inn; Did not live up to marketing hype.

Mis-represented & utterly disappointing. Do not believe the press releases 🙄.

Will not return nor would I recommend this location. 

2/5 ⭐️


@mrstaycation




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@mrstaycation

@mrstaycation

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