Hampton Inn & Suites El Cajon San Diego Review

Booking & Stay Details

I needed a place to stay near Lakeside and after looking around, I found the Hampton Inn & Suites El Cajon San Diego. I am not really planning on qualifying for Hilton Elite Status for next year, but it is the only hotel program I haven’t re-qualified for next year. The hotel is also located very close to my project site and therefore I gave it a shot. My favorite place in San Diego is still the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego.

I booked the Studio Suite as they charged the same for the studio suite as for a regular room. The rate was around $180/night for either one of them. I had a follow up stay, about a week later and still the same thing. The studio suite was even cheaper than the regular King room. However, point prices for the studio suite are always 30.000 points higher than the standard King room and even more compared to a room with 2 Queen beds.

Location

The Hilton Hampton Inn & Suites El Cajon San Diego is located inside the Parkway Plaza Mall in El Cajon. It’s close to many shops and restaurants including an In-N-Our right next door. I love In-N-Out and this was an extra plus.  

Parking

There is plenty of parking available all around the hotel building. However, the drive through lines tend to get very long at In-N-Our locations and that’s no different here. At points, they block the parking lot right in front of the hotel and if you want to get out of a parking spot, you might be stuck for a while. Park at the back of the hotel, where you will need your room key to enter the building. Unfortunately, the Diamond parking spots are out front as well.

Shuttle Service

No shuttle service available.

Check-In

Check-in was quick and easy. I parked in front of the main entrance to check in. After a quick ID verification and card check I received my room keys. The elevators are just around the corner.

Check-In: 3 p.m.
Check-Out: 12 p.m.

1 King Studio Suite (Room 218)

As you walk into the suite you have a counter on your right which houses a fridge as well as a sink. I don’t know why many suites have a sink but no actual kitchen. No utensils and no dishware. On a shelf in the counter is a microwave.

The living room space comes with a sofa bed. A work desk splits the living room space from the sleeping space. It’s a well-sized desk with lots of shelves in the desk. A large flatscreen TV is mounted on a rack next to the desk. The TV swivels to be either watched from the bed or the sofa. There is also a suitcase stand with shelves.  

The King bed comes with a nightstand on either side. A light is mounted to the headboard on either side as well. There are power outlets and USB ports on top of the nightstands.  

The bathroom space is separated with a sliding door from the rest of the suite. The door has a dressing mirror mounted to it. Inside the bathroom you have a open closet to hang your clothes, a vanity with a single wash basin and a wall mounted mirror.  

The toilet and walk-in shower are separated by another door from the rest of the bathroom. Inside the shower a wall-mounted dispensers for soap.

The A/C controls are next to the sofa bed. The suite comes with two windows, which face out the front of the building and overlook the pool area. If you want more privacy, you should ask for a room with an odd number as it faces out back. If there is a long line at the drive-through you have to close your blackout curtains for privacy.

Public Areas & Amenities

Lobby

The lobby is mainly comprised of the seating area for breakfast which can be used throughout the day. There are a few meeting rooms on the first floor of the hotel. The rest of the lobby is part of the front desk space.

Business Center

No business center. Many people use the desks in the lobby to set up their laptops.

Fitness Center

The fitness center has a decent selection of workout equipment, Nothing fancy, just a regular fitness center.

Open 24/7.

Pool

The hotel has an outdoor heated pool. To access the pool area, you need your room key. There are a few pool loungers in the pool area. Unfortunately, the pool area is at the front of the building, where it can get busy because of the drive-through line being right outside of the pool area.

Hours: 9 a.m. – 10 p.m. daily

Guest Laundry

The guest laundry is near the pool area and comes with washer and dryer combos which are coin-operated. Unfortunately, there is no dry-cleaning service offered at this hotel.

Housekeeping

Housekeeping is upon request only, which needs to be arranged with the front desk the day prior.  

Dining

Breakfast

The Hampton Inn & Suites El Cajon San Diego offers a standard continental breakfast but with lots of choices I don’t like. They have cereals but none of the standard cereals you would expect. I almost never saw anybody getting cereals. The hot options are usually some kinds of eggs and meat. They change throughout the week, which is actually nice. The staff members on breakfast duty were always watching to make sure everything gets restocked timely. The breakfast buffet is set up in a separate area of the lobby, which is closed off after breakfast hours.  

The coffee and tea are served at a stand near the front desk. Coffee and tea are available 24/7, which is very nice. Unfortunately, they have rather small coffee cups.

Convenience Store

There is a large convenience store next to the front desk with lots of items to choose from. Perfect for a quick snack or if you are thirsty. They have other miscellaneous stuff as well. Best thing is that they also have plastic utensils there, if your “favorite” food delivery service forgets again to bring utensils when you expressively ordered them.

Conclusion

Overall it was good stay at the Hampton Inn & Suites El Cajon San Diego. I really enjoyed the spacious suite which was super nice to set up shop. Staff was great and I had no issues at all. The best part was the proximity to In-N-Out. I just had to walk across the drive-through lane to get to it, no street crossing necessary. Breakfast could have been a little bit better, but oh well.