Newly Built 137-key Hampton Inn & Suites Baton Rouge Downtown Opens in Louisiana

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. May 15, 2014

BATON ROUGE, LA - May 15, 2014 - Downtown Baton Rouge is booming, and the new Hampton Inn & Suites offers a front-row seat.

More sophisticated than suburban Hamptons, this riverfront hotel is the only hotel downtown offering private balconies with views of the Mississippi River and surrounding cityscape. The scenery from the highest floors reaches all the way to LSU's Alex Box Stadium, and the sunsets can be spectacular.

"We are not your typical Hampton Inn," says General Manager J. Benjamin Blackwell. "We have an upscale feel with a unique blend of Southern hospitality and charm, and our balcony views can't be beat."

The timing is right for an upscale hotel like the Hampton, Blackwell says. A stone's throw from the rapidly rising IBM Services Center—future home of retail, office and residential space—the new Hampton Inn sits at the epicenter of downtown revitalization. The recently announced Water Campus project, a major new coastal studies research hub planned just south of downtown, will bring even more activity.

The first new hotel built downtown in more than half a century, the downtown Hampton has been rated No. 1 on TripAdvisor since opening last year. Increasingly, it is the destination of preference for business and government travelers, sports fans, tourists, Mardi Gras revelers, wedding parties and others who want sophistication and comfort in a prime location. The hotel is within walking distance of downtown cultural and historical attractions, LSU, restaurants and bars, casinos, and the festival and concert venue, North Boulevard Town Square.

In keeping with the chain's traditional focus, the new Hampton caters to business groups with 1,250 square feet of meeting space perfect for board meetings, presentations, seminars, cocktail receptions, dinners, luncheons and holiday parties. The Boardroom and Bayou and Bengal meeting rooms are ideal for everything from the most intimate gatherings up to groups of 64. The hotel can provide any office supplies or equipment needed. These flexible spaces work beautifully for social functions, too, including bridal showers, rehearsal dinners, and family reunions and celebrations. There is also a business center with handy computers and printers and free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel for the convenience of guests.

The entirely nonsmoking private spaces are designed just as thoughtfully. The 137 rooms and suites are extra spacious, particularly the circular one-bedroom suites with panoramic river views. Guests appreciate the chic, inviting decor, not to mention the 42-inch HDTVs, hairdryers, full-size ironing boards and coffeemakers. Suites are furnished with microwaves, mini-fridges and wet bars. The deluxe, 24-hour fitness center is much better equipped than most, too. A guest laundry and 24-hour convenience store offer added comfort.

Room service is another surprise. The downtown Hampton has partnered with nearby Italian restaurant The Little Village to offer in-room lunch and dinner. Guests are welcome to a complimentary hot breakfast buffet as well as On the Run Breakfast Bags for more hurried mornings. Other amenities include free gourmet coffee, tea and hot chocolate, being a member of the Hilton Hhonor family of hotels and a complimentary manager's reception in the lobby each Monday through Thursday evening.

What is not surprising is that couples have discovered the Hampton, too.Moonlight on the Mississippi Romance Packages offer romantic river-view rooms along with champagne, wine or sparkling cider, chocolate-covered strawberries, truffles, terrycloth robes, breakfast and an optional dinner for two. The Hampton also welcomes wedding parties and can provide any services they require, including shuttle transportation to and from the venue.

From its LSU Tiger inlay in the marble floor of the lobby to its hand-painted mural of the local skyline, this downtown newcomer celebrates Baton Rouge. The feeling is bound to be mutual.