For years, this hotel has been our favorite place to stay at when we visited OBX, so we are very disappointed to see it grow tired, worn out, and not well maintained. Our room had a very unpleasant (wet dog?) smell to it that couldn’t be dissipated no matter how long we kept our balcony door open. The odor emanated either from the carpet or the air conditioner, and it permeated everything. The bathtub was chipped in several places, the carpet looked dingy, and the room never cooled below 73F. The gym was poorly equipped and had no towels. The front desk attendants were welcoming and courteous; however, room cleaning staff were not particularly friendly. We did enjoy breakfast and appreciated the convenience of having the free laundry facility. The pool areas seem to be well maintained although we did not use those all that much. We love the location of the hotel so would love to come back, but we hope some upgrades and interior refreshment will be done in the nearest future to make this Hampton Inn worthy of the brand reputation.