The Hampton Inn Deadwood is a 59-room hotel located within the Tin Lizzie Gaming Resort. This property presented various pros and cons during my two-night stay. The positives include a great location on Deadwood’s Historic Main Street, friendly staff and free hot breakfast. Some cons are that it’s not a standard Hampton Inn since it’s located within a casino. It feels like the hotel is crammed into the space with absolutely no hotel lobby and limited seating for breakfast. While the hotel is clean, some rooms are starting to show their age.
If the casino part bothers you, you’re out of luck in Deadwood. Every hotel I came across is combined with a casino now that gambling is the number one driver of tourism to the area.
The other hotel options in town on Main Street are mostly old, historic, independent hotels. If you prefer a hotel with lots of history, but likely needing modern updating, the Bullock Hotel, Gold Dust or Silverado Franklin Hotel might meet your needs. There’s also a Holiday Inn Express located right in the heart of town on Main Street.
However, if you prefer a newer hotel, there are a few good ones located just north of the action on Main Street. Cadillac Jack’s Gaming Resort unveiled a $31 million renovation in May of 2019. In total, the resort offers 293 hotel rooms, including the 78-room SpringHill Suites by Marriott, the 107-room DoubleTree by Hilton, and the 108-room Tru by Hilton. These are either brand new or recently renovated but require a 15 minute walk to downtown Deadwood.
Location
The Hampton Inn Deadwood is located at the very northern end of Historic Main Street. It’s location at one end of downtown means it’s a little quieter than other Main Street hotels. However, it’s still very close to the action—less than a third of a mile to downtown. The hotel is attached to the Tin Lizzie Gaming Resort, where you’ll find casino games, a full-service bar and several restaurants.
Attractions such as the Adams Museum and Days of ’76 Museum are just a short walk away. It’s also a quick drive to other area attractions like Mt. Moriah Cemetery, the Adams House, Broken Boot Gold Mine and Homestake Gold Mine.
Lobby
Since the Hampton Inn is part of the Tin Lizzie Gaming Resort, it doesn’t have a traditional lobby at all. Most people who walk in, will come into the gaming area, where all you see are gaming tables and slot machines. The hotel check-in is located in a small area at the north end of the building. With no real lobby, there are no places to sit and relax like you’d find in most hotel lobbies.
Checking-In
When I walked into the hotel’s check-in area, I was greeted by a friendly staff member. The check-in process was quick and the staff acknowledged my Hilton Diamond status with an upgrade to a one bedroom suite. They also give me coupons for free drinks at Paddy O’Neill’s Irish Pub and $5 of free money to gamble with.
The Room
My suite was located on the second floor not far from the elevators. The room was really big with the living area separate from the bedroom.
The bedroom had a king bed, television and it’s own HVAC unit. I also really appreciated that each night stand contained two plugs and one USB port to charge all my electronics.
The living room was really large and could accommodate a small get together with a couch, chair and a second television. There was also a huge desk with a comfortable desk chair should you need to do any work.
Lastly, the living area also had a kitchenette equipped with sink, microwave, fridge, and coffee machine.
The Bathroom
The bathroom was actually pretty nice. It was spacious and clean and it’s possible that it had been renovated in the past few years.
Dining
Outside of Starbucks, the hotel has several uninspiring dining options. Unless you’re only looking for a quick, convenient meal, there are better options in town.
Free Hot Breakfast
As with other Hampton Inns, hot breakfast is free and included in the room price. The breakfast options consisted of staples like waffles, eggs, sausage, oatmeal and cold cereal. I found it to be just okay. The hotel doesn’t have a dining room or lobby in which to serve breakfast. So instead it’s served in a small room on the second floor. When I showed up there were no open seats available so be prepared to have to take your food to go.
T-Grille Restaurant
The T-Grille Restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week. Expect standard American fare of eggs and omelets for breakfast, and sandwiches, wraps, pizza, salad and steaks for lunch and dinner. The decor and atmosphere reminded me of a Perkins or Denny’s.
Paddy O’Neill’s Irish Pub
Paddy O’Neill’s Irish Pub is a typical Irish pub and restaurant featuring bar food, well drinks, beer and 13 big screen TVs.
Starbucks
A Starbucks is located within the Tin Lizzie resort for those who need a coffee to get their day started. Patrons can also find gourmet teas, hot breakfast items, and a variety of delicious pastries.
Miscellaneous
While the inside of the hotel and the rooms were pretty clean, my view to the outside was so disgusting I had to keep my shades drawn. The bedroom windows had several old yellow stains on them and I question whether they’ve ever been washed from the outside.
While that was gross enough, my second floor room also overlooked a roof which had piles of unidentified black, gray and yellow ooze. Not that the view was much to look at anyways, but I would’ve liked to have the shades open and not be disgusted.
Amenity-wise, there’s no pool, but the hotel does have a fitness center and business center.
Bottom Line
The Hampton Inn Deadwood is a relatively clean and friendly hotel although it’s starting to show its age in the decor and furniture. Since it’s inside a casino, you do need to adjust your expectations however. Your hotel experience will not be exactly the same as it would in a regular Hampton Inn. Instead of a lobby with seating, you get slot machines and gaming tables. But the location is great and it’s not like there are a lot of nicer options in Deadwood anyways.
Trip Report Index
- Introduction and Planning
- Hilton Garden Inn Sioux Falls Downtown
- Hampton Inn Deadwood at Tin Lizzie Gaming Resort
- Hotel Alex Johnson Rapid City
- Top Things to Do in the Black Hills
- How I Earned Almost 30,000 Hilton Points on my Short Road Trip
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