Hampton Corporate Suites

Since 1989, many of the largest corporations in St. Louis have turned to Hampton Corporate Suites for their interim housing needs. Dedicated to providing the finest apartment homes, customized for each guest, the company has build a strong reputation for versatility. "A lot of people aren’t even aware that a service such as ours exists," says Brenda Hampton, president. "We want them to know that we offer a real alternative to hotel living by providing spacious apartment homes with many amenities at a fraction of the cost of a typical hotel room."

The six-member staff at Hampton works in connection with 30 to 50 apartment communities from Wentzville to Illinois, with the majority located in Creve Coeur and Chesterfield. Known for its attention to customer needs, the company’s motto is Simply Superior Service. In each apartment, the staff works to create an environment that feels comfortable and familiar, from the style of the furnishings down to the kitchen utensils. Clients may request a piano, a computer, exercise equipment, or a hot tub. Many need to accommodate their families – or even a 95-pound dog.

At any one time, as many as 150 to 250 clients may be scattered around the region – some needing housing for 30 days, others for up to two or three years – with an average stay of three to six months. Hampton serves corporate executives, sports figures in town for the athletic season, patients awaiting organ transplants, home builders, and military personnel, among many others.

In 1989, Brenda Hampton was in property management when she saw the need for high-quality temporary housing. At first, she was a one-woman operation, working from her Central West End apartment. But the business grew so fast that she quickly graduated to a house, and soon to the firm’s current office space on Dielman Rock Island Drive. It includes a 2,000-square-foot warehouse that holds thousands of home furnishing items.

Coffeemakers, toasters, clock radios, measuring cups, napkin rings – shelf after shelf of storage contains the daily necessities. Another room contains linens: a rainbow-colored display of sheets, pillowcases, towels, and comforters. Hampton employees decorate each apartment differently, with attention to the taste of each customer. One woman wanted all her furnishings to be white, from the sofa to the comforter; another man detested blue.

When an item shows the least sign of wear, Hampton Corporate Suites replaces it with a brand-new purchase. The older items – some used only for three to six months – go to several homeless shelters throughout the St. Louis area. The company is also active in other charitable causes, such as sponsoring special events at Saint Joseph’s Home for Boys.

To match a client with the right apartment, Hampton Corporate Suites offers personalized touring. Customers view three or four housing options to find the location they like best. During the placement process, the staff works quickly. Often, a request comes in and they have less than a week – sometimes as little as 48 hours – to locate an apartment and prepare it fully for the customer.

Once the client arrives, everything is in place. The kitchen is outfitted; other rooms are furnished and inviting. In the dining room, the table is set as though guests are coming for dinner. The bathroom has toilet paper, tissues, and soap. There’s even a little food – candy bars, soft drinks, popcorn, and breakfast coffee – so guests don’t go hungry before they can do some grocery shopping.

During the course of the rental, Hampton Corporate Suites supplies weekly cleaning and linen laundering for its clients. A 24-hour emergency line, monitored by a Hampton employee, is ready for unexpected problems, such as guests who get locked out of their apartments.

Although competition in the corporate suite industry is very strong, Hampton has a core of loyal companies who come back again and again for interim housing assistance. And the company has received many letters of commendation from guests who are pleased by its personalized service.

One client wrote, commending Hampton Corporate Suites on finding him an apartment within a five-minute drive of his job – and furnished with the traditional furniture that he liked best: "I wanted to ... let you know how impressed I was with the service I received from your company ... to commend you on a job well done and say thank you very much."