Having stayed at Hilton Garden Inns many, many times before (including this one a few times), I…read moreusually know what to expect--clean rooms, comfy beds, and a consistent experience. That's why I booked a four-night stay from Tuesday through Saturday, checking out on New Year's weekend. While some aspects of my stay met those expectations, others...well, let's just say it left me scratching my head.
When I checked in Tuesday night, I asked for a room in a quiet part of the hotel since, you know, New Year's Eve could bring some party vibes, and I wasn't in the mood to hear revelers after a long day of travel. The front desk clerk was super accommodating and got me set up in a nice, peaceful room. Props to her for that!
It was nice to see the remodeled rooms, too. Mine had a king bed, a flat-screen TV, mini fridge, large workstation, and a bathroom with a long but narrow shower and a spacious sink area. Plenty of storage, USB ports on both sides of the bed, and a very comfortable mattress--it checked all the boxes. Except...one wall near the bed had some suspicious stains that were visible when the light hit them just right, let's just say these made me wonder what someone was up to previously in that room. (Seriously, Hilton, maybe prioritize touching up that wall in room 427.)
Now for the crazy part: My room was not serviced a single time during my four-night stay.
Here's the timeline:
Wednesday: Left my room around 9 AM, worked in the lobby for a while, then went out for the day. Came back that afternoon to find the room hadn't been cleaned. No biggie--I checked in late Tuesday, so I figured they'd get to it Thursday. I called the front desk for towels, and those were delivered quickly.
Thursday: Same routine--left around 9 AM, came back late afternoon, and...still no service. By now, I also needed shower gel because the bottle in the shower was empty. I went down to the desk and let them know my room hadn't been serviced since I checked in. The response? "Rooms are serviced every other day, so it should have been done today. Maybe tomorrow." They brought up the shower gel later, but by this point, I was annoyed.
Friday: Left at 9 AM again, returned around 4 PM, and guess what? Room STILL wasn't cleaned. By now, there was a mountain of towels on the bathroom floor. At that point, I just gave up.
Ironically, every morning while working in the lobby, I'd see a man (who said he was the director of marketing but had no nametag or anything official-looking) walking around reminding guests to fill out surveys. Sir, maybe focus on why the rooms aren't being serviced before asking for glowing feedback?
A few positives to balance things out: the room was spotless (except for that wall) when I checked in, the bed was very comfortable, and I appreciated the USB ports by the bed. But the lack of housekeeping during a four-night stay--especially when the front desk knew I'd already asked twice for towels--was unacceptable.
Would I stay here again? Maybe. Hilton is my go-to brand, and this location has been fine in the past. But knowing there's a Hampton Inn right across the street gives me something to think about next time.
Here's hoping they get their housekeeping situation sorted out.