I'm sorry to say that the standards at Hilton Newcastle Gateshead have been on a decline for a…read morewhile now, for more detailed comments regarding the location and service, you might also want to check out my older review from my stay in 2022.
I've stayed at Hilton Newcastle Gateshead three times now, and it appears that little has changed since my first stay back in 2017, the room appeared to be outdated in terms of the overall decor. There were also no bedside plug-sockets. I also had an issue with comfort in my room as the desk chair was uncomfortable, as were the pillows, the latter I did speak to the staff and ask if they had any alternative, to which they replied, "No, sorry"
Noise is also an issue throughout the hotel, with corridor noise pretty much all the time, housekeeping would also start very early, adding to the noise issues. It didn't feel well insulated; I could also hear passing trains, all within my room. The corridors were also poorly insulated; I ended up hearing what sounded like a couple having sex when walking through to my room.
The Air Conditioning in the hotel was also an issue; it would appear to be running all the time, so it would make a small amount of noise even when turned off. Every time I would open or close the door to my room, it would come on in full again, and there was no override the staff also told me they couldn't do anything about it.
The standard of housekeeping was also poor, despite having the "service please" sign on my door, no one ended up coming to my room on my first night luckily, they have housekeeping on until just before 830 pm, so I was able to get my room cleaned after requesting it, but I did have to take another trip out of my room when I didn't plan on it. Housekeeping would also fail to wash or replace drinking glasses in my room, and on one occasion, they left me without any flannels and toilet paper. Cleanliness also could have been better as I found long black hair in the bath when arriving at the hotel.
The service also seems to be poor. I did not feel valued as a Gold Hilton Honors member, as I was not given an Executive Floor / Lounge upgrade on this occasion, and the staff were also rude when I asked for a late check-out. They told me they would only be able to grant this on the morning of check-out rather than the night before, after insisting multiple times I wanted a late check-out to sleep in, they did grant me until 1 pm.
On my most recent stay, I used the car park, the rates are reasonable at £15 per night with in/out privileges. They ended up taking two payments of £45 to cover the three nights, one as a card hold, one as an actual payment - this meant I had to wait for 30 days for the charges to be manually reversed by my bank from my debit card - again this felt unnecessary how they'd charge me twice and just blame it on the automated systems. The lift in the underground car-park was out of order, meaning I had to carry my heavy suitcase up a flight of stairs.
The room rates were certainly reasonable, but given the amount of work this hotel needs, I hope they can give the property the much-needed help and refurbishment it needs to bring back the standards it once had.
2*
