Hilton Garden Inn Doncaster Racecourse is in a good location as part of the Doncaster Racecourse…read morecomplex, it is around a ten-minute journey via bus into the town centre, with regular services from the local proximity. To walk, it is around a mile and a half: the location is good overall for the Doncaster area.
I did have an original problem with my room, due to availability, I was placed in an "Accessible" room, I have stayed in similar rooms before, but this time it was different. The bed was at such a low and uncomfortable level, it was virtually on the floor. I was told that due to availability, they would not be able to move me to a different room without having to pay a surcharge as "Hilton Garden Inn hotels do not give free upgrades", they originally asked for £30 more and it took a lot of struggling at the front desk, to originally get the upgrade fee down to just £13.
My second room was much more comfortable, it had ample facilities and stunning views of the Doncaster Racecourse. The bed was comfortable, they had a nice workspace and a good number of lights around the room, meaning it never seemed to get too dark.
The room was fairly modern overall, and while the facilities were basic (small TV with limited channels, no coffee machine), it was acceptable for what I needed, given the fact they had wi-fi and a mini-fridge, and it was only a one-night stay after all.
The service in the hotel was pretty good, the majority of the employees tried their best to deliver good service, including in the "Garden Grille" restauraunt within the hotel, who despite having a gluten-free menu, offered to make me a plain chicken breast, with fresh chips and gravy which was excellent, and only came to £12.95.
The pricing in the hotel was reasonable, my upgraded room came to £80.75; as a Gold Hilton Honors Member, I was able to get a free cooked breakfast, due to COVID restrictions, they are not offering a buffet, I was disappointed with my breakfast overall due to limited gluten-free options (No omelettes on the menu!), and my scrambled egg seemed to be stuck together in a ball, which just didn't taste good.
The hotel is pet-friendly, as someone with cynophobia; I did feel very uncomfortable due to the number of dogs in the hotel; it was surprisingly clean given the fact.
The only other major problem I had with the hotel, other than the original room and the breakfast, would be the lifts. The lifts were key operated from Reception but my key never seemed to recognise the lift, plus the most annoying part about this was you had to press the button to call the lift, after your key. I wish they put the key slots inside the lift, so all you had to do was scan your key and then press the button for your room, which is more in line with how other hotels do things.
4* - Despite things getting off to a shaky start, they did deliver a good experience in the end and I would certainly stay here again if I ever had to visit Doncaster, my thoughts on the town are a different story!