I chose the Hilltop Inn because it was the most reasonably priced hotel near Mohegan Sun that had shuttle service. Their website quoted a price of $125 but also claimed to match or beat rates. I had a quote of $109 from Hotels.com so I called and they honored the lower price. Great!
I made the reservation and inquired about the shuttle service mentioned on the site. I assumed it was complimentary like most other hotels in the area but it was an extra charge of $10 per person and they highly recommended reserving a spot in advance. That would cancel out the good rate I had found but I had already made the reservation and I didn't care to go back to researching a new place, so I signed up.
The hotel itself was fine. Just fine. Average. Not great, not horrible. Your basic inexpensive motel. The front lobby was clean and well-kept. The hallways were a bit dark, but not scary. The room had a slight stale smell to it, and some of the towels had set-in stains, but there was a fridge (unplugged) and a microwave and complimentary breakfast in the morning so I was content.
Unfortunately, when it came time to take the $20 shuttle, we were told that the other people who had reserved spots had cancelled so it was just us. The shuttle driver wouldn't show up to drive only two people so we ended up getting driven to Mohegan by (who I believe to be) the manager, in her personal mini-van. It was obvious she didn't want to drive us but she also didn't want us unhappy. We offered to drive ourselves but she said she would drive us there for free if we got a cab back. We were already in the back seat, ready to go, so we agreed. It wasn't until we were on the highway that she mentioned a cab would cost around $40.
As I stated, the place was nice enough, but I wouldn't return. I appreciate the manager trying to do what she thought was right, but in the end I was left feeling dissatisfied and slightly ripped-off.
- Hilltop Hotel Niantic
