This hotel is in an ideal location on Commercial Street near many fantastic restaurants and shops. We were there with several families to take in a hockey game and let the kids do a little swimming in the middle of winter. The valet was extremely friendly and helpful and check-in was a breeze (we were able to check in at 1:00 p.m.). They kindly accommodated our last-minute request to have all of our families on the same floor (our apologizes to the couple in between us as there were 9 children roaming the hallways too and from the pool). One of my sons kicked his iPod charger out of the car and the valet ran it over. The hotel manager very kindly wrote a note and slipped it under our door offering to pay to replace it, even though it was not their fault at all.

The rooms were very nice with ample room for the two beds, a desk and chair and included a microwave and small refrigerator. The lobby of the hotel is very nice with a double-sided fireplace dividing the lobby from the lounge. Beyond the lounge is the dining room. We didn't have dinner at the hotel as we had plans to go out elsewhere prior to the hockey game but breakfast was included in our stay as Hilton Honors Gold Members (which is a nice perk because breakfast would have been $11.95 per person). The staff at breakfast were exceptional - from the server to the chefs. It is a buffett but you can also get cooked-to-order eggs and oatmeal. There was a nice assortment of hot dishes including homefries, sausage, bacon and quiche-type eggs plus pastries, fresh fruit, cereal etc. They also served Starbucks coffee.

The only drawbacks to this hotel are the size of the swimming pool (tiny - barely 5' wide and not very long either) although there is a hot tub, which I hadn't expected, and the fact that they do not provide shuttle service to any of the downtown locations other than the airport and the Amtrak. We had a group of 17 and were hoping to get a shuttle to the Civic Center, which is a 15 minute walk, which wouldn't be an issue in the warmer months but was rather chilly in January. Many of the other local hotels (Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn by the Bay, etc.) do offer this free service and it is a nice feature during the winter months. Unfortunately, we did experience one unfriendly staff member. Dennis, the bartender, was anything but helpful. We left the dads in the swimming pool with the kids while the moms went for a cocktail at about 9:30 p.m. We wanted to sit near the fireplace since we were chilled after leaving the heated pool area. We went to sit on the lobby side of the fireplace and were informed by Dennis "I can't serve you if you sit there." We selected a seat within the lounge area and asked him if he had a drink menu because we wanted to have something fun and unusual. He simply stated "No." When asked if he had a specialty he again said "No." without offering any suggestions or even a smile. We decided on drinks and he went to mix them. He asked from the bar "Do you want Rosa's or fresh lime juice?" for one of the drinks. I'm not sure who would prefer bottled Rosa's lime juice over fresh but at least he did give us the option. As we were enjoying our drink a few of the kids came in to let us know they were done at the pool and were returning to the rooms. He barked at the kids and said "They can't be in here!" I am familiar with liquor licensing laws and completely understand that minors can't be in certain spaces after certain hours but a polite "Excuse me, our license doesn't allow the children to be here after 9:00 p.m." (or whatever hour) would have been much nicer. After dealing with his unfriendly attitude all night one of my friends quietly but effectively told him that a simple manners were in order when addressing us or our children. His persona changed after that and he even ended up comping our drinks; however, that did not erase the impression he left with each of us.

So, all in all, this is a lovely hotel with a generally friendly and helpful staff. Just be aware that the pool is quite small if there is any sort of crowd using the facility and that there is no shuttle service. However, there are many fantastic restaurants and shops within a very easy walk and, for those things further away, cabs are always available.