“Worst Hilton I have ever stayed in... EVER”
DATES/NIGHTS: 08/31/11 – 09/03/11 - 4 Nights
OVERALL: HORRIBLE!! Not only would I never stay here again I actually checked out early and moved to another hotel because of the treatment I received. To start, I have saved in my profile that I need that have some form of mini-refrigerator in my room because I travel with medication. And as a Diamond Elite member this has NEVER been an issue before. And that includes hotels that don’t even have mini-fridges on site. And if for some reason a standard room doesn’t have one already in it, the staff at almost every other Hilton just upgrades me to a suite and actually apologizes for the “inconvenience” I experienced. Here not only did they tell me that all of the ones in house were already being used they refused to just upgrade me to a suite because they felt that “they could probably sell them over the weekend.” After stating that I would have no choice but to leave the hotel because of this suddenly and miraculously one was found. But then came the kicker!! It would cost me $20.00 a night to have it. But the nickel and diming did just stop there. There was also a nightly charge for parking even though the hotel is essentially in a residential neighborhood. Even the Hilton at the Newark Airport and at the Atlanta airport always waived the cost of parking for me, but not here 20 miles outside both the city and the airport. But again my Diamond status did not get me any form of leniency on this. But the one incident that really took the cake was the Free Breakfast which really wasn’t free. As you go into the restaurant they have a very respectable spread out for breakfast, including breads, cereal, and hot items like eggs and meats. However, you are not necessarily entitled to everything they have out and there is no distinction made anywhere about what you can and can’t have for free. It wasn’t until after the meal when I was presented with a bill for $7.50 that I was even aware there was an issue. Apparently I was only allowed to grab Continental Breakfast items which wasn’t that big of a deal had I just known that to begin with. After expressing my concerns to the front desk and to the “manager” I experienced a complete lack of care or understanding and in my case the customer was definitely not always right. The front desk was openly and visibly aggravated by my complaints about all of the extra costs I had and really showed that they didn’t care in the least, because again, this hotel is close to the NYC so they can act like it’s their way of the highway, literally. So to summarize, my rewards for being a Diamond Elite member was to pay for a nightly rate for a mini-fridge in my room, to park overnight, no complimentary upgrade to an available suite, and to pay extra for a scoop of eggs. Which is pretty much what someone who walked in off the street having never stayed a night at a Hilton before would have experienced.
But the funniest part of the whole story is after I wrote an email detailing my experience at the hotel I did received a generic form email from someone claiming to be the manager who apologized and offered me 10,000 points to make it better. But guess who never actually got those points even after sending THREE unanswered emails back to the manager asking for a follow up on getting those points. Me!!! Finally I had to call Hilton directly and share with them this extra little insult to injury.
STAFF: Not helpful and have a NJ attitude that gets very old very quick. They have the impression that because you can see New York City from the hotel that they are actually the same thing as a NYC hotel. Have a very high, but unearned, sense of grandeur.
ROOMS: Clean, and pretty cool view of Manhattan if you stay on the East side of the hotel.
AREA: Bad. Not the hotels fault, of course, but very congested and there was a lot of construction going on around the on-ramps to the highway. No good places to eat in the general area.
BENEFITS: Free “Continental Breakfast” but don’t make the mistake of grabbing something you shouldn’t, or it will cost you. You will also pay for parking and for having a mini-fridge delivered to your room.
STAY AGAIN: Absolutely Not. Ironically, I recommended that someone I was traveling with stay here instead of a Marriott and this poor guy found his bathroom sink clogged with a huge clump of hair. And then found that the staff only refreshed the bathroom with hand towels and not full sized shower towels. He left sooner then I did.
Room Tip: Pick a different hotel all together.
See more room tips
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
13 February 2012
Dear MNChurch:
Thank you for your feedback from your September 2011 stay. While I am naturally disappointed that you did not have a positive stay, I am thankful you found the view from the city side of the hotel enjoyable and that they were clean and comfortable.
I am sorry that it took additional time for the hotel to completely recover from the service issues you encountered. That is not typical and as you can see from other reviewer’s since September we are and remain focused on the guest experience and ensuring an “above expectation” stay for all our guests.
As it has been a while since your last stay with us it is difficult for me to add more to the recovery effort at this time. I would however, like to extend to you an open invitation to allow us a second chance if your travels have you returning to the area. We may not have been at our best during your September 2011 stay but I can assure you we can and consistently do much better than what you experienced in September 2011. Please contact me directly at the hotel if I can assist with a second chance reservation.
Sincerely,
Craig Williams
General Manager
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
