Amora Hotel Adelaide

I felt safe and at home throughout my solo stay at the Hilton Adelaide. The rooms were spacious, with a lovely city view, and I really enjoyed the swimming pool. I also appreciated the complimentary bottled water. Breakfast was a highlight, with plenty of choice and very good value. The staff were friendly, attentive, and always ready to help, which made everything feel welcoming from start to finish. My one small suggestion: it’d be nice to have a flat white option on the coffee machine. I had a fantastic stay and would happily come back.

At $400 a night, this felt more like a three-star motel than a five-star hotel. I was extremely dissatisfied and wouldn’t expect this from a property trading on the Hilton name. I chose Hilton for its reputation for quality and reliability, but this fell far short. We arrived to an unclean room, with hair filling the bathroom drain and threadbare carpet that made everything feel neglected. We asked to have the room serviced while we went to breakfast, but came back to find no turnover or attention at all. Guests are heavily pushed toward the hotel app, while basic service was lacking. Even on the pool deck there was only one beer option, surprising for a place presenting itself as premium. The most disappointing part was finding out the hotel is no longer truly operating as a Hilton property. Guests aren’t clearly told another hotel group has taken over management, so booking specifically with Hilton and learning this afterwards felt misleading. When I told the concierge desk we were unhappy and planned to leave early, the only thing they asked was whether we’d used the minibar. No one showed concern about why a guest paying premium rates wanted to leave. Hilton should be embarrassed.

Being able to pick our room floor and location in the app before checking in was brilliant, an easy 10/10. We also found the Executive Club add-on well worth the money and good value overall. On one visit, an Asian gentlemen gave especially personal, exceptional service, which really enhanced the experience. The room itself was spacious, and the Hilton was a lovely stay for the money. The pool was tiny and, with children around all the time, effectively unusable during our stay. Spirits in the Executive Club weren’t self-serve. Both times we went, staff hadn’t put out the sign saying spirits were available, and we only found out by asking. I can’t tell whether that was an ongoing oversight or a way to keep guests from knowing what they were entitled to. Even with those issues, it was a solid 4/5-star experience and we’d return.

The staff were polite and friendly, and it was quiet overnight. The breakfast was okay, nothing special. The rooms felt very dated and the shower and bathroom were really dirty. While we were here for golf, the average cost was nearly $800 a day, which definitely didn’t feel worth it.