Hilton Garden Inn Darwin

I stay at this hotel quite often for work, but this trip was a disaster because of several services. I’m a Hilton Honors member and have stayed at plenty of Hilton hotels. This wasn’t the standard I expect from a good Hilton. The hot water in my room was missing, and I complained four times. At first I was told to run the tap for 20 minutes. I start work at 3:30am, so I wasn’t going to get up 20 minutes earlier just to wait for hot water. After the fourth complaint, I was moved to another room. The paid laundry service is supposed to wash, dry and fold clothes and return them to the room. The first time, it came back late, and I had to call twice to find out where it was because I needed work clothes. The next time, it was late again and initially didn’t show up. Reception said the rain might be delaying it and promised to call with an update, but I never got that call. I rang again and was asked if the laundry could come the next day instead. I agreed, but asked for it before 10am because I was going out at lunchtime. It arrived, but the clothes were still damp and had been shoved into bags, not folded. My work clothes were crumpled. The service was disgusting. Rain isn’t my fault, and they should have other ways to get the laundry done on time and to the standard I paid for. I’ve sent it back to be redone and will update this review with the final result.

Indra at the front desk was so kind and helpful. Since it was the Easter holiday, he looked up which restaurants were open so we wouldn’t waste time walking to closed ones. He also got us a beautiful harbour-view room and gave us a lovely welcome gift as Gold members. The room was clean and well kept, breakfast at Together & Co. was delicious, and the pool was refreshing. We had a great stay at the Hilton Garden Inn Darwin, and I highly recommend it.

I’d give my seven-day stay a 2 out of 10. Ema at reception, Jordana in the restaurant, and the housekeeping woman working Saturday and Sunday were the bright spots. I didn’t catch her name, but she was amazing and did everything. The beds were extremely uncomfortable, with every spring noticeable. My back hurt so badly I needed a massage every day. Weekday housekeeping was disappointing: the room was cleaned just twice in seven days, wasn’t vacuumed during the weekdays, and I found a few long black hairs in the toilet. I asked two housekeepers to take away dirty plates from my room, but they sat in the corridor for three days. The kitchen and buffet need attention too. The area behind the buffet looked as if it hadn’t had a proper clean in years and needs a deep clean immediately. The bacon was often burnt, the coffee was poor, and most things seemed to be canned. I was concerned to see “yellow rice” stored in plastic takeaway containers and reheated and poured in front of guests. That doesn’t feel like the professional standard expected of a Hilton. Guests shouldn’t have to make their own fresh juice either, staff should do that. One staff member often ignored dirty plates on tables. I didn’t see a supervisor, uniforms were inconsistent, and some staff seemed to avoid work when it got busy. Since most guests are on holiday, I’d strongly suggest keeping breakfast open until 10:00 AM. I’m sharing this because I respect the Hilton brand and hope these standards improve for future guests. Best regards,

The front-of-house team were really friendly and helpful, and breakfast by the pool was great, with tasty food from the restaurant. The rooms are a good size and clean, with views over Darwin harbour and the sunset. It’s easy to walk out along the park or into the city. This isn’t a luxury five-star place, but we enjoyed it.