Hilton Garden Inn Santa Ana San Jose

The bathrooms are gorgeous and the rooms seem a decent size, but the mattress was disappointing. What really spoiled it was the very loud music, with heavy bass, when we got back from dinner. We could hear it in the hall before opening our door, and it was horrible inside the room. Even if everything else were perfect, blasting club music isn’t okay. I was impressed when we first arrived, but the check-in took far too long. Only one person was working the desk, and he was already helping someone. I wondered if there was an issue with that guest’s reservation, but when it was our turn, things still dragged on. Several employees walked by and went into restricted areas without even looking at the reception line.

I’ve stayed at hundreds of hotels and this is the worst one I’ve ever been to. I’m a Diamond member, and even though I’d checked in on the app, I was given a room around 5pm that wasn’t ready. They asked me to wait five minutes, then said it was ready at 5:50pm. After I showered, I couldn’t find a hair dryer. The front desk said they’d bring one, but after 30 minutes it still hadn’t arrived. I waited another 10 minutes, then went downstairs and waited there too. When it finally came to the desk, it was dirty, with someone else’s hair on it. They said they’d bring another later. Twenty minutes passed, so I called again and was told they were cleaning the dryer. I was already late for a meeting and said to forget it. They replied, “ok perfect, have a good night,” without apologizing once. This is not a hotel.

The hotel’s location is good and the pool is heated, but poor coordination and customer service overshadowed those positives. As a Hilton Honors member, this has been my worst experience so far. I booked a weekend getaway after seeing promotions on social media. The offer could only be applied through the call center on weekdays, and even the hotel staff didn’t know how to process it. I booked a different offer on the Hilton website instead, which included a $30 bar credit, but no one at the property seemed to know about that either. When I arrived at 2:30 p.m., the receptionist didn’t recognize the rate and disappeared several times. At 3:05 p.m. I was still being told I “had to wait until 3.” From 3 to 6 p.m., I went back and forth over WhatsApp and in person trying to find out what was included. They confirmed a voucher only at 6 p.m. At the bar, I was then told food wasn’t included, something that had never been mentioned. The biggest frustration was that there was no manager or supervisor on duty all weekend. The receptionist was the most senior person available. Every question meant asking someone to check with reception again, and nobody took ownership. At checkout, staff acknowledged the problem but had no solution. If you book through the Hilton website from Costa Rica, check every promotion carefully. The hotel itself might not recognize it.

The pool is nice, the gym is okay, and the staff are quite friendly. I’d stay here for a couple of days. Breakfast wasn’t as good as at the other Hilton Garden Inn at the City Mall, and checkout felt a little off, but overall it was a good experience.