Hilton Garden Inn Aiken

The location is the one good thing, with plenty of shops and places to eat nearby. The room we were moved to had candy wrappers under the bed, bottle caps in the bathroom, black curly hairs, and dried pee around the toilet. The toilet also ran with a high-pitched squeal about every hour. The first room had what looked like vomit dried onto the bedside table. I asked someone to clean it instead of changing rooms, but when I opened the door, they handed me rags and a spray bottle. When I asked if he was coming in to clean, he said, “That’s not my job.” I asked for a manager, but there wasn’t one on site and none would be there for the rest of the weekend. I reported everything to corporate customer service. They said reimbursement was up to the hotel after checkout. The next morning corporate emailed an offer of 20,000 points, not even enough for one night somewhere. I asked for a refund instead, and they mailed a check that could take up to 30 days. When I asked whether the manager would contact me as requested, they told me to call the hotel. Not a great hotel experience.

There are lots of food choices within a mile, and the nearby mall is handy for meals and groceries. I enjoyed my stay at the Hilton Garden Inn Aiken, though the price felt high for what you get. In winter especially, it’s impossible to heat the room properly.

About 30 minutes after checkout, I realized my AirPods were missing and called the Hilton Garden Inn Aiken right away. I gave them the information they asked for and was told someone would contact me if they turned up. No one followed up. Weeks later, Find My iPhone showed them at someone’s home address. I contacted hotel management, got no help, and still heard nothing back. After I followed up again, the AirPods suddenly reappeared at the hotel. They asked, “We found them! Want them back?” Someone else had been using them, which is a hygiene concern since they go in your ears. I got a rude response when I tried to work out a solution, with no accountability or effort to resolve it. They didn’t offer to clean or replace them, or take responsibility. My last name was printed right on the case, so there was no mistaking them for someone else’s. This has completely destroyed my trust in staying here. Mistakes happen, but how a hotel handles them matters, and they dropped the ball. If you care about your belongings not growing legs and walking off the property, I’d seriously reconsider staying here.

I’m in my second room at the Hilton Garden Inn as I write this. The first smelled so bad I couldn’t stay, and when I was about to check out they offered me another room. The TV here is broken, and rooms ending in 11 are right by the elevators, which are loud. I work for a large company in Aiken and will steer my coworkers and visitors away from this location. I’ll have to go back to one of the Marriott properties in town. I can’t stay here again, though I thought I’d found my go-to hotel for my regular visits to Aiken.