Hilton Garden Inn Arcadia/Pasadena Area

The gym was clean and well equipped, and the location was good, close to the 210 freeway and downtown Arcadia. Guest rooms and common spaces were clean, though a bit dingy and showing wear. As a loyal Hilton Honors member, I've usually had great experiences with Hilton Garden Inn, but this hotel's management fell well below the brand's standard. The hotel restaurant is really a converted breakfast area. It was chronically understaffed, but had good food and drink options. Food quality was average and drinks were expensive. Still, the 50 percent off everything happy hour from 4 to 6 made it a good value, and with the food and beverage credit, it seemed obvious to use it. Billing became a constant headache. The charges didn't match menu prices, and tax was calculated on the full menu price rather than what I paid after happy hour, for an effective rate of 21 percent. I asked a manager and was told it was a "California Thing" and nothing could be done. I've never encountered that in California or anywhere else, and it sounds bogus to me. I kept every dining receipt to check the totals, and there was still an unexplained overcharge. The hotel made the folio needlessly complicated. I can't tell if it was user error or designed to keep guests from working out what they were charged, but it was ridiculous. For five nights and five separate restaurant purchases, the folio had over 60 lines of charges and credits, three full pages of repeated entries and circular math. I worked out the daily totals from my receipts and called to ask about the discrepancy. Terry, the manager on duty, was initially helpful. When I asked him to explain why the daily charges were higher than the signed receipts and offered to go through the expenses with him, he got exasperated and said he had no time to review the three pages and the invoice was correct. I questioned the ethics of charging fees without authorization or an explanation, and he hung up. The overcharge itself wasn't significant, but the lack of professionalism and transparency was. I won't be back, and I'd avoid this hotel.

The location was decent, and everything else was okay. But the bedding wasn't clean. We took off the blanket after seeing black marks on it. I don't want to know what they were. I wouldn't choose to stay here again.

We usually stick with Hilton, but lately we've been less impressed with the brand. This was our worst customer service experience with Hilton, and I wouldn't recommend staying here. When we arrived, we sat in the lobby for a few minutes with food and drinks we'd brought from outside. A staff member came over to ask if we were guests. We showed our keycard and said we'd checked in, but they explained they often have problems with homeless people hanging out in the lobby and had worried we were part of that problem. Great way to welcome guests who'd just checked in. At breakfast, the waiter was unprofessional and seemed to lack people skills. She assumed we didn't speak English when taking our order, which left a bitter taste for the rest of the meal. The food was bland and basic, and she barely checked on us. I'm glad we had a breakfast voucher, since it wouldn't have been worth $15 or more per plate. The rooms weren't special, and I found a stain on my sheets. The hallways and elevators often smelled like cigarette smoke despite the nonsmoking policy. The free coffee and tea selection was limited, so it wasn't much of an amenity.

The rooftop bar is awesome, and the people are wonderful. We keep choosing Arcadia Hilton when we're in town for the service, the quality food, and the beautiful rooms. We've tried other places before, but we come back to the Hilton every time.