Hilton Arlington

I slept better than I have in a long time and felt really comfortable in the room. The shower was great, although the bathroom itself was small. Parking was easy, too, with a huge lot and no trouble fitting my truck. I didn’t get a chance to try the hotel’s other amenities, so maybe I’ll come back for that. Thanks, Hilton Arlington!

I won’t stay here again. At check-in, Esmerelda barely acknowledged me and brushed off my questions about the room cost. She said I had to pay for parking outside. We eventually worked out how to pay on our own, only to learn later that we were supposed to register the car and didn’t need to pay. She told us to contact our bank to get the money back. At checkout, I waited at least five minutes because nobody was at the desk. I asked the young woman stocking the store about our bill, and she immediately seemed annoyed and said there was nothing I could do about the billing mix-up. I asked for a manager. He was nice, but couldn’t help with the issue either. I’d just buried my brother the day before this trip, and a family member had gifted us the rooms. Staff, please remember to be courteous. You represent the hotel, and you don’t know what someone may be going through.

The R-Bar staff member from the Cape Town area of Africa was a pleasure to talk with, but my overnight stay was only okay. The shower water wasn’t very warm, parking now costs $22 even though it isn’t valet, and the front desk agent was rude. At checkout, the brunette with glasses and freckles stayed seated and absorbed in her ‘work’. She didn’t greet me or make me feel welcome. When I brought back the luggage cart, she pointed and told me, “it goes out in the foyer.” Yikes. I asked why she was being rude, and she said she thought I was asking where the cart went. That still seemed like a chance to apologize for the mix-up and smooth things over. Instead, she abruptly said, “I will email your receipt,” as though the interaction was over, while I was calmly asking what was behind her attitude. Management, I used to be a Diamond Member and know Hilton’s guest service standards. This wasn’t it. Reprimand her or let her go. She isn’t representing the brand.

The pool was open, though it wasn’t heated, and the lobby was crowded whenever I went down. The front desk was very sweet when I checked in. It’s a comfortable hotel, but dated. I liked that the room didn’t have those awful blue lights all over the place that you see in so many brand-new hotels.