Homewood Suites by Hilton Cincinnati-Downtown

The lobby and building are shared by Homewood Suites and Hampton Inn, which seem to be the same chain and hotel, though I’m not sure what the difference is. The hotel was nicely renovated, and we stayed one night. The rooms have big windows and lots of lighting, but ours looked onto a brick wall across a dingy courtyard. I doubt the street-side rooms had much better views. Breakfast was standard Hilton chain fare, though you’ll want to get there early for the freshest food. If you’re a light sleeper, ask for a room away from the elevator lobby and adjoining walls.

Beatrice at valet was incredibly helpful and made parking very easy. The valet service was excellent. Renovations were going on, so the hotel was a bit of a mess, though there wasn’t any noise. My room had clearly been updated fairly recently, which was nice.

The 7th floor smelled like actual poo, the hallway carpets were dirty, and the rooms had tiny 32-inch TVs, so bring your reading glasses if you plan to watch. The building is old and smelly, and they seem to have put more money into the lobby than the rooms. Check-in is on the 2nd floor. The service elevator didn’t work, so be ready to carry your luggage down the stairs. There’s no place to unload your stuff, and the location is terrible. Valet costs $42 a day. The parking garage was $31.50 for a whole day, and on weekends street parking is FREE. None of the rooms have showers unless you’re in an accessible room. Housekeepers weren’t friendly, and breakfast was only okay, very basic. I don’t recommend this hotel at all. It’s way below Hilton’s standards. Save your money and go elsewhere. I won’t be back.

I paid $350 a day including valet for the room my family and I booked, and it wasn’t the room shown on the website. It wasn’t the advertised dual vanity either. The breakfast area didn’t match the website photos. The room was musty and unclean. The cloth shower curtain was moldy and stank, the toilet seat was broken, and there were no trash bags. Several outlets didn’t work, and the phone was broken. I told the front desk, but it wasn’t replaced. They also didn’t clean the room on our second day. The baby mattress didn’t fit the crib, leaving the baby sleeping on a slant. Buyer beware.