Home2 Suites by Hilton Columbia Downtown

The location worked perfectly for our son's graduation, and the desk staff were friendly. My broken iron was replaced, but the room was horrendous and clearly hadn't been maintained or cleaned well. The bathroom was moldy, the couch was extremely dusty, and I found crumbs in drawers, dead bugs, dirty filters, and a large white stain on the carpet. Wallpaper was peeling, and the faux leather had come off one arm of the desk chair. There were maintenance problems downstairs by the breakfast area, too. A back door that should have needed a key card was broken, so anyone could come in. I was surprised Hilton would put its name on a place this disgraceful. Inspections don't seem frequent enough. I took photos and plan to post them elsewhere. I wouldn't recommend staying until management gets maintenance under control and hires cleaners who do their jobs.

We got to the hotel at 6:30 p.m. and still waited about half an hour for the room. There also seemed to be a lot of people arriving in the area at once, since we had a similar delay picking up our rental car. The staff were welcoming and friendly, which I appreciated, but the room was disappointing: it wasn't very clean and looked like it needed repairs and maintenance. I expected more from Hilton, a brand I've associated with higher standards. This location didn't meet that expectation.

The room was worn and in poor shape. I was put in a handicapped room at the far end of the hall, the tub had visible mold, and the heat wasn't working. I'm nine months pregnant, and I checked in close to midnight because the heat was out at my home. The property wasn't full, but since this building is shared with the Garden Inn, I had to greet two separate front desks before anyone acknowledged me. I asked about parking because the overflow lot was almost full and cars were along the sides of the building. The agent simply told me to park in the overflow area, without offering any real guidance. Later, I called the front desk multiple times for help and got no answer, even though I'd seen two staff members standing there earlier. I'm a loyal Hilton Honors member and usually choose Hilton, but this was my worst experience with the brand. I expected a clean, comfortable, safe room for the night and ended up frustrated and uncomfortable.

I was there during a snowstorm, so I can understand the understaffing and missing amenities. The hotel is nice and connects to the Hilton Garden Inn, where the staff handle check-in. The Home2Suites desk was never staffed. The team was great, though, especially Aminah, who may have been the evening manager, and Thomasina. Everyone was very friendly.