Hampton Inn Pickwick Dam-At Shiloh Falls

The last of my many stays here was a four-day mess, with a new problem every day. The bathroom had hair everywhere and a clogged tub, which staff eventually fixed. The next day, a couple walked into our room while my girlfriend and I were naked because the hotel had not properly checked us in the night before and tried assigning our room to someone else. The night clerk apparently hadn’t checked us in. The desk credited all four days to my card, charged me again for the night we’d stayed, then wanted the rest of the payment. Those pending charges and credits maxed out my card, leaving me 500 miles from home without a way to pay. I had to borrow money to stay. I spent two hours on the phone with Hilton and Discover and got nowhere. Hilton’s help desk said the property manager had to handle it, while the property told me to ask my card company to clear the charges. They couldn’t, since it had all just happened. The property put the burden of sorting out its mistake on me. They did give us one night free, I guess that’s something. We also got no housekeeping during the four days, so we took out our own trash and had to get our own toilet paper and towels. At 11 p.m., the smoke alarm started beeping like its battery was dying. The front desk told me to disconnect it because maintenance wasn’t there until morning, which I wasn’t comfortable doing, so we had to put up with it. On our last night, our keys didn’t work, though the desk was actually helpful that time. I used to have good stays here, but this was completely unacceptable. I paid to stay, had to do the housekeeping and was apparently expected to handle maintenance too. Being walked in on naked alone deserved better compensation. With everything else, I won’t stay at a Hampton or Hilton again.

The location has little competition, and they seem to know many guests are business travelers, because this Hampton costs more than the others. For that price, I expected the basics. Half the rooms had no TV service, there was only bar soap, and breakfast was minimal. They advertise a business center, but there wasn’t one when I needed to print. The desk could print something, but nobody offered; I had to ask after being told they no longer provide that service. The staff didn’t seem to care, and I felt it was a waste of money. Drive 15 minutes in any direction and even the Best Westerns and Quality Inn are nicer. I could sleep here, but I won’t stay again. Honestly, I’m close to giving up on Hiltons altogether. I guess a company can get too big.

Breakfast was great, and the staff were friendly. The place looks brand new!

We stayed one night, checking in around 6 p.m. The first copy of my receipt didn’t even show the extra fee, though the copy I got after the refund did. The assistant manager fixed it and gave the money back, but it left me wondering how many other people had been charged without noticing. I’ve caught overcharges at Hilton properties before, though this was the first time I caught one while still there. At checkout, I was told housekeeping had reported a smoke smell in our room and that the charge would stay if the room smelled of smoke. My children, my fiancé, I, or all of us had been in the room the whole time. We don’t smoke, and I said there must be a mix-up. As we went upstairs, a woman taking out the trash said the room didn’t smell like smoke, which struck me as odd since she seemed to know why we were coming. After checking the room herself, the desk employee agreed and removed the fee. I can’t stand a thief, and wanted people to know about this. The tub had several hairs in it and there was mold around the sink, but we were exhausted and staying only overnight, so I let that go. The sheets and beds seemed fine and everything else looked clean. They don’t have vending machines, but sell snacks and drinks at the front desk, with convenience prices: $4 for a 20-ounce drink and $5 for candy. Breakfast was minimal too. I hadn’t planned to mention those smaller things, but after what happened with the fee, I wanted the review to be fully honest.