Hilton Boston/Dedham

Everyone on staff was friendly, and the place was very quiet, with a comfy bed, a large clean room, and plenty of parking. Still, compared with other Hiltons I've stayed at around here, this wasn't a favorite. The breakfast buffet wasn't anything special and cost $18/person. The pool was closed for renovations until Summer, and the TV had no streaming service. Checkout at noon was nice, but I really missed having the hot tub, streaming, and breakfast included.

The room was only 66 degrees when I arrived in November, with the thermostat set to AC. I switched it to heat, but the upper limit was maxed at 73, so it took a long time to get remotely comfortable. I also think there was a mouse. I left popcorn crumbs on the floor to pick up in the morning, and by then they'd all disappeared. There were two water bottles tagged for Hilton Honors members, saying Diamond, Gold &Silver members get two free bottles each stay, while all other guests pay $3.00. Google Pure Life water probably costs under $.50 a bottle, so to me that's a very high price for a cheap bottle if you're not a member.

We were there for a few nights right after thanksgiving, and the service we got was great. Some reviews are pretty harsh; I think this property deserves better than its current 3.6 stars. It was clean and tidy, with a couple of wear and tear maintenance issues in the public areas. The location is great, and there's nothing wrong with staying here if you don't mind a double bed in a 2 bed layout.

For what we paid, we expected more, and we left thinking this place was shady, poorly managed, understaffed, or some mix of those. We were out of state and only get to New England once in a blue moon, so we were excited for a night at a nicer Hilton. The lobby looked nice, but the hall and room felt empty and creepy, with carpet coming apart and missing ceiling tiles that showed things hanging down. The room itself looked pretty at first, but had stained carpet, a tub that didn't feel clean, and a broken towel shelf. The bed felt old and hard, the closet smelled musty and had no extra blankets or pillows, and the AC was loud and made odd noises. The pool and hot tub were being refurbished, but the website didn't make that obvious, almost as if it was hard to find so guests couldn't complain at check-in. At least the front desk agent was nice when we arrived. We asked for a mattress topper and another blanket; they said five minutes, but after more than 30 minutes we called and were told another 15. Twenty minutes later we called again and were told they were on the way. My partner went to the desk for help, and the agent curtly said they were very busy, then ignored them. The items finally arrived, but the topper was for a full bed, not a king. By then I was done and we accepted it. Likely won't stay at this location again.