Hilton Garden Inn Florence

The maintenance guy was genuinely helpful and professional, and the location worked well. That was about it for the positives. The beds were rock hard, and our room had no TV remote when we arrived. We called the desk, and maintenance said we could move three floors down or get compensation for the night. Since it was late and we didn’t want to haul everything downstairs, we stayed and were told we’d be compensated. In the morning, the front desk showed little interest in honoring that promise because we had booked through a third-party site. We said future-stay credit would be fine, but got nowhere. They said the manager would call, and no one did. I wouldn’t choose this place for a comfortable stay or dependable service. They made a promise and didn’t follow through.

The shower pressure was really good, and I liked the shampoo and conditioner. The rest left me disappointed. As a Hilton Honors Silver member who’s stayed at quite a few Hiltons, this was by far my worst experience. The continental breakfast cost $16, and the food wasn’t worth it. It was the first hotel I’ve stayed at that didn’t include continental breakfast. There were only three towels in the room and three pillows on each bed, even though there were four of us. The pool wasn’t heated, and the bed was hard and uncomfortable. I wouldn’t recommend it. It felt like a rip-off.

Kara gives outstanding, thoroughly professional service. She’s a real asset to the company. The lobby, though, is still an icebox, as it was in the last post, and that makes it hard to enjoy the otherwise outstanding area. A comfortable temperature would be nice. The credit card machine has also been down for four days, so the bar is cash only. Who carries cash these days?

The fresh fruit in the blueberry muffins was a nice surprise. I’m picky about muffins and don’t like the texture frozen blueberries give them. The breakfast options were good, and the room was clean, comfortable, and staffed by friendly people. It’s conveniently located near the interstate. I was stopping on the way home from vacation, and I’d happily stay again. A couple of small things could save staff some trouble. I didn’t realize breakfast wasn’t free. I’ve stayed at several Hilton-owned hotels with free breakfast, and I missed the price sign and didn’t check the website. That was my oversight, and it didn’t bother me, but some guests may take it out on the staff. I’m also a meat-free eater, so I only had a small bowl of buffet scrambled eggs and fruit from the middle area. I hadn’t understood that the buffet had a separate charge, but the server kindly charged me less since I hadn’t taken anything else. It might help if the front desk mentions the breakfast price at check-in. I also knew about the incidental hold being returned if the room was in good shape, but it slipped my mind. I saw an extra $40 charge in my bank account and remembered. It didn’t bother me, though a reminder could prevent other guests from taking it out on the front desk. Public-facing work is hard enough.