Tru by Hilton Fort Lauderdale Downtown

My trip was meant to be this weekend, but severe weather made it impossible to travel. I booked through Booking.com, expecting them to coordinate any changes with the hotel. I contacted them right away, and they showed me proof they'd formally asked the hotel to change my dates. The manager never responded. Booking.com then suggested I call the hotel myself. The manager said they hadn't received anything. I called Booking support again, and while I was on the line they tried several times to reach the manager too, without success. The hotel says Booking.com is responsible, but it accepts third-party reservations and offered no real help or solution when my plans were disrupted. I was left dealing with poor communication, no accountability, and no effort to help. This was an extremely frustrating stay experience and a serious lack of professionalism. Future guests should know that if a reservation problem comes up, management may not respond promptly or offer a solution. The customer service in this situation was deeply disappointing.

The room was spacious, and the location is convenient, about a 15-minute walk from Las Olas Boulevard. Self-service laundry was useful, and breakfast was simple and basic. The bedding felt synthetic and worn, and the pillows looked old. There were only two paper cups, and the hand soap and shower gel ran out on day two. The shower was uncomfortable, with weak pressure and hot water that kept fluctuating. The gym is okay for a basic workout, though nothing special. It's old, with three older treadmills, three ellipticals, one lower-body machine, and very little room for weights. It's connected to the laundromat, which made it quite hot in there. Fine for a short stay mainly because of the room size and location, but comfort and upkeep could be better.

We needed different things in the room, so I asked about switching and paying the difference. They said the rooms were different hotels across the hall, even though it was the same building with the same managers, staff, dining area, and parking garage. The hotel wasn't full, but they still wouldn't arrange a change. I asked for the manager's email because I wanted to raise this without leaving a bad review, but they gave me an invalid address and no card. Our company sends a lot of people here for work. We won't be bringing more business to this place.

The breakfast staff were diligent about refilling food and cleaning, which I appreciated. The food itself was ordinary options like eggs, sausage, oatmeal, pancakes, and waffles, but it didn't come together as a meal and most of it lacked flavor. The breakfast was fine, just not satisfying. Our room needed more attention. The pullout couch had no proper bedding, and the shower soap and shampoo bottles were empty. We didn't discover that until someone had already showered. The toilet paper was tucked into a vanity holder about 30 inches away, and I nearly fell trying to reach it. I ended up opening a drawer to hold the roll within reach. At the desk, we were told bedding and shampoo would be brought up, but they never arrived, so my sister went down to get them herself. The property is downtown Fort Lauderdale, though nothing is really walkable nearby. Overall it's an okay hotel with a few things that need improvement, especially in the rooms.