Hilton Garden Inn Gallup

The room itself was very clean, which is the only reason I gave this place two stars. I was heading home after teaching a military class in Las Vegas. On the way there I'd stayed at the Hampton inn two doors down, from the same parent company, and had a decent experience. I figured I'd splurge and upgrade to the Hilton on the return trip. Big mistake. The room smelled strongly of sewage, rm 115. Looking around, I suspected the floor drain outside the handicapped shower wasn't trapped properly, so sewer gas could get back into the room. I was tired and tried to make the best of it, but the $16 USD meal was a lukewarm flatbread where the only flavorful part was the BBQ sauce on the chicken. Pretty disappointing for that price. Getting my things from the vehicle was a hassle too. Their tricycle luggage carts kept tipping and catching on even small thresholds or pebbles. Once I'd wrestled one to the room, a staff member came to help, grabbed it after I told him not to, and dumped my gear on the floor again. The hotel looks appealing, but the walls and doors seem paper thin. Doors slammed all night on every floor. I went to bed at 9pm and got only about 3.5-4 hours of sleep before waking at 7am. As a disabled vet I'm still fairly mobile, but the self-closing doors have spring hinges cranked all the way up. They slam like a castle gate and make getting in and out a pain. I wonder if anyone realizes the hinges are adjustable. One day a door like that could knock over an older person using a walker or crutches. If the personal injury lawyers around New Mexico come calling, I hope they find me so I can testify. Don't expect much from the advertised amenities either. A bottle of water that costs them .16c per unit is $2.00 if you take one, and they nickel and dime you for everything. There's also a $50.00 fee for some kind of 'whatever' that I didn't learn about until it appeared on my credit card statement. Even the thermostat isn't lit, so if you want to adjust it at night, you have to turn on the lights. Maybe this is posh by Gallup NM standards, but experienced travelers have better options. I didn't encounter the panhandling or other problems mentioned in some reviews, but my stay was still a hard pass.

The made-to-order breakfast was tasty and reasonably priced, and the bed was comfortable. The hotel has been nicely updated and was very clean. It's close to the highway, which made access easy, but I didn't hear road noise.

We picked this hotel after comparing places in Gallup, and it had the highest rating. Some of the bad reviews we saw seemed outdated or unfounded. I didn't run into panhandling or the other issues people mentioned. Our room was clean, and the customer service was great. The little details made the stay feel comfortable and quaint. The only real drawback was having an overpriced restaurant in the hotel and no complimentary breakfast. I'd stay here again.

I booked an event here and was unhappy with the service. Communication was poor, the food arrived cold, and one guest's plate had a strand of hair on it. They didn't replace that plate, and four guests never got their meals. I spoke with a manager, but she wouldn't refund the four plates and didn't apologize about the hair. I wouldn't recommend this place. If you do book an event here, make sure you understand what you're getting into. A locally owned small business may be a better choice.