Canopy by Hilton Grand Rapids Downtown

The shower was the one thing that felt cramped for me. It may have been because the ADA setup included a folding seat and grab bars, but it was tight. I’m 6'2" and 230 pounds, so that probably contributed. Otherwise, our weekend at the Canopy by Hilton in Grand Rapids was great: the location worked well, valet service met our expectations, and the room was spacious and clean. The bed was comfortable, and the linens and towels were soft and clean.

There’s plenty to do nearby, with lots of restaurants within walking distance, though I’d probably avoid the park just to the south. The location was great, and so was the room: modern, clean, and comfortable. Staff were great too, from the front desk and housekeeping to the valets.

The room itself was modern and nice, and the bed was comfortable, but there was barely any hot water. Even after running the shower and tap for a long time, it only got lukewarm, so I skipped a shower rather than freeze. The heat didn’t work properly either. It was 65 degrees inside when we arrived and 17 outside; even with the thermostat at 78, the room barely got above 70. After breakfast, the main lights also stopped working for a short while. Then I bent down to pick up a pillow from the couch and noticed a strong urine smell. Beware of room 306. We booked this for our wedding night, and the property looked impressive in a great location, but the Hilton Rewards App said we could check in and go straight to the room. Instead, we had to visit the front desk and give a card for incidentals, which the app had already required. It would’ve helped to have signs saying the room key needs to be scanned for the elevator, though strangely that wasn’t always necessary. The front desk staff were very professional and comped our valet parking for the trouble, which we appreciated. Still, the night was disappointing.

The property itself is solid, the location is great, and the staff were welcoming. The trouble started after checkout. I asked three times for my folio and was told it would be emailed, but it never came. The app showed no folio either, and my Hilton number had been removed during checkout, so the stay appeared cancelled. I called a couple of days later and finally got the document. I’d been billed three times for valet, $135 total. After I asked about it, they looked into it and refunded two charges. What exactly needed investigating, whether I’d driven three cars there? A kind woman at the desk said a new system was overcharging guests for valet. If they know about that issue, they should double-check bills, especially when someone keeps asking for their receipt. Whoever runs things needs to make some big changes behind the scenes.