Hilton Garden Inn Birmingham/Lakeshore Drive

What made this stay stand out was the staff, from the night desk worker to the general manager. Everyone we dealt with was kind, professional, attentive, and quick to help, and their hospitality really improved the experience. We had several rooms, all clean and comfortable, and the accommodations alone would have been worth recommending. I'd definitely suggest this hotel to anyone looking for a comfortable stay with supportive service.

The website still says breakfast is free, but that's not what they offer. There's a cook-to-order breakfast area with a pretty good menu, though you have to pay for it. The room also had an old-smoke smell, and the mattress was awful. My shoulders hurt all night. A decent mattress shouldn't leave you aching like that. It wasn't a terrible place, but those things let it down.

We've stayed here several times before and had a great experience, but something seems to have changed. This visit, the sink had very weak water pressure and the thermostat didn't work. The biggest letdown was finding out at breakfast that it wasn't available because occupancy was low. Nobody had mentioned that the night before. I'm not sure we'd choose to stay here again.

The hotel itself was beautiful, and the clerk working at the desk was very nice. But she accidentally charged me twice for a bottle of ptosec wine. She said the first swipe hadn't gone through and asked me to swipe it again, so I did. The receipts they later sent show the duplicate charge, which is exactly what happened. I emailed the manager a detailed explanation about the $12.00 and called him four or five times with my number, but he has never replied to either. I've also called corporate four times and may finally be getting somewhere. If the manager had just answered my email or called me back, I wouldn't be spending so much time on the phone over this. I'm a silver member and spend a lot of money at the Hilton. What began as a five-star stay has dropped to two. Good management and communication matter for customer service, and I want my money back on principle.