Hilton Garden Inn Jackson Downtown

The service made it feel like we were bothering the staff, and the whole stay was terrible. I'd told them there would be two adults, yet we had just one face towel, and the larger towels were spotted. The men's lobby restroom had no soap in either dispenser and no paper towels. When I asked for our vehicle, I had to keep explaining that it wasn't outside, even as he insisted it was. Eventually he realized he hadn't brought it out and went to get it. This was one of the worst Hiltons I've stayed at.

There was no free parking, just valet at $24 per night. The outside and inside looked clean and decent, but there was no backup plan when the staff walked out. Guests in occupied rooms had to put their names on a list for fresh towels, toiletries, and other supplies. We'd booked three weeks earlier and drove six hours, only to be told there was no room for my family. We had booked through a third-party vendor, and they were very accommodating and found us another place. It wasn't my choice, but it worked out. The Hilton should have notified guests about what had happened so they could adjust before arriving. There was also a busload of high school students who needed rooms. A young Black American woman with red hair stayed calm, poised, attentive, and professional as the disappointed crowd grew. She answered the phone when others ignored it, and her help is how we got moved. It was only her second day, and she was still training. What an experience for her. I hope they keep her and she doesn't walk out like the rest of the staff.

The staff were extremely accommodating, but the hotel itself was just okay. Our first room's heat didn't work, so we moved, then found the new keys didn't work and staff had to fix the lock. The room was acceptable, though it had no coffee K cups, and bottled water wasn't offered, which surprised us given the water issues in Mississippi. The lobby bar had only beer and wine, with a very limited selection.

The lobby looks gorgeous, valet parking was helpful, and the woman who checked us in was sweet and personable. Security even pointed us toward the best route to dinner at Iron Horse Grill, just a block away, and it was very good. Our room looked nice, with a lovely blue accent wall, and the bed was comfortable, the fridge kept food cold, the AC worked, and the blackout shades did their job. The pillows, though, were tiny, flat squares like you'd expect at a really cheap hotel. The TV had no signal, the internet just spun endlessly until we gave up, and the shower pressure was awful. I reopened a cut and asked the front desk for a small packet of antibiotic cream. The person there said they didn't have any and there was nowhere nearby to get basic first aid supplies. What? Booking was frustrating from the start. I meant to book for the next night, but although I think I entered the right dates, they seem to have flipped back to that night. Probably my mistake, but I didn't catch it until after booking. That shouldn't have been too big a problem, except the hotel's posted phone number didn't work. The 800 number in the booking email couldn't reach them either. The representative was very sweet and said she'd leave a note on our account to ask about a refund, so we booked the correct night and hoped for the best. I called the same 800 number the next day, and they still couldn't reach the hotel. Eventually the representative found some way to contact them, and we got a refund for the unused night, which was great. Even with the comfortable bed and a few other things working well, I don't think I'd choose this location again.