Tru By Hilton Jacksonville St Johns Town Center

I tried Tru for the first time and came away disappointed. It looks like a new hotel, but it isn't well kept, and service was below par. The bathroom mirror light didn't work, and half the breakfast cooking equipment was broken. We're Diamond members and usually have no trouble getting a late checkout, but here they wanted $45 for a 2 p.m. checkout, saying it was a new Hilton policy. We don't run into this with Marriott Bonvoy, which gives us more reason to move our stays there.

Breakfast has been a serious problem with this hotel chain for me. My first stay was fine, though, with a clean, quiet and comfortable room for five days. The second stay was awful. A dog in the room next door barked nonstop after the family left it alone. Then I extended my stay and got a notification confirming one more day, but when that apparently didn't go through in their system, staff never contacted me. They packed up my belongings and broke my suitcase. I'll do everything I can to avoid staying here again.

The lobby feels welcoming, with games and lots of seating, and there's a small gym and free parking on site. Restaurants, Starbucks and even a Publix supermarket are easy to walk to. They offer a free hot breakfast buffet, plus a shop with lots of snacks, though the prices are usually high and nearby shops may be a better deal. The Tru hotels are quite utilitarian. The rooms are average in size and have very few extras, just a simple rolling table, hooks and an ironing board. Still, it was clean and seemed quiet, so it works for a couple of nights.

The hotel is close to the interstate and surrounded by lots of restaurants and shops. On my first visit I was pleasantly surprised: the room and hotel were clean, the bed was comfortable, the AC was cold, and the Wi-Fi worked well. The staff were friendly and helpful too. Breakfast looked decent, but I didn't try it, so I can't comment on it. A really nice place, and I'll stay again if I'm in the area.