Hilton Garden Inn Marina Del Rey

The lobby looks nicer than the experience that followed. On December 26th, I found two Hilton certificates I’d received at an auction, noticed they expired December 30th, and called this establishment. They confirmed they accepted the "Friends of Hilton" certificates, and I made a reservation. Check-in was a mess. The gentleman helping me seemed unfamiliar with the certificates and first said I had no reservation. Then he acknowledged it existed but claimed my payment method was wrong, even after I explained the certificates were prepaid funds and that I’d confirmed they were valid before arriving. He asked me to step aside while he called a manager, which was disconcerting. His parking information also changed, first $14, then $7. I was disheartened and used the public lot next to the inn for $5 per day. I took a moment to compose myself, then went back. About an hour later I finally checked in. They told me to return in the morning to repeat the check-in and have my key re-keyed, but wouldn’t do it immediately, saying it was needed for the second day. I was given a room at the back of the hotel. The hall carpet was old, pungent, and had visible attempts to remove stains. As soon as I reached the room, the front desk began texting and calling to ask how my stay was, though it had just started. The signs for the ice machines were all wrong. When I came back to re-check in for the extended stay, Manager Robin said my forms were invalid and that staying two more nights would cost over $500. I was very disappointed and frustrated. I’d expected a relaxing getaway, but the time spent trying to resolve this overshadowed any enjoyment of the trip. It got so stressful that I left. I told management not to charge my credit card, only to learn they’d already tried. Then I found out the system was inoperative, which was the actual reason the certificates couldn’t be processed. Even so, Manager Robin asked me to come back. I declined because I was nearly home. She then offered a one-day complimentary stay after my two-day ordeal.