Spark by Hilton Merrillville

The room was spacious, sparkling clean, and had lots of lighting. The bed was very comfortable, and the new furnishings were unmarked and clean, even if they aren’t meant to look fancy. The building, floors, bathroom, paint, surfaces, and furnishings have all been redone or replaced. Staff were gracious and clearly wanted guests to have a good stay. Breakfast is available, with coffee and tea available anytime too. I had an exceptionally good experience at the Spark by Hilton in Merrillville IN.

There’s no pool here, despite it being advertised online, so don’t book this place if a pool matters to you. Our room smelled strongly of smoke, and we could hear everything through the walls. The staff member on duty, Dre’Quan, wasn’t welcoming when my husband and I arrived. He laughed at us several times, including when my husband went to the convenience store, asked for a receipt, and checked whether receipts were available.

I booked through a third party and gave the hotel my card, but never went into the room. I was on my way to breakfast when an emergency work call came in, so I returned right away and told the desk I didn’t need the room. The staff acknowledged it hadn’t been used and said, while checking with the manager, that I just needed to cancel through the third party to get a refund. I explained what happened to dayuse, and they canceled it without question. The third party issued the cancellation, but upper management later refused to refund me, even though the room was untouched. Poor customer service.

The staff were amazing, super friendly, and helpful. It’s a good area for anyone wanting to hike Indiana Dunes National/State Park, and I liked the area in general. The room looked a little ghetto, but the bed was comfortable, there were no bed bugs, and the AC worked great. Breakfast was awful: expired oat milk, watered-down apple juice, and bagels were all they had for the first meal of the day.