Tru By Hilton Mt. Juliet, TN

We left and checked into another hotel. The bartender was rude when I asked if we could order even one meal for our toddler, and at the front desk I was told I wouldn't get a refund, although I hadn't asked for one. I explained that the way we'd been treated was unacceptable and we couldn't stay. I also saw staff treat other guests rudely. Many were there because their homes had lost power and they had nowhere else to go. A little kindness could have made a big difference. I strongly discourage anyone from choosing this hotel, even in an emergency. A severe ice storm had left our area without power, and we needed somewhere warm for our toddler. Before booking, we confirmed that guests could order food from 5 to 9 p.m. With everything closed and the roads covered in solid ice, we had to trust that food would be available as promised. We reached the lobby around 5:45 and waited over 30 minutes in line, which wasn't a problem in itself. The bartender served people ahead of me, and I later learned that workers from the In-N-Out burger that had opened in the area got first dibs on the hotel's food. When I reached the front, the bartender said orders wouldn't resume until 7 p.m. She told me there was nothing she would do for me and I would have to “get over it.” After an already stressful day of leaving home without power, worrying about feeding our toddler and dealing with that disrespect made it even worse. We went back to our room, packed up, and checked out. This was by far the worst hotel experience I've had. I travel often and exclusively use Hilton hotels.

The hotel looks modern and was clean, but it felt less comfortable and secure than others. At check-in, our keys failed three times. On the second try, they made me a key to an occupied room. I opened the door, saw someone else's belongings, shut it right away, and went back to the desk. Luckily, I'm an honest person. The beds also needed propping up with cardboard or sugar packets, like a wobbly restaurant table, to stop them from clunking loudly. My bottom sheet was old, scratchy, and badly pilled, like it should have been tossed 20 washes ago. The other sheets were very soft, so it seems hit or miss. For the response team, I don't need a customer service number or anything. Hilton should add a pop-up at the computer desk asking, “Are you SURE you want to make a key for an OCCUPIED ROOM?”

The rooms are new and comfortable, and the staff are friendly. Breakfast was available both mornings, with enough to get by, but the hot food was missing or lukewarm and other things weren't well stocked. It felt like the free breakfast was an afterthought because they wanted guests to eat at the hotel restaurant.

We were in town for a truck event, and the hotel was a convenient distance from the speedway. We usually stay at Hilton hotels and had loved a previous Tru, so we tried this one. It wasn't the usual Hilton experience for us. The beds were uncomfortable, service wasn't great, and the complimentary breakfast was just meh. We'll stay somewhere else for next year's event.