Tru by Hilton Radford, VA

I’ve stayed in hotels every year since I was 21 and have traveled to Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, Las Vegas, Denver, Boston, Albany, Hawaii, Los Angeles, and Miami. I’ve never lost anything during a hotel stay until this one. My boyfriend lost his watch on March 7. He wasn’t sure where he’d put it, so he asked the check-in desk whether it had been turned in. There are two CCTV cameras. I also checked the gym. We never accused the staff of stealing it, but the manager said we had and wanted us to leave on the sixth day of our 10-day reservation, booked from the 3rd to the 13th. I wish she’d checked the CCTV first. The next morning, after I’d called Hilton customer service to explain what was happening and ask about a refund, Hilton called the Radford hotel manager. She refused to replace the bed sheet and was angry about getting the call. She told me to leave by 11:30 am. Earlier, around 9:00 am at breakfast, I smiled at her and she didn’t smile back. I’d thought she was just a staff member. There was no hospitality, and she didn’t listen to our concerns. My boyfriend had asked for fresh sheets after I couldn’t sleep the night before because I felt itchy. They had said they couldn’t change them. There was no soap in the gym, and when we told them, they didn’t refill it. I’m not sure whether the manager is responsible for checking the pool’s chlorine ppm. I somehow felt it was too high. I was in the pool for only 2 minutes and got itchy; if my legs still itch, I’ll see a doctor. I want people to post if they get itching or breathing problems after using the pool. Kids were running around above our room at 11 pm, but I kept quiet since they were kids. Hilton’s online customer service was very nice, but the Tru by Hilton hotel customer service was terrible. Tru feels like a budget hotel brand using Hilton’s premium worldwide name. Hilton is a top hotel brand in the United States, Europe, and around the world. I’ve stayed at hotels in many places, including Vegas, where I paid only 60 dollars and got better customer service. I book flights and hotels all the time. I can’t believe what happened here. I booked at 125.7 USD per night, but the price went up to 145 USD for weekend nights during my stay. If I’d known the weekend price was 145 USD from the start, I wouldn’t have booked Tru by Hilton and might have chosen another hotel. I’ve stayed more than 7 days at a hotel before, and I’ve never had the price change during the stay. I stopped writing reviews for almost 4 or 5 years because I hate leaving bad ones, but this time I really had to. I’ll stay away from Tru by Hilton for my entire life.

I’ve spent plenty of time in hotels for work, even living in them for a full year, and nothing like this has happened before. We’re staying here while moving and as I start a new job, so being forced to find last-minute lodging with more belongings than fit in our car is absurd. I lost my watch and thought it might be somewhere in the room, so I asked whether it had been turned in, just to be safe. Later, our room was cleaned but the sheets weren’t changed because my girlfriend’s jacket was on the bed and staff aren’t allowed to touch personal items. I was disappointed, but accepted that and said I’d make sure the bed was clear next time. My girlfriend felt itchy and uncomfortable all morning and hadn’t slept the night before. Although room service wasn’t due until the next day, I asked if the sheets could be changed that day. Then they told us we were being kicked out, supposedly because I’d been very rude and accused staff of stealing my watch. I wasn’t rude and never accused anyone of stealing anything. This is absurd.

The location is great, right off the interstate on the way to RU. I’ve stayed here 14 nights over the past three months. The rooms are usually clean, and the evening staff are nice. On my last visit, January 6-9 of 2026, I noticed on the second day that the shower had no water pressure. The front desk gave me such a complicated fix that I decided to stay in the room without a working shower. While sulking in the bathroom beside it, I spotted something wedged behind the mirror. I first tried to pull it out, then realized it looked like underwear. I giggled to myself and thought they had bigger things to worry about, like housekeeping and nasty guests. Why someone would shove it there, I don’t know. It’s disgusting, and it’s pushed so far in that I wonder how long it’s been there. Maybe the housekeepers will find it one day, since they didn’t want to give me a shower.

The location was great, but the room was visibly dirty and didn’t seem to have had a proper deep cleaning. That’s a basic expectation, and this fell well below it. The manager was extremely grouchy and unwelcoming from arrival through checkout, setting a bad tone for the whole stay. The property has potential because of its location, but housekeeping and customer service need major improvement before we’d consider staying again.