DoubleTree by Hilton Rapid City Downtown Convention Center

I was in Rapid City for work after my flight was canceled. I’d stayed at the DoubleTree in Deadwood the night before, so I chose the DoubleTree Downtown Convention Center hotel in Rapid City, SD. The manager did apologize for the lobby incident, and didn’t charge me for the airport shuttle. It costs $12.74 per passenger, so there’s no free shuttle. Still, I’m not eager to stay here again on future work trips. At arrival, three young people were loitering by the entrance. It wasn't dangerous, just odd. While I was checking in, the manager on duty suddenly shouted “STOP,” jumped over the counter, and chased one of the young women with another employee as she tried to leave with two bottles of wine from the bar. They got into an altercation, and a bottle broke across the lobby floor. The room was subpar and could use renovation. Carpet was coming up by the door and stained elsewhere, and the wallpaper was peeling, which didn't fit what you'd expect from a 3-star hotel. There was a glob of hair on the shower drain, plus tiny hairs that looked like they were from private areas and eyebrows. I pulled back one of the two queen beds and found a tissue and several large black hairs in the sheets. Since a tissue would have been destroyed in a wash and dry cycle, I wondered when the sheets had last been changed.

We ate at the restaurant two nights in a row, and the food was delicious. The room was comfortable and satisfactory, but housekeeping and hot water were a real problem. On the first day, housekeeping only emptied the trash, left us without toilet paper or more coffee and cups, and threw away the cups we had. The second day they still didn't replenish the coffee or toilet paper, so we had to request more toilet paper, coffee, and cups. We never had hot water for our entire stay, so we couldn't take a shower. My husband contacted someone at the hotel, who said it would be fixed. It worked for about 10 minutes, then went ice cold again. Comfortable rooms and a great restaurant, but don't stay if you want a shower.

The concert setup was unlike anything I’ve personally experienced before a show. They had a great pre and post party at the hotel for the evening, and the venue shares the parking lot with the hotel, so you couldn't get closer. The Gold Bison restaurant on level 1 was delicious and reasonably priced. Front desk staff were welcoming and texted to ask what they could do to make our stay better. Rates were reasonable, too.

The room was much too hot, and I couldn't get it to cool down. The sink either wouldn't drain at all or drained very slowly. There was still hair in the shower from other guests, so the room hadn't been cleaned well.