DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Rocky Mount

A one-night romantic getaway with my wife turned into a customer service disaster. After making a reservation with a credit card, we were told we had to hand over a $250 deposit in cash to be allowed to stay. Because we live within 50 miles, they also required an inspection of the room before returning my money. The service and treatment were terribly disappointing. I’ve been a Hilton Honor member for decades, but this will be my last non-business stay with a Hilton chain.

The people working here were lovely and attentive, and they moved me to another room twice without any hassle. I stayed five nights, though, and the hotel condition was awful. My first room smelled strongly of mold or mildew, and the faucet sprayed sideways onto the counter. I stayed the first night hoping the smell would fade, but it didn’t, so I asked to move the next day. In the second room, the tub faucet was running and wouldn’t stop. Maintenance arrived promptly and said the valve needed replacing, so I moved again. I stayed in the third room because none of its problems was a deal breaker and I wasn’t sure I’d find a better room there. The sink stopper was missing, the exhaust fan didn’t work, and the faucet again sprayed onto the counter. The doorstop had ripped out of the floor, the stone or tile threshold was cracked and loose, the trash can was nearly broken in half, and the room smelled of cigarette smoke. The blackout curtains were bent and wouldn’t close all the way, light came in around the door, and I wasn’t confident the refrigerator got cold enough, so I used ice from the machine like a cooler. The fitness center was also a mess. The exercise bike was still there but unusable without a power cord. The weight machine had a bizarre design: the pin hit the top of the plexiglass cutout as the weights rose, stopping the machine. One shield was shattered and the other chipped, apparently from someone trying to use it. I don’t understand why it hasn’t been fixed. The machine doesn’t work. Stay somewhere else.

Come on, Hilton, you can do better. My room wasn’t serviced, and they used Covid as the excuse. It was already not very clean, so going without service made it worse. As an Honors member, I won’t stay here again.

We needed a room at the last minute for one night, and it worked out well. The location is handy for getting back on the road, close to I-95. Staff were friendly and helpful, and both the room and bathroom were clean. The room felt a little dated, though the AC worked well. Coffee and tea are complimentary, but breakfast costs extra.