Spark by Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront

The loose fencing by the pool had screws sticking up, and metal brackets set in concrete were marked only by a loose brick, easy to trip over at night. My daughter and I also both slipped on the wet shower floor, which had no non-slip grip, though luckily neither of us fell badly. There were dirty windows everywhere, broken trim missing from hallway doors, and dead plants in the gardens. From the upper floors, the main roof was visibly scattered with garbage and construction debris. One exterior door beside the sidewalk, apparently to an elevator mechanical room, was propped shut with a rock. I could also walk into an unlocked mechanical room on the 6th floor. In the common hallways, carpet was lifting in several spots, with new carpet panels installed over old carpet. Only one elevator worked, and it was in rough shape: soft spots in the floor, walls clad in vinyl flooring, and corners finished with floor molding in a very bad DIY job. The emergency call button was broken, and a warning light flashed on the outside panel. This was one of the worst hotel stays I’ve had in a very long time. The work looks like cheap renovations done without competent contractors. Seeing so many problems makes me wonder what the hidden work is like and whether the hotel is safe. If Hilton allows this standard at its properties, I’ll seriously reconsider staying at their hotels. Other reviews are right, avoid this place.

The hallway and elevator needed upkeep and felt dated and dirty. The room wasn’t great either, with no microwave, alarm clock, or plugs by the bed. I can’t believe Hilton would put its name on this place, and I won’t stay again. On the way there, they cancelled the reservation I’d made in the app, even though my card was set as the default and this could easily have been fixed. I called more than ten times and got no answer. Hilton customer service eventually got through, and staff told them they were busy in the lobby at 1 p.m., before check-in and after checkout, sure. When I arrived around 5, two clerks were working with a full lobby, though one was on the phone helping someone. An older white couple ahead of me were treated very nicely. When it was my turn, the woman looked at my ID and said she couldn’t accept it, despite us having the same last name and address. I went to get the account holder’s ID. When I came back, she was scanning through my reservation, probably looking for something wrong. But my husband really is a vet, as his ID shows, so the discount was valid. Maybe that was why they cancelled the reservation in the first place, why sell at a discount when they can charge full price?

The elevators’ warning light and alarm kept going off during our stay, so taking the stairs felt like the safe choice. Parking is across the street, poorly lit, and guests are told to leave their cars toward the back. Inside, things felt very DIY: loose railings, unsecured carpet, and a bathroom door with a peephole that seemed to be a front door repurposed for the room. The shower water started out orange with rust, and the sheets and towels had orange stains, plus hairs on what were supposed to be clean linens. We could hear people in other rooms and chairs scraping across the floors because the sound insulation is poor. Breakfast was disappointing compared with complimentary breakfasts at other Hilton hotels. This was incredibly disappointing, and regular Hilton travelers should lower their expectations a lot.

We had a terrible experience as a family. The building is old, and the balcony chairs were rusty. There were no outlets by the nightstand for charging phones, and breakfast was cold only. The bagels were hard and still partly frozen. The parking garage is across the street, which is inconvenient. Then, late in the evening, the front desk woke us and asked us to move our car from a marked handicapped space to a regular one to make room for a charter bus. My husband had to cross the street in below-freezing weather to do it. We tried calling and emailing the manager about our concerns, but there was no urgency or follow-up. It has the Hilton name, but this place didn't live up to the chain's standards or reputation.