Spark by Hilton Wichita Falls

I won’t stay here again. I’m a Diamond member who stays exclusively at Hilton, and work travel lets me compare hotels. I’ve generally found Hilton better than Marriott, Wyndham, and others, but my Spark stay had plenty of problems. The affordable rate deserves credit, but the man at the desk wasn’t welcoming. I could hear freeway traffic from the room. The lobby and room both had an unpleasant, funky smell, though I can’t say what it was. The room needs updating, the sofa is worn, there were stains and peeling paint or scratches on the bathroom wall, and the wall plugs were wobbly enough to seem like a safety concern. The breakfast was advertised as free, which made me expect a hot meal. Instead it was continental, with cereal, 2% milk, small muffins, and cold hard-boiled eggs. If that’s what’s being served, they should say so. Had I known, I would’ve stayed elsewhere. There was no coffee maker in the room, so I had to go to the lobby for coffee. I also understood the “SAVE OUR PLANET” easel on the bed to mean that someone would come in to change sheets, collect trash, and bring clean towels if it was left there. Nobody came, so I took out my own trash and made my own bed. That was very misleading. There are plenty of competing hotels, and poor service will send people elsewhere.

For a last-minute one-night stay, our room with two queen beds came to $100 after taxes. The place was easy to reach and felt brand new, either because it is or because it was remodeled to look that way. It even had that fresh new-hotel smell. There was plenty of storage for our family of three, with bright white bedding and towels. Continental breakfast was included, and the receptionist was delightful, even at 10 p.m.

The kind woman on duty later that night thought we should get a refund, but the surly manager said she’d contact the travel service we booked through and call us that day. That was ten days ago, and no one from Spark has contacted us. We’ll be passing through Wichita Falls often, but I won’t stay at their Spark again. Our first assigned room was dark, with the door open, no linens or towels, and only a bare mattress. When we went back to the lobby for another room, the manager said we should have called from the room instead of coming to the desk. That made no sense, since we needed to get new keys and return the old ones there. Around 10:30 p.m., a raspy screech and buzz started in room two, stopping and starting while we tried to locate it. By about 11:30, we found the faulty smoke detector. Taking it apart was the only way to stop the noise, and dead roaches fell into my hair. The manager called to ask what was happening with the detector, but seemed interested only in ending the call when I explained. The noise started again around 1 a.m. and was too loud to sleep through, so I called the desk. We packed everything and moved rooms in the middle of the night.

Marlene at the front desk made sure I got a room that suited me, and her customer service was such a delight after I arrived exhausted. Someone should make her a manager! I slept really well on the third floor of this newer hotel. The lobby decor is fun, and the room had new furnishings. Breakfast was laid out nicely with the basics: bagels and cream cheese, cereal, 2% and oat milk, fruit, yogurt, muffins, juice, and boiled eggs. The lobby coffee was excellent, Folgers, with tea and decaf available too. The older reviews must be for a different hotel, since Hilton only started the Spark line recently.