Hilton Garden Inn Wichita Downtown

The pool being out of order was crushing for my grieving kids. My son passed away, and I brought my other children here on his birthday for a little break from grief and some time in the pool. We planned to swim after check in and again in the morning before checkout. Instead, we went looking for the pool and got trapped in a locked stairwell. We went up and down all five floors several times looking for an unlocked door, then had to walk through six inches of snow and 12 degree weather in our swimsuits across the unplowed parking lot to get back in through the front doors. The stairwell sign said key access was needed for floors three through five, but every floor was locked and you were shut out as soon as you took the stairs. While we were stuck there, I called the front desk to ask how to get to the pool and was told it was out of order because the elevator was broken. The desk offered breakfast coupons or maybe a discount on snacks, but those weren't useful because my children have food allergies and tube feeding. I'd saved up for this little retreat during a painful time, and there hadn't been any notice about the pool, not even a sign at the front desk. We would have chosen somewhere else instead of sitting in a hotel room with no pool. A few months earlier, we'd tried to take this same grief escape, but our reservation was messed up and our room was given away. At least I was reimbursed that time. We won't try this hotel again, even though we were excited to use the very cool pool.

The rooms were really clean, the beds soft, and the staff friendly. The pricing was comparable to hotels with lesser brands. I can understand complaints about the pool deck being slippery when it's wet and you're not careful, since there's no grip tape, but it's only a small area. My main complaint is that the pool isn't well monitored because of its location. A group of about 10 children under 12 were left there alone with no supervision for our entire time in the pool.

We stay downtown for shows in Wichita, and this Hilton is perfectly placed for walking around. We like the room styles and comfortable beds, though some rooms are better than others. My preference is for rooms without windows because they're quieter, away from street noise, and seem to have bigger bathrooms. The staff are always kind, friendly, and helpful, and they check in to see how things are going.

The room was spotless and the bed was comfortable, though the barn style bathroom door takes some muscle to move. The shuttle is handy but only runs from 6:00 to 10:00. They can get Lyft, but not after 10:00.