DoubleTree by Hilton Wilmington, NC

The renovations look great, and the gym is nice. Parking, though, turned into a frustrating late-night ordeal. I arrived around 1 a.m. to a sea of signs saying I had to pay, which felt like a strange setup for a hotel in Wilmington. At the desk I was told payment went through a third party. Back at the room, the QR codes didn’t let me pay either, so I went outside again to take a photo, install an app, enter my card details, and fight with its odd interface. It never even gave me a pay button, just said “session ongoing.” That whole system soured my experience.

On a recent work trip to Wilmington, I found this DoubleTree convenient to the airport, restaurants, and shopping. The rooms were clean and well cared for, and both the service and food choices were very good. I’d recommend it for a comfortable stay outside downtown.

In 15 years of staying at Hilton, I’d never had to pay for parking at one of their locations before. The hallways smelled bad, the shower had no hot water, and in the morning the systems were down so I couldn’t buy drinks or anything else. This was the worst Hilton I’ve stayed at in those 15 years. I’ve never had an issue like this at the others, and I won’t return.

The staff were professional and accommodating, and by the next morning I got a satisfactory hot shower. The first morning, though, the water only got lukewarm. I also noticed a sewer smell in the hallway on my way to a project meeting. It wasn’t strong enough to make me sick, but it was noticeable. I reported both issues at the desk. That evening, I asked what could be done about the hot water and was offered another room, which I declined. The desk staffer said maintenance recommended running the water for about 30 minutes when that wing wasn’t busy. When I returned to the room, the hallway smelled fresh. The next morning I felt a bit guilty letting the water run until it was hot. Credit to the staff for handling problems caused by the building or its maintenance.