Hotel Ballast Wilmington, Tapestry Collection by Hilton

The restaurant was nice, and the valet attendants were great. I love this place, but I won't stay again. It's a historically old hotel with beautiful views of the Cape Fear River. The lobby has been updated and looks very nice, while the rooms haven't. On our first night, we couldn't control the heating and air. It swung from 66 degrees to 84, then back to 60 by morning. Calling the front desk repeatedly didn't help. They offered a room change at 10:30 that night, which we declined. We asked for a new room in the morning and refused to pay for that night.

The location is great, within walking distance of shops, restaurants, and the Riverwalk. But the room cleaning was limited to replacing towels, and we saw a cockroach on the ground floor. The elevator doors were filthy, and the towels were old and mismatched. Breakfast was included in our rate, but the charges were confusing. On day one they charged us, then removed it after we asked. The next day they charged us again and gave a $30 credit, which wasn't part of the plan or the room rate. On day three, we didn't sign the check but were charged anyway. On day four, Board & Barrel told us no signature was needed because breakfast was included. The free airport shuttle wasn't convenient for us. Before the trip, the hotel said to call after landing for pickup. I called after we got off the plane, but they put us on hold because they were busy with check-in. Booking an Uber was quicker. It seemed like the shuttle worked better for flight crews than for guests.

We came to town for a wedding, and the lack of sleep from our first night made it hard to be fully present. We arrived at night to a room set to 60°F that felt even colder. I couldn't adjust the thermostat, so maintenance came up. The maintenance man stood on our bed to open a ceiling electrical box while working on the AC. At 1:30 a.m. we woke up sweating, with hot air coming from the vent, and I still couldn't change the setting. The front desk woman said maintenance had left and gave basic thermostat instructions. Eventually they offered another room, and at 2 a.m. we packed up and moved floors. The AC in that room didn't work either. After more back and forth, they offered a “third and last room.” Near 3 a.m. we finally got to lie down in a room with working AC and a thermostat. At one point, staff even suggested we “prop the door open” so hallway AC could cool the room. The next morning, the front desk said Hotel Ballast couldn't refund us directly because we booked through Expedia, and told us to contact Expedia customer service. I had long calls with Expedia three times. On the first call, Expedia tried the hotel and was told to call between 10 and 11 a.m. to speak with the manager, Ronnie. The next day I called at 10:30, but Expedia still couldn't reach Ronnie, so they agreed to email him about a refund. Today I got an email saying Ronnie “decided to uphold the original cancellation policy and have declined the waiver request.” It sounds like neither Expedia nor the Ballast Hotel cares about customers. Avoid both, and keep scrolling if you want to see all the other terrible reviews this place has received.

The customer service was top notch, though I wish there were more ways to tip digitally, including the valet and not just housekeeping. We picked this location for our 26th anniversary getaway. The riverfront view was spectacular, the location superb, and valet parking was a nice extra. The lobby and poolside had a pleasant atmosphere. The rooms, though, felt a little underwhelming and could use updating.