WA Seattle Hilton

[epicureangirl]

Spent one night at the Hilton Hotel on December 6th, rated as a 4* byHotwire. $73 plus taxes and fees.

Not a 4* by any means

I must tell you that I had no idea what this hotel was when I bid. No one could figure it out and their were no posts with those Icons and star rating to help me figure it out. I went for it anyway, as a 4* hotel in Seattle always goes for much more. Usually $130 and up (if you get a good deal). After discovering what property I had selected, I checked it out on tripadvisor.com and was concerned at all the negative reviews travellers had given it but decided to keep an open mind and judge for myself.

I am going to try and give you a balanced review of this hotel, so here it goes...

Good things: Right downtown and walking distance to everything. Cheap parking (for Seattle) at about $19/day if I recall. Good views from high-floor rooms and good blackout drapes and sheers. The price of the room would be on-the-mark if I were looking for (and expecting) a 3* hotel. Service at the front desk was very polished and helpful. Since I was celebrating my birthday, the hotel was good enough to get me a view room on a high floor (one of their better rooms I'm sure).

If you want to like this hotel, stop reading now.

The rest of it: When you get to the hotel there is no valet. There is no grand entrance, people holding the doors or sense of arrival of this hotel. No elegance or polish in public areas. You self-park then take an elevator (LONG WAITS) up to the lobby. When you get out of the elevator you are in a short hallway, opening up NOT to the lobby, but into the lounge/bar area. I am a non-smoker, and don't like being dumped out in a smokey lounge that seems like a sports bar with the football game blaring on the TV. There is another sitting area (not directly in the bar) but all the sofas and chairs were threadbare on the arms and other wear points. Just plain shabby. Anyhow, once you walk through the lounge, you get to the front desk. No complaints with the front-desk staff as they were polished and helpful.

You are then directed to another set of elevators (LONG WAIT YET AGAIN) to get to your room. We had one of the better rooms (I'm quite certain) and were on a high floor (there was only one floor above us) with a good view. The room is a good size but the traditional furniture looks cheap. Lamps, chairs, cabinets... everything looks cheap and worn. The bathroom is small and dingy with heavy vinyl wallpaper peeling back at the seams. Looking at the finishing of the tiles and wallpaper, I don't really believe this place ever sparkled as most surfaces are poorly finished. Other reviews I read, complained of noise from guests or air conditioning. I took heed and wore ear-plugs to bed and had a good sleep.

Besides the feeling of staying in a shabby place, the constant waiting for elevators and having to take 2 separate sets of elevators to get to street level was very annoying. Often there was a line for the elevator to get to the parking and street levels which was shared by the staff. That meant the bellman and baggage cart would take up much of the elevator, so guests could not always fit in and would have to wait for the next car. When coming up to the hotel from street level, it stopped on many parking levels -- the people trying to get on with their bags had no room to get on, so had to wait for another elevator. Hilton hotels can (and usually) do better than this.

Don't get me wrong, this wasn't a vacation spoiler and I can deal with a less-than-perfect room. My problem lies in the Hotwire rating for this property. It is what it is, and it is NOT a 4* property. I don't care if the amenities lead you to believe it is. This is a 3* property, 3 1/2 if you wear your rose-coloured glasses but no more. I would have gladly paid double for a REAL 4* hotel but have learned a good lesson. I won't rely on Hotwire ratings anymore and will tie myself more to the betterbidding.com hotel hints to identify properties before I bid.

I called Hotwire today to give them my opinion (that their rating is too high) which probably will do nothing but has made me feel better. Maybe even good enough to try Hotwire again.

This property is a solid 3* hotel with nice staff in a great location. If I had expected a 3* hotel, I wouldn't have had any complaints.

Seattle has a lot of terrific hotels, and I've stayed in many of them. Next time I'll hold out for the Hyatt or Hotel Monaco to come up on Hotwire.

Cheers.