HILTON GARDEN INN DENVER SOUTH

We stay in hotels all over the country, and this was probably the most poorly maintained Hilton property we’ve stayed in for quite some time. To be fair, our stay wasn’t terrible. The staff was friendly, attentive, and efficient. Check-in was quick, our room was clean, the Wi-Fi was reliable, the air conditioning worked well, and the location was convenient for our visit. We also appreciated the quiet room on the golf course side of the building. The biggest issue wasn’t that the hotel is old—it was that it didn’t appear to be receiving the level of cleaning and upkeep I’d expect from a Hilton Garden Inn. An older property can still provide a great experience when it’s well maintained. Unfortunately, there were simply too many small issues that suggested a lack of attention to detail. Some of the things we noticed included: * Dirty lobby floors with chipped tiles and drip stains. * Hallway carpet that was worn, dated, and appeared dirty. * Doors, walls, and other public surfaces with chipped paint and visible grime. * Guest room furnishings that looked like they hadn’t been updated since the 1990s. * Chipped and broken bathroom floor tiles. * A shower head that needed cleaning, with several spray openings clogged. * A dirty elevator floor. * Only one elevator operating in a six-story building, resulting in long waits at busy times. * The crumb tray on the breakfast toaster was already overflowing, even though I was among the first guests to use it that morning. * Coffee that consistently tasted burned. * The ice machine on our floor was out of service. * While eating breakfast, we observed a dining room employee come from a back area with a dog for a walk. I don’t know the circumstances, but it struck me as unusual in a food service area. The positives included: * Friendly, attentive staff. * Fast and efficient check-in. * Reliable Wi-Fi. * A standard hot breakfast with eggs, potatoes, sausage, cereal, yogurt, fruit, and juices. * A quiet room. * Comfortable enough bed for a night’s sleep. * Good air conditioning. * A clean guest room with plenty of towels and everything we used in working order. One observation: I booked a rate that included breakfast, but several other guests appeared surprised to learn breakfast wasn’t included with their stay. The hotel may want to do a better job communicating that at check-in. We had originally planned to stay two nights but decided to check out after the first night. To the hotel’s credit, the front desk handled our early departure professionally and without any hassle, which we appreciated. I’ve certainly stayed in worse hotels, but I expected more from Hilton Garden Inn, which I generally consider one of Hilton’s better mid-scale brands. Given the condition of the property, I didn’t feel it represented good value. With a thorough renovation and, more importantly, greater attention to routine cleaning and maintenance—especially in the public areas—this could once again be a hotel I’d happily recommend.

There are some significant trade-offs to staying here, but the benefit is the lower price. Bottom line, if you are not picky, this place is a good deal. If you are bothered by the trade-offs, best to stay elsewhere. The first big issue is the mold/mildew smell. It’s extremely strong on the first floor, but permeates the whole building. My more sensitive wife says she could smell it in the sheets. Also, it’s a six story hotel and only one of two elevators works, and it's quite slow. Lessor issue is the lake of hooks on the walls in in the bathroom. There is one hook for towel. No hooks for toiletry bags.

I rarely leave negative reviews, but this was one of the most disappointing hotel experiences I’ve had in a long time. We stayed Monday through Saturday, and from the moment we arrived, there were issues. Our room was visibly dirty. The headboard had handprints on it, the nightstands looked like they hadn’t been dusted in weeks, and there was black hair in the bathroom sink. We also noticed dog feces outside that remained in the exact same location for the entire week, which says a lot about the cleanliness and upkeep of the property. The first night, we were woken up at 2:30 AM and forced to evacuate due to a fire alarm. While I understand emergencies happen, there was no communication, apology, or acknowledgment of the inconvenience afterward. Things only got worse. On Friday morning, we discovered that our truck, along with several other vehicles in the parking lot, had been broken into and windows smashed. Again, there was little to no communication, concern, or empathy from hotel staff. A simple acknowledgment or expression of concern would have gone a long way. The hallways were consistently dirty, and the second room we reserved for our adult children smelled strongly of cigarette smoke despite being a non-smoking hotel. Water pressure throughout the hotel was also extremely poor. Customer service was perhaps the biggest disappointment. Throughout our stay, I felt like I was inconveniencing the staff anytime I asked for assistance. On Wednesday night, I went to the front desk to reserve an additional room for my brother and sister, who had just gotten married. I was assured everything was taken care of and quoted a rate of $90. When I called Friday morning to check on the room and ask if we could have wine waiting for the newlyweds, I was told there was no reservation in the system. It took nearly an hour to sort out, adding even more frustration to an already stressful stay. This hotel is located in what is generally considered a nice area, which makes the lack of cleanliness, maintenance, communication, and customer service even more surprising. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this property. Between the dirty rooms, lack of upkeep, fire alarm evacuation, vehicle break-ins, reservation issues, and poor customer service, this stay fell far below Hilton standards. I sincerely hope management takes these concerns seriously and makes improvements for future guests.