I'll preface this by noting we had booked through Hotwire and therefore paid an exceptionally low rate. The value we received for the price we paid was fair. When one reserves this way it is hit or miss. Sometimes you can be treated by the hotel like a steerage class passenger. Other times, not so (as was a very pleasant experience I had as a Priceline customer at the Hyatt Regency in Miami a few months ago). I write this review because I feel it is important for the management of the hotel to realize that no matter who their guests may be, it is still necessary to maintain the quality of the brand. I felt my impression of the Hilton brand was severely tarnished by our recent stay in Beverly Hills. The photos I am including here speak for themselves. But I'll point out a few of our disappointments in writing.
The most disturbing of such disappoints was the fact that we were placed directly above a construction site. The hotel famously (or infamously) hosts the Golden Globes. We were assigned rooms directly above (practically in the middle of) a tent that was being constructed for the event. No mention of this was made at check in. My parents had unfortunately already unpacked their bags before the deafening banging, drilling, and slamming of giant pieces of wood began to shake their room. (We must have arrived just as a...I'll preface this by noting we had booked through Hotwire and therefore paid an exceptionally low rate. The value we received for the price we paid was fair. When one reserves this way it is hit or miss. Sometimes you can be treated by the hotel like a steerage class passenger. Other times, not so (as was a very pleasant experience I had as a Priceline customer at the Hyatt Regency in Miami a few months ago). I write this review because I feel it is important for the management of the hotel to realize that no matter who their guests may be, it is still necessary to maintain the quality of the brand. I felt my impression of the Hilton brand was severely tarnished by our recent stay in Beverly Hills. The photos I am including here speak for themselves. But I'll point out a few of our disappointments in writing.
The most disturbing of such disappoints was the fact that we were placed directly above a construction site. The hotel famously (or infamously) hosts the Golden Globes. We were assigned rooms directly above (practically in the middle of) a tent that was being constructed for the event. No mention of this was made at check in. My parents had unfortunately already unpacked their bags before the deafening banging, drilling, and slamming of giant pieces of wood began to shake their room. (We must have arrived just as a lunch break was wrapping up). I called down to have my room switched and after a 20 minute wait, was moved across the hall. The front desk clerk seemed surprised to know of the construction and was apologetic. He must be an aspiring actor. Rooms control would most certainly know of the enormous tent being erected on hotel grounds and which part of the hotel would be effected.
The noise for my parents ended in the evening, but resumed at 8AM the next morning. A Sunday no less. And this was a full week before the event. Drilling and banging on a Sunday morning is inexcusable and the hotel knows it. We should have been informed at check in, rather than made to go through a dog and pony show for a room change.
Lets see, what else? The Concierge knew less about LA than we do. We asked for a restaurant recommendation in Santa Monica and she suggested a passé tourist trap that every guide book tells you to avoid. My mother asked if she could recommend something else - perhaps a Chinese restaurant instead? She recommended Yangtze. It's been closed now for nearly six months. When we informed her of this, her reaction was simply "bummer". That really went over well with my well traveled parents.
I conclude this review with photos of 1) a broken and horribly rusted towel rack in the bathroom, 2) the film of dust that covered my room, and 3) construction well underway before 9AM on Sunday morning just outside mom and dad's room.
The moral of the story - when treating your parents to a weekend away, don't be a cheap son and expect a "four star" hotel booked on Hotwire to really be anything close to four stars. Spend an extra hundred dollars and stay somewhere else. And most importantly, do not pay the rack rate for the Beverly Hilton. Our experience was subpar, but we had fun together and made the most out of it, mainly giggling at the travesty the BH Hilton has become. What is not at all funny is the fact that others there were paying the full rate. I pity anyone who expects a four star hotel, only to be greatly disappointed before being presented with a four star bill at check out. Oh, by the way - at check out, the clerk didn't bother to ask how we enjoyed our stay. Trip Advisor did though, so I'm just responding to the organization that actually cared enough to ask.More
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