STAFF HOTEL REVIEWS

Hilton Dublin
Charlemont Road
Dublin, Ireland

When I booked this trip – for a stag weekend trip from NY – I wasn’t sure what to expect. The Hilton Dublin looked nice, but standard, and perhaps a bit far from the main attractions.  But the group really liked the attractive prices (we booked in for around 95 Euro per room) and as I’m a loyal Hilton Honors member anyway, I was pleased to see what they had to offer.

Turns out, it’s quite a nice spot to stay in Dublin. It balances out the whole price / location issue nicely. Simply put, it’s maybe a 10 minute drive to the Centre, but there is a tram called the Luas that stops literally outside the front door of the Hilton Dublin. For less than 2 Euro, it’s just two stops to the centre of town – St Stephen’s Park, Trinity College, Grafton St., etc.  Nice.

Dublin’s also got a bike sharing program set up and, conveniently, there’s a slew of bikes right outside the front door of the Hilton along with some bike lanes. Nice again.

As for the hotel itself: it’s pretty standard Hilton. Moderately sized (read: Europe-sized) rooms, well decorated, and pleasant – nothing “special” and nothing lacking. Just watch out when you step out of the giant (yet oddly narrow) soaking tubs as it’s quite a drop to the floor!  The staff were all quite friendly and the attached pub was a nice place to watch a soccer match.

Breakfast (included in some rates, or for Hilton Gold/Diamond members) was quite good. Lots of hot choices including eggs (scrambled and fried), Irish sausage and rashers, Irish potato bread, pastries, cereals, etc.  Even worth the E10 if you’re paying outright.

Unfortunately no pool, but that seems quite common in central Dublin.

Overall, great value for money at the Hilton Dublin. Recommended.

-DG

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DoubleTree Surfcomber (by Hilton), Miami Beach, FL
February 2011, Dave Grossman HotelMagician.com

You are headed to South Beach. You want to be beachfront. You want to be in the heart of the action. You are looking for something moderately priced but not run down.  The DoubleTree Surfcomber may be for you.

The DoubleTree Surfcomber is beachfront, located on Collins Avenue just north of 17th St. It’s also just a 5 minute walk from Lincoln Road – the main pedestrian (and admittedly tourist-centric) street lined with shopping and restaurants like SushiSamba, countless Italian restaurants and at least three Starbucks locations.

It’s a short walk to nearby hotels like the W South Beach (profiled here in 2010), the Delano, Shore Club, and the Setai (for restaurants and nightlife). Or, you can take a leisurely 20 minute walk down Ocean Drive or the beach to the upscale SoFi (South of Fifth) area.  The location is a winner.

The staff, uniformly, was excellent – a term I don’t easily or often use to describe service! Everyone I encountered here was friendly, attentive, and helpful. Special requests were no problem. And I’m talking about everyone from the front desk to the guy handing out towels… friendly and helpful.

So we like the location and we love the staff. But what about the rooms? The amenities? This is where the proverbial one star gets knocked off. In exchange for everything mentioned – the location, service, and price – you will likely be in a very “normal” room. This is not a modern boutique hotel… The bed is very comfortable and it appears the beds and TVs are pretty new. But they are small, many with no view at all and almost none with a beach view. The bathrooms are easily the biggest shortcoming as they are small, dated, and lacking in upscale amenities (providing just standard soap, shampoo, conditioner, and lotion). The building is Art Deco in style and only 4 floors – in two nearly side by side buildings.

Outside the room, and past the nicely done lobby, we find the breakfast area serving up the almost ubiquitous hotel breakfast – scrambled eggs, bacon, french toast, waffles, cereal, fruits, bagels and toast. We did like the al fresco dining there each morning. It’s right next to the pool which shows its age. Just one row of fairly flimsy chairs on each side of a fairly small pool. Luckily you can just head straight to the beach where you can rent lounge chairs for $10 (as of this writing) and order food and drinks.

OK, so I wasn’t blown away by the room or the pool or the breakfast. But none of that really matters much when you are in the heart of SoBe – steps from the ocean and restaurants galore.

But given the price differential between it and, for example the W South Beach, along with the wonderful staff and the location, I’d happily return.

Click here to view our discount rates on the DoubleTree Surfcomber Miami Beach.

Click here for more hotel deals in Miami Beach, FL.

-DG

Austin Hilton Airport
9515 New Airport Drive
Austin, TX 78719 US

Dave Grossman, HotelMagician.com
December 2008

If you have a late flight in or an early flight of Austin, the Hilton inside Austin’s Bergstrom’s Airport is the best option going. While the rates struck me as about $30 higher than I expected, that was the last disappointment I had staying here.
The check-in was easy, Hilton Gold status was acknowleged without prompting and an upgrade was offered. The upgraded rooms only add a touch of space and a small couch, however, and all face the inner courtyard so I declined in favor of a room facing the outside so I could have the planes taking off and landing in the background (no, noise was not an issue at all).

The Austin Hilton Airport hotel is shaped in a circle which I liked, if only because I appreciate anything that makes a hotel something other than a standard-issue rectangle.  The rooms themselves were quite similar to the rooms at the downtown Hilton Austin – which was perfectly fine for an airport hotel with the slight improvement of a rain showerhead (which I love). The TVs, however, are still old style CRT,

Breakfast has both menu and buffet options. The buffet, priced at $11 as of Dec 2008, ic complimentary if you have Gold or Diamond status with Hilton and was normal hotel buffet fare – eggs, bacon, sausage, french toast and pancakes along with cereal options.

It’s important to note that while the hotel is on airport grounds, it is still about a 3 minute shuttle ride to the terminal and the shuttles run every 15 minutes – so don’t cut it as close as you could in an airport hotel actually attached to the terminal – like the Sheraton Gateway in Toronto is. So not quite as convenient, but your best option in Austin’s airport.

Free wi-fi internet access is available in the lobby area; paid access in the rooms.

I would not hesitate to rebook this hotel if I had another morning flight out of Austin – however, I would suggest this only for a night before or after a flight; it is not convenient at all to downtown despite being relatively close in distance.

- DG

Hilton Austin

500 East 4th Street
Austin, TX 78701 US

Dave Grossman, HotelMagician.com
December 2008

I chose the Hilton in Austin for its location and very reasonable rates for a full service hotel. Located just off Red River and 4th St, the Hilton is an ideal starting point for the Austin nightlife scene which centers around 6th St, just 2 blocks away to the north and extends to the Warehouse District, about a 7 block walk down 4th St.

When you enter the hotel, which is only a few years old, you’ll find a very large and open lobby that houses a coffee shop (serving Starbucks branded beverages) and offers free wi-fi access (there is a charge for use in the room). Plenty of space to lounge around and read or wait for friends.

Check-in was easy, thanks to an earlier call to warn them I’d be arriving after midnight, although I had to specifically remind the clerk that as a Hilton Gold member, I should be entitled to an upgrade. It’s always nicer when it’s automatic. Service was very friendly, however, as it normally seems to be in Austin.

Up to the room I go. Located on the 25th Floor, the Club Room I was upgraded to was perfectly fine but nothing “special”, though very modern and clean. While you hear that everything is “bigger in Texas”, that doesn’t really apply to the room sizes here. While I thought perhaps I was given a small-ish room, I confirmed with the desk staff that most are that size. Not that it was cramped, but it was little bigger than a room you’d find in New York or London – and I somehow assumed that the Hilton Austin would have larger rooms because it is a new hotel in a city with a far lower cost of building than the bigger cities like NYC.  Still, a minor complaint – not a deal breaker at all.

The bathroom was standard Hilton issue and the club floor did not appear to offer any upgraded amenities.  The room was equipped with a very nice Flat Panel TV which definitely enhanced the experience.

The Club Lounge (available to people staying on the Club Floors) was average. While it was spacious and had a free computer for internet use, the continental breakfast spread was small and uninspired.

One thing that really impresses in the Austin Hilton is the Spa and Fitness area on the 8th Floor. With a full range of spa treatments at reasonable prices and in a very modern looking facility, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this hotel to spa lovers. The included workout areas had all the standard equipment – treadmills, elliptical machines, free weights, etc. There is an outdoor pool in season.

Overall, the best things about the hotel were the location, price (rooms start at about $109), and the staff, who were always very friendly. The hotel is also 100% smoke-free (a big plus for me). Parking is either self-park or valet with self parking at $16/day and valet at $25/day as of Dec. 2008.

Some tips on things to do in Austin:

1) If you are looking for the “college bar scene”, 6th St is it. Just walk the two blocks and select a bar.  For a more mature crowd, ask your concierge for recommendations in the Warehouse District – an up and coming area day and night.

2) For outdoor recreation in warm weather, check out Zilker Park. Ask for directions and a map. It’s only about a 10 minute drive from the Hilton.

3) For BBQ, the Iron Works is highly respected and two blocks from the hotel. But for a more “Hill Country” experience, take a drive over to the Salt Lick BBQ (pictured at right) about 20 minutes from the hotel. Expect to wait as this place is something of an institution in the Austin area. But it’s worth the wait.

4) San Antonio is another great city only about an 90 minute drive from Austin. It could be done as a day trip, as I did, which gives you time for the Alamo and the Riverwalk – SA’s main attractions. You could also overnight in San Antonio. If you did, I’d suggest one of the hotels right on the Riverwalk such as the San Antonio Hyatt Riverwalk (in a more bustling part of the RW) or the newest hotel on Riverwalk, the Westin Riverwalk, which is in a bit more quiet section.

If you are a huge BBQ fan, it’s not hard to detour about 30 minutes out of the way to Lockhart, TX en route to San Antonio. Proclaimed the “BBQ Capital of Texas”, you can choose from 4 places in this tiny town, including Blacks – open since 1932. You won’t be disappointed.

Have a recommendation on what to do in Austin? Please post in the Comments below…….

- DG