A Letter to Hilton

I just returned from a one night stat at the Hilton San Jose (Mar 6-7). This had to be one of the worst hilton experiences I have had. I am current a Starwood Gold member and try to stay at Starwood properties whenever possible because they know how to treat me as a business traveler. This time, the Hilton San Jose was the only hotel in the area with available space at a reasonable rate, so I booked a night there. The reservation was for a non-smoking room selected at checkin.

When I checked the night before on the Hhonors website, it said non-smoking confirmed, room selected at checking. Thinking everything was ok, I proceeded to the hotel. When went to check in, the desk clerk said there were no non-smoking rooms available - so much for non-smoking confirmed. This was not ok with me as I am very sensitive to the smell. I was given lounge access for the trouble, but there was nothing else they could do. I decided to try it.

I get to my room, and it is filthy. It is not what I would expect out of a hilton room, and is far below what Starwood provides. The room appears as if it has not been renovated in 20+ years. The bathroom is clearly dated, but the worst part is black stained grout in the shower, stains on the bathroom floor, and a toilet that occassionally ran. During the night, I noticed that the walls were paper thin. I could hear what was happening in the rooms next to me. In the morning I was woken up by their showers as I could hear all of that through the walls. The noise extended outside as well as my room overlooked a light rail station. I was kept awake at night by the constant clanging of bells every time a train entered the station.

All of that, while clearly annoying, can be overlooked for one night. However, in the morning when I got up to take a shower, I found that there was no hot water in the shower. I took a very quick cold shower in the morning which is completely unacceptable. Hot water is one of those absolute necessities whereever you go.

I don't know what you can do to compensate for my troubles, but something needs to happen if I am ever going to consider hilton again. I will be returning to the San Jose area twice in April, and have already reserved a Sheraton property for those stays even though it is farther away and more expensive than the hilton. At this point, unless something changes, I would consider staying at a Starwood property 30 miles away rather than a convenient hilton property.