Update— I gave this hotel five stars initially based on the experience of my initial overnight stay. However, staying at a hotel longer than a few days affords a more thorough perspective. As I aim to provide fair and honest reviews to the readers/followers at Google Maps, it is only prudent that I provide an update. So, I woke up the first morning to find some red-orange stains on my bathtub. Needless to say, as an experienced traveler I usually have a couple of sandals/flip-flops on hand for such an occassion. It is, however, unfortunate that such an experience could be had at a Hilton hotel that still charges regular rates during covid times. (I usually have my shower shoes handy if I need to stay at a 2-star hotel, yet this hotel is rated and charges at the 3-star level.) Just saying, it wouldn't be unfair to expect more. Also, the refrigerator of that room didn't work at all and I had to buy new food (there aren't many hotels that offer any services at the moment due to the pamdemic so I had to buy my own food and store it in the fridge). The room in question is 323. Not saying to avoid it, yet be alert if you do choose that room so you know what to potentially look for (which was a rookie mistake on my end to not completely review a room before I sleep in it, yet can I be blamed for being exhausted after a long day driving? 😝 ) The AC units at this hotel are unreasonably noisy and clanky, as I and others in my traveling team at the time complained about being woken up at night by the clanking upstart of the AC. It's a good tip to cool the room an hour before sleeping and then shut it off to reap the benefits of the cool room while avoiding being woken up at night (I also wore earmuffs once to bypass the noise and sleep in a cool room). Once I also had a grasshopper invite itself into my new room on the fourth floor (which can get very hot as heat rises, so try to stay lower during the hotter climates. like, not even the AC at night could cool it well at times.), so that was an interesting experience. apparently it can happen from time to time if someone leaves the backroom door open. which leads to my next point— try not to park your vehicle in the rear parking lot, as I had my vehicle broken into and others in my traveling team experienced a similar occurrence. also, the security at the hotel can be pretty lax (which I can understand due to minimal staffing due to the pandemic), as one of my teammates had someone sneak into her room and left a beer can and cigarette there. i had seen suspicious characters wandering the hallways at multiple floors, yet after a while my team and I just got used to all the issues and were on guard all the time. this is sad to say, yet I don't know i can completely blame the hotel per se since the homelessness in Bakersfield seems to be peaking around the region where the hotel is situated. for this reason I am docking two stars and giving the hotel a three star review. this is sad given that the hotel gives the impression it would provide a much more different experience if it was up and running with all its services available. blame covid. 🤣🤷🏽‍♂️ i thought about being lenient due to the lower standard other hotels are functioning at due to covid, yet other hotels have lowered their rates accordingly. for the same rates, i kind of expected the hilton garden inn to step up to the occassion and adapt like i have seen other smaller businesses do. be creative. take initiative. oh, and i was only traveling for business, as I was considered an essential worker. i definitely will give the hotel koodos for trying to maintain sanitation and social distancing standards. that really earned my respect. unfortunately, for the rates my company paid for, I think the three stars are merited. i would suggest staying in this hotel if it's only for a night or two (and would dissuade anyone from parking in the rear), yet if you have other options i would honestly encourage you take them. be safe.