The American Hotel Atlanta Downtown, Tapestry Collection by Hilton — Hotel in Atlanta

Updated Review – Parking Experience at The American Hotel Atlanta

I stayed at The American Hotel Atlanta on Wednesday, April 23rd around 5:00 p.m., and what should’ve been a relaxing check-in turned into a stressful and frustrating experience due to the parking situation—and the hotel’s response to it has only made things worse.

Upon arrival, I found four parking spaces on the side of the hotel. Two were coned off, and the remaining two were completely open with no signage, no meter, and no QR code—nothing that would suggest payment or restriction. Assuming they were city-maintained public spaces, I parked in one of them.

At check-in, the front desk staff was professional and polite. When I asked about the parking, I was told the hotel had recently returned some of the spaces to the city, and I was advised to check with valet. I did exactly that. The valet team, instead of simply offering clarification, became aggressive and confrontational, warning me in a hostile tone that I was risking my car being booted or damaged. It felt more like a threat than assistance. It was also clear they were irritated that I had parked there—they seemed determined to push me toward valet parking instead.

As a guest simply trying to check in and enjoy my stay, this was unacceptable and unsettling. I spent the night anxiously checking on my car, unable to fully relax or enjoy my time, worried it might be booted or vandalized. Fortunately, the front desk stepped in, de-escalated the situation, and later called to apologize. I was informed that the city had not yet installed meters and that, due to the confusion, I would be credited for parking—which I appreciated.

However, after leaving my honest review, I received a public response from the hotel stating:

“There is a sign at the very beginning where the parking starts that states no parking as well as the information for those who decide to park there and as a result they can be booted or towed.”

Let me be absolutely clear—this is false.

I took photos of the sign, and it does not say "no parking" anywhere. It is an orange sign that simply provides contact information in case your car is booted or towed—it does not restrict parking, nor does it explain that these are private hotel spaces. It offers no legal justification for booting or threatening guests, and to claim otherwise in a response is deeply misleading.

This feels like a clear case of hotel staff trying to control public city street parking for their own valet service, without properly leasing, marking, or maintaining the spaces. Rather than admit the signage is unclear and the response from staff was aggressive, the hotel chose to gaslight me publicly. That is deeply disappointing and not reflective of the Hilton brand I’ve respected for years.

To be treated this way—then have the hotel issue a misleading statement in return—is insulting. As a result, I will be filing a formal complaint with the City of Atlanta, including the photos I took. I will be writing to the department that handles public parking and enforcement to request an official review of the hotel’s use of those four spaces and the legality of their actions.

This situation is not just about one guest’s experience—it’s about honesty, guest safety, and accountability. Atlanta is a great city. This hotel’s actions are a poor representation of both the city and the...

Update: Despite reaching out by phone and email over the past 5 business days, nothing has been resolved. We received exactly one email from the valet service, just asking for pictures and nothing since and one email on Monday from the GM assuring us they would be in contact. Radio silence from both the hotel and the valet service since . The car has received over 8 hours of detailing work and the residue is still there. It’s some sort of chemical that has etched itself into the glass. Am I surprised though? No. We’re out of town guests. They don’t care about our car or the fact that it was damaged in their possession. Don’t stay here. Original review: Overall, the stay for the hotel itself was good. The room was clean, the staff friendly and the location was perfect for what we needed. Yes, someone tried to sell us weed outside the hotel but it’s 2025 and to be expected. However, the valet parking situation has been absolutely awful. I chose this hotel specifically because it had secure valet parking for my vehicle. I knew the price upfront and was aware that was the cost. However, after parking it for 2 days, where we didn’t use our car at all, we got it back with what we thought was water all over it. No big deal, it was 7 am and we thought something dripped. Boy were we wrong. The car is covered in some sort of substance that does not come off in a normal car wash. We went through 2 different car washes on our drive home with no success to remove the substance from the windshield, top of the car and driver side. We even stopped at a do it yourself place and scrubbed it with soap, sponges and used the high powered pressure washer. The substance was still there. The absolute worst part? Trying to get someone on the phone to discuss the issue. We called the first time and we were told that the supervisor for valet wasn’t in yet and to call back in 20 minutes. We called back and were told that the managers were in meetings, took our information and message. We didn’t hear back. 5 hours later, we called Hilton Corporate and even they were unable to reach the manager. When we demanded to speak to someone, Hilton corporate guest services just transferred us back to the front desk of the hotel. Once again, we were put on hold and finally spoke to Eric. He explained that valet is a contracted service and the supervisor had called in sick. He took our information and promised to pass it on, but I am not hopeful to get any sort of resolution. I should not be paying over $100 in parking fees to have a car given back with cosmetic damage to it. Honestly though, we’re not sure if it’s truly a valet issue. The car wasn’t damaged from being driven, but damaged by being parked in a leaky garage with some disgusting liquid dripping all over our car. We just got back to Florida and my husband is outside trying his best to get it off the paint before it sits too long and causes long term damage. I am extremely frustrated and annoyed at the lack of communication and support with our problem from both the hotel and the Hilton brand. I would never stay here again and I wouldn’t recommend you to if you are planning to use the valet service. The pictures do not do it justice for how bad it...

I recently had the disappointing experience of staying at The American Hotel Atlanta Downtown, and I must say that it was an incredibly disappointing stay. I give it a rating of 2 out of 10 for various reasons:

Lack of Room Service: Throughout my entire four-day stay, the hotel failed to provide any room services, including cleaning. It was incredibly frustrating to return to an uncleaned room every day. Despite repeatedly requesting room cleaning at the reception and calling the front desk multiple times, no action was taken. We were left with no choice but to clean the room ourselves, which is completely unacceptable for a hotel of this caliber.

No Parking Facility: The hotel does not have its own parking, and guests are forced to pay an additional $30 per day for parking. To make matters worse, the staff at the loading area were unhelpful and showed no interest in assisting us with parking or providing information on the best options available. This lack of assistance and guidance added unnecessary stress to our stay.

Unclean Rooms: The cleanliness of the rooms was far from satisfactory. It was evident that the housekeeping staff had not put in the necessary effort to ensure a clean and comfortable environment for guests. Stains on the carpet, dust on surfaces, and an overall lack of attention to detail were prevalent. It was disappointing to find such subpar cleanliness standards.

Iron in Poor Condition: In addition to the cleanliness issues, the iron provided in the room was in a poor condition. It was old, worn-out, and barely functional. This further highlights the hotel's lack of attention to maintaining basic amenities for their guests.

Unsafe Surroundings: The hotel's location was concerning, as the surrounding area felt like a ghost town with questionable characters around. It did not provide a sense of safety or comfort for guests, which is essential for any hotel.

Lack of Luggage Carts: Adding to the list of disappointments, the hotel did not provide luggage carts, making it inconvenient for guests to transport their belongings to their rooms. This lack of basic services further contributed to the overall negative experience.

In conclusion, my stay at The American Hotel Atlanta Downtown was extremely disappointing. The lack of room services, absence of parking, unclean rooms, poor iron condition, unsafe surroundings, and the absence of luggage carts created a deeply unsatisfactory experience. I cannot recommend this hotel, and I urge others to consider alternative options when...