Hilton Garden Inn Columbia/Northeast — Hotel in Blythewood

Let me try and condense the overall very positive experiences. There were many in my short two days as a guest. And they started from a problem when I first arrived to check in. The problem was no fault of Hilton, nor of mine. It was one of those rare, "never seen anything like this" situation. Rather than get upset, Dan (the night front desk manager) and I simply teamed up to figure out how to resolve this issue preventing me from just getting my key and settling in after a long long drive. It took much longer than any hiccup I had ever experienced over my 50 years of travel and morel stays. But what great commitment to making certain it was handled without costing me to have funds pulled out of my account unnecessarily twice. But in addition, what commitment to the company. Ok, that was one...I promise, I will shorten each one from here on. The next morning, I went to meet the new Hilton front desk group to explain what had occurred the night before. Dan and I both agreed explaining any other way would have been in vain. Right away I had such a wonderful welcoming introduction to the two ladies behind the counter. I explained the unexplainable issue from the previous evening. Grace, the young, very professional and friendly manger allowed me to share with her our odd happenings. Then she preceded to make certain I was not going to be out any extra charges that would require days before a credit would return them to my available balance. Then she reassured me that she would follow up just to be proactive in case some strange something should try and reoccur. I had no idea that follow up was something I would experience often in my short little stay. So, after addressing the check in issue, I now moved on to the request for a different room due to a few little issues (the biggest thing was I needed a room with hot hot tub water. My tubs facet my needed tightening to adjust and stay on the hot hot setting. Grace once again, immediately went into action. Coordinated with housekeeping to minimize any possible added delays, kept me updated, offered help move my belongings.... Later, without asking, she provided me a printed itemized receipt with hand written small simple details so I could make certain I was not debted with any wrong amounts (all still from the odd technical glitch on the merchant services end. In addition, she made certain that I felt compensated fairly for the inconveniences of check in issue through the few small things that motivated my room change request. From that point on, Grace continued providing one of the most pleasant professional experiences of my lifetime (believe me that's saying a lot! I expect professional respectful service but do any of us dare to expect continuous gestures over just the polite basics). Grace even came by my room after my mother arrived, just to welcome her and to make her feeI special. And that was absolutely precious! After all, I was only in town for a quick unexpected visit from 500 miles away with the sole purpose of making my 89 year old mom feel special! I could keep on and on...and I will, but only for a few more quick statements about the other wonderful people serving so professionally and friendly. I asked for a glass for mom. The young girl provide a full size glass full of ice, along with filling my ice bucket. Later, after asking for referral and possible menu to a local Chinese restaurant with take out, I was given a menu to offer my mother to keep. Then when I returned with the food, I was able to quickly have a beautiful young lady provide me dinner plates from the hotel restaurant and provided me the silverware all freshly wrapped by a thick heavy...

Never again. I booked rooms for two nights because the HVAC system in my home has to be repaired or replaced. Normally, I'm a homebody but because I have MS, it's necessary for me to stay cool. When I'm too hot or too cold, my body has a mind of its own and things can appear a tad weird. In the past, I heard bad things about this particular hotel but still chose to stay because it's close enough to my home. The first night went well. I'm low maintenance and my family doesn't require much. At checkout, as I exited the building, I said to myself that I had an excellent stay. So, when I found out that I needed to stay an extra night, I was fine with returning. The second visit started out wrong. That morning, I returned to my house, gathered some more items, and unexpectedly had to wait around for a second repairman. So, I immediately started to overheat and tbh I couldn't even think straight. I made a reservation and as soon as the guy left, we headed back to the hotel. Janelle, from the previous night, was at the front desk; however, a "gentleman" checked me in. From the beginning, his tone was negative and it didn't help that I mistakenly created two reservations because I was unable to find the one I made at home. The guy sounded as though he had an attitude but did remove one of the rooms. Afterwards, he advised me(with an attitude) not to do it again because the next time he'll charge me. We went to our room and once I settle down, I had to make a third reservation for the next night BUT carelessly forgot the date and booked anthr room on the same night. I quickly called Hilton and told them abt my mistake but they were unable to change the date and told me to ask the front desk. I walked to the counter and the guy strolled around a corner and disappeared. After explaining my mistake to Janelle, she tells me that he saw the reservation come through, and locked it so that no changes could be made. I sucked it up and paid for the other room. There was no need to ask him because when he saw me, he knew my reason for coming back, and walked away because he clearly want going to give me what I needed. Yes, I made the same mistake twice but you nvr know what another person is going through and not all disabilities can be seen. Research MS and learn to be a little more patient with guests. He is the general manager of that hotel and I didn't expect to be treated so poorly in place that I was paying to stay. Aside from his behavior, something bit me on my wrist as I slept, the toilet handle in our room was malfunctioning, and the faucet handle fell off when I turned on the water. If you feel the need to make a guest feel unwanted, at the very least, make sure your hotel is top tier! Hilton should do better.

Update:

Regardless of the issues that should've been addressed prior to our arrival because the cleaners had to be aware of at least the bathroom problems, I didn't feel comfortable speaking to anyone about my complaints and only wanted the night to go by as fast as possible.

So, please understand that my review isn't because I need to be compensated. No, the room wasn't to my standards and I can bet other's would agree. It just has to be known that the general manager needs an attitude adjustment. I was spoken to in an unkind tone and he was wrong.

And, since it was brought up that I used the Family and Friends discount. Ok, and??? That didn't make the rooms free and each night was still nearly $100. So, that totaled almost $400.

BUT, no worries Hilton Garden Inn Northeast. I...

This place served us very well! We walked in around 9:30 pm to check-in and the staff was in the middle of a celebration. They had just finished going through a remodel process, which I can assume wasn’t easy, and they had just had their GRAND RE-OPENING earlier that day. With over 24 years of working in multi-family and commercial real estate, I know what the renovation process is like. Even with all that going on, someone was right behind us on our way to the desk to check us on. She was cheerful and welcoming. The lobby appeared to be very nice, the corridors were wide and looked beautiful! Our room was a king room and was plenty big. King bed with floating night tables on both sides. There were multiple outlets and USB / USB-C ports at each bedside table. A long “desk” area with an ergonomic chair and a comfy arm chair as well. HUGE Samsung TV that must have been UHD 4K. Plenty of storage space with a large closet and storage under the tv as well. Didn’t use the mini fridge or microwave. The bed was firm without being a concrete slab and that was to my liking…not so much to my wife’s. I slept great! AC worked very well and wasn’t obnoxiously loud at all. GREAT shower that had a high-end look with a fancy style drain bar thingy. Water pressure was sufficient and the shower head had multiple settings and was removable, on a hose which I love. Good sized bathroom. We didn’t eat here. So, I can’t speak to the food. Overall, this was a GREAT pick for our stay in this area. It felt like a safe location and certainly did not feel like it was in a sketchy area at all (as many hotels can seem to be). If you’re visiting Columbia, SC I’d say it’s worth staying here even though it’s not in the heart of Columbia. Glad I drove a little bit for this hotel.|DO NOT JUDGE BY THE PICTURES HERE! Because they just remodeled, the pics do not depict the beautiful current styles of the rooms, lobby and corridors. Trust me, from years of hotels for travel hockey…this is...