DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Bristol, Connecticut — Hotel in Bristol

2 suites had a "kitchenette" - no microwave or freezer. Refrigerators lukewarm.

Water pressure so low it was a struggle to rinse the toothpaste off of a toothbrush, nevermind rinsing bodies/hair.

Housekeeping doesn't come by due to COVID, you have to request it. Understandable, we call the front desk, requested for both suites. Never showed. By the time we checked out, every garbage can was overflowing and there was a pile of towels in each bathroom.

After wedding 10/10/20, we go to patio to enjoy firepit advertised. Doesn't exist. Fine, we hang out and enjoy the beautiful weather and spend more time with our bride and groom and friends. We order drinks and food.

Food arrives, waitress tells us patio is closing, we can't walk into/out of hotel via the interior walkway that leads to the front desk and rooms, we must exit patio and walk around the building through the parking lot and in through the front door. Weird, as we are all guests of the hotel and should not have to do that. Guests then come out through that door just after she tells us this, and she comes screaming out of the kitchen yelling "THE PATIO IS CLOSED! YOU CANNOT USE THESE DOORS, AND EVERY TIME THAT YOU DO, SECURITY CALLS US AND MY SUPERVISOR IS UPSET!" We are all startled that she's screaming at people and turn around to see - sure enough - her Karen-faced manager standing there glaring at all of us. Literally a minute after this, two "regulars" that the staff and supervisor had been very cozy with - not guests of the hotel - casually walk right back through the doors that we were screamed at for using and exit the exact way that we were all just scolded about avoiding. Apparently, "rules" don't apply to local regulars, and Karen had no issue with them using the interior walkway to leave the hotel.

Food comes out, waitress informs us "two cooks got into a fistfight" in the kitchen and the breaking glass noises that we heard were due to this. Classy. Nice staff. Sounds like Supervisor Karen may have bigger issues to worry about than what door people use. Also, do I want to eat the food that was just made in a kitchen where people are having UFC bouts? Is there blood in my food? Glass? Who knows.

Another guest comes through The Forbidden Doors. Is again screamed at. Guest is approached by the waitress and loudly (and I am sure, embarrassingly) told that he must produce a receipt for the Bud Light bottle that he is carrying. The one that he just carried out of the restaurant and into the patio area of said restaurant. That one. Guest understandably befuddled. Waitress loudly informs him security is watching and can see that he carried a Bud Light out onto patio and Supervisor Karen would like to see a receipt. We all become concerned as we, too, have drinks from said restaurant and do not have receipts. Will the Doubletree Polizia come for us, too?? Waitress then also says, "MY SUPERVISOR SMELLS WEED AND IS VERY UPSET". We aren't smoking anything, and not sure why no one has trained Supervisor Karen to address issues like this in a professional manner rather than sending her screaming waitress out to embarrass the bejesus out of paying hotel guests.

We decide it's time to get the hell out of this nightmare, and like good little boys and girls, walk out of the patio and make the long trek in the dark around the building in through the front door, as if we didn't spend $1200 for a two-night stay here.

Next morning, we are awoken bright and early by SCREAMING children and adults in our hallway. We stroll to elevators to see what could explain that at 8 am on a Sunday...there appears to be a child's birthday party in a suite down the hall. Uh, ok. Security is right on that, I’m sure - or maybe they’re napping after we wore them out with all of our door shenanigans.

We start to pack to escape this place, then find out that overnight, 22 cars in the lot were broken into. Hilton takes no responsibility. Great security!...

DoubleTree by Hilton, Bristol CT issues.

Called 14 months in advance to block 10 rooms for my 2023 wedding guests, however it was advised that it will need to be “1 year out” and was emailed some information.

Called 1 year from when guests will be arriving and was advised to call 51 weeks from when guests are arriving and was sent the SAME email again on the same information.

Called the week of when guests were arriving (approximately 51 weeks), Crystal said rooms are not available at this time but that she has a follow up to reach out to me when they are ready, which I finally understood that she did not have control over.

The three times I called, it was short, abrupt and quite honestly rude. I understand email can be easier, however even the emails were inconsistent.

Received the email of the cost per night, however there was an error, so it was resent, then I noticed some information was missing (which I corrected), so she corrected the email and resent for a third time.

Crystal had also called me by my last name, which is wild because her and I have the same name and that I find it extremely unprofessional.

When the contract arrived to my email, the dates were all wrong and the number of rooms were 3 for every night except for the night after the wedding. It was never discussed how many rooms I needed per night leading up to the wedding. Not entirely sure why she put 3 rooms for the night before the wedding (Friday) when I had sent an email stating my bridesmaids and I will be getting ready prior to the wedding (which wedding starts at 3pm on Saturday). Within the contract it says, “Check-in is at 4pm and if you plan on checking in earlier, it is advised to check-in the night before.” Clearly there was a misstep. I was never asked how many rooms were needed other than the 10 that she only put for after the wedding. 80% of my family and friends are traveling from out of state and will need a room prior to the actual day of the wedding, but again, that was never asked and maybe it was my fault for not clarifying I needed 10 rooms for the entire duration of the stay. But again, I was never asked and never specified within the back and forth emails how many rooms other than 10. I only received an email saying “Please see the attached, I will need this signed and returned.” Again, abrupt and rude.

Also, the rate she provided per night was $249.00 plus tax, however the contract stated $229.00, which I was not upset about, however the inconsistency was what was frustrating.

If I have to screenshot the contract and correct 15 things, why even bother sending it? The communication was horrific and I absolutely do not have time to fix mistakes.

For these reasons, DoubleTree by Hilton in Bristol will not be getting 10+ rooms booked.

If you are a bride and you are reading this, DO NOT book The DoubleTree. What should have been the EASIEST thing to do on the Wedding “To Do” list, ended up being one of the most frustrating. I will also be contacting Wood Acres Farm to update their Hotel referral list and remove DoubleTree by Hilton moving...

This is our go-to hotel when visiting Central CT family. The hotel is nicer than what one might otherwise expect to find in the vicinity. The fact that this DoubleTree is just down the road from a huge ESPN complex seems to be the cause of this, as well as the reason why although I hear it's very busy Monday-Thursday, I have never found it busy on a weekend--and even holidays.

Pro tip: reserve via the Hilton app. It's so worth it and the prices are better than on any discount sites. Compare the Hilton app to Hotels dot com and you'll see (in fairness, I think this is now generally true of most Hilton properties).

If you are a Hilton Honors Gold+ tier member, this hotel is fantastic for upgrades. There always seems to be availability on the weekends and the suites are all in a private tower.

The double queen rooms are not very spacious, but not smaller than at most hotels. They have the same decor as the suites; they're just smaller.

The suites are very comfortable. The bathrooms in the king suite are huge. I've stayed at much more expensive or more upscale hotels whose sizable bathrooms are considerably smaller. I was quite surprised the first time I saw them.

Pro tip: for some reason the front desk seems disinclined to give the HHonors upgrade. You may have to ask for it pretty insistently.

On a recent visit, I was told no upgrades were available. I went up to my room and decided I wanted more space and was willing to pay for it. I checked the Hilton app and could see plenty of larger rooms available. Upon returning to the front desk, prepared to pay for the upgrade, only then did staff realize an upgraded room was available after all.

The breakfast at their restaurant The Willows is very decent. The full service menu items I've had are fresh and tasty. The continental buffet has decent options. The "full" buffet has tons of fresh berries and melon, and the hot items are rotated and replenished with frequency.

The sports bar has a variety of comfortable seating options and serves until well past midnight. Service is very good. Food is what you might expect. I like the boneless wings. There's a small but decent selection of beers on tap.

The pool on the weekend is clean, warm, and deserted. Enjoy! Get pool towels from the front desk.

Finally, what's that really weird building across the street from the hotel? It is in fact an elevator testing tower. Really. Kind of...