DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel San Francisco Airport — Hotel in Burlingame

I had upgraded the room on my own accord prior to our arrival to ensure the Parlor suite was available, but despite Being a Gold member, we were not even offered the option of an upgrade nor told that one was not available, a typical part of the welcoming process. At the time, this was not a big issue but this lack of detail became noticeable throughout our interaction with the staff. We arrived on March 7 at 12:30pm and were well aware that check-in was at 3pm. The front indicated that the prior guests had just checked out at 12pm and understood that we would have to wait. We said that we could wait until 3pm and it was not an issue. The front did call the housekeeper for an update/estimate of cleaning time completion. Also, there was no bell-hop area available and did not feel comfortable (or safe) leaving our luggage in the open area of the entrance. Luckily we had a group of friends that were already checked-in and proceeded to put our luggage in their room. As we were unloading our car, we then received a text stating that our room was ready (30 minutes later). This was a yellow flag since the front stated the prior guests had just checked out at 12pm, and at 1pm the room was ready. Not sure if the room was really cleaned to the standard that the hotel upholds. While still at the front, my husband had accidentally hit my face when he was motioning about parking. He did not notice I came back from the car and was next to him. The front had laughed at the incident that just occurred rather than ask if I was okay. This was a disregard for professionalism. I was visibly hurt by the incident and upset, and since it happened right in front of the staff, there should have been more professionalism evoked from the staff.

Once we arrived at our room, we were disappointed with how dated the room was. The room we booked was the Parlor Suite on the third floor. We understand that renovations were occurring (evident from the loud construction sounds in the early mornings). The room was okay for our needs and seemed to be clean. However, we had issues with the bedroom toilet that constantly made noises throughout the day and the night. The noise was so loud we had to leave the door closed so that the noise would not disrupt our sleep. The toilet also required the flush handle to be held down for 15 seconds in order to ensure everything went down properly. Fortunately we did not need to be in the room much or else all of these issues would have driven us nuts. One of our other friends also checked-in and the staff had given him a room with a broken window. As in, the window GLASS was not present at all. There was a hole in the place of the window glass. I surely do not know how the hell this was not addressed with the staff or even seen by housekeeping. Let alone give this room to any guest. He did mention the issue to the staff and was given another room, but there was no apology or any indication that the broken window would be addressed. Lastly, we did not receive our food and beverage credit. We had selected this option upon booking. When we went to address this issue with the front staff, they insisted that we did not have that credit "per their system." Even though it was clearly visible on our booking information on the Hilton app. Our friends had the same issue and other guests as well from what we were hearing. Sounds to me that the system end of the front staff was incorrect.We are Gold members of Hilton and this was one of our worst stays especially for our wedding. We were never given our bottled waters (something simple and minute) though we were promised. We are not people who leave negative reviews and are very tolerant, patient, and understanding of the impact of COVID and short-staffing. However, this stay was truly disappointing and I honestly think that the quality of this hotel needs to be reviewed by corporate especially for professionalism...

Subject: Extremely Disappointing Experience at DoubleTree – Diamond Elite Members||To Whom It May Concern,||On 6/1, my husband and I checked into the DoubleTree and were immediately impressed. We were warmly greeted by two young men at the front desk who truly went above and beyond — offering some of the best customer service we’ve ever experienced. Their professionalism and attentiveness set a high standard for our stay.||However, what followed on 6/2 turned an otherwise pleasant visit into a completely unnecessary ordeal.||That morning, we experienced a family emergency. At 7:57 AM, I had to leave the hotel abruptly with my baby. I quickly checked my room key before heading out — it worked. But once I got into the car and attempted to exit the property, the barrier wouldn’t open.||I used the intercom to call for assistance, explaining I was in the middle of an emergency and urgently needed to leave. I provided my room number and other requested details — yet the process dragged on, with unnecessary questioning instead of immediate help. Despite clearly explaining the urgency of the situation, I was left stuck, pleading to be let out.||After resolving the emergency, I returned to the hotel — only to find my key would no longer open the gate. Once again, I called for help and was told to take a ticket and walk to the front desk, which was extremely inconvenient as I was still managing my baby and emotionally drained from the situation.||At the front desk, I was met by two women with zero warmth or professionalism. There was no greeting, no empathy — just cold stares and robotic questioning. I explained the issue clearly: my room key works for the room but not the gate. Instead of assistance, I was told I wasn’t on the reservation, which was both confusing and insulting, as I am always listed.||They insisted on speaking with my husband. While he was at work, I had to call him, visibly distressed and overwhelmed — and he was rightfully furious. As Diamond Elite members, the treatment we received was unacceptable.||To make matters worse, the receptionist named Jackie handled the situation with blatant unprofessionalism and disregard. Her tone, demeanor, and attitude only added to the frustration and left us deeply disappointed in the service we received — especially when contrasted with the excellent welcome we had the day prior.||We have never experienced such a sharp contrast in service — from five-star hospitality to cold, dismissive, and even obstructive behavior. My husband, Dennis Guerra, will also be filing a formal complaint regarding this incident.||This situation was not only deeply inconvenient but entirely avoidable. I had all the proof necessary — a working room key, ID, reservation details — and was still subjected to a level of scrutiny that felt both disrespectful and unnecessary, particularly under the circumstances.||We hope DoubleTree takes this seriously and ensures this kind of experience is never repeated — for us or any other loyal guests.||Sincerely,|Dennis Guerra|Diamond...

Isolated location if you’re without a rental vehicle. This Doubletree’s descriptions all state they provide shuttle to “the nearest BART station,” which is Millbrae. That is not true, the shuttle takes you to SFO Airport. The difference is the Millbrae BART station is colocated with a CalTrain station. So you can get directly on CalTrain, without transferring. From the airport you have to take the Airport tram to BART to CalTrain. Probably an hour wasted and confusing for those not familiar with the various systems. Especially taking the red BART to the red CalTrain. Also the Millbrae BART station is adjacent to retail areas with numerous restaurant choices. At the hotel you are stuck with their menu and price point. |On our initial 1 night stay, we were so disappointed by this deception that we attempted to cancel our separate reservation for the next week. We were told it was not cancelable due to the rate I chose. So we changed our 2 day vehicle rental to 3 days to salvage the vacation portion of our trip. That made all the difference! We explored San Francisco on day 1, went to Muir Woods and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Buehler Estate on day 2, and drove Half Moon Bay to Big Sur on day 3. |The Doubletree bartenders were great. We got drinks on two nights. |Other room issues were the room was stocked with only one washcloth. I requested a second washcloth at the front desk twice. Was never delivered. Finally got one on our departure morning directly from the custodian in the hall. |When I requested a parking pass on Monday morning I clearly stated it was for two nights. Midday Wednesday I texted to remind them that the pass should be canceled. They replied that I needed to return the pass to the front desk to stop the charges. When my husband dropped me off at about 5:45 PM I immediately went to the desk and tried to return the pass. The clerk argued with me that I didn’t need to return it. I said I had literally been texting the hotel and received the response that I had to return it to not be charged for Wednesday night. The clerk said “we didn’t charge you for Wednesday, we only charged 3 nights.” I said it should be two nights, Monday and Tuesday. She then started to argue with me about how many nights Monday plus Tuesday was!! I asked “we received the pass Monday about 6 PM, I’m returning it Wednesday before 6 PM, That is less than 2 24-hour…” at which point she said she would remove the third night’s charge and have a washcloth delivered. We checked our bill before leaving and the third night parking charge was not removed. The AM Clerk removed it no problem. |There is a $15 pantry charge that the AM Clerk could not explain. When we questioned it, she said “I’m emailing it to you and giving you a printout.” We both assumed she meant verification of the charge, but it was our final bill. I will follow up, as neither of us got anything from their honor...