Hilton Garden Inn Albany/SUNY Area — Hotel in City of Albany

Check in was pleasant and the staff was welcoming. The entrance is really nice and bright with cafe/restaurant seating on the right and casual or group seating on the left. Two huge fireplaces make for great photo ops. The decor is tasteful and well thought out. The staff wasn’t masked but some guests chose to be. They had hand sanitizers throughout the hotel. We booked two rooms and they were clean and but our bathroom had an off smell, especially around the toilet and bath tub. My husband thought it was just my sensitive nose but when I went into the second room the bathroom smelled clean. I went down to front desk and all they could do was offer me a complimentary trial bottle of Lysol. It helped but I would have preferred house keeping come thoroughly clean the bathroom. The beds were squeaky and made noise every time we sat on them but they weren’t uncomfortable. Although they had had a mattress pad and topper an encasement would have made me feel better. The dining options for dinner and breakfast were great. We really enjoyed the breakfast though. Eggs and pancakes are made to order and there were an assortment of fruit and bread options at the self-serve station. The fitness center is 24 hrs and the indoor pool is open from 5AM until about 11. It’s too small for laps but my boys got some use out it. The hot tub is a nice plus. They have several business rooms for any size gathering that can be arranged to suite your needs. Other than the bathroom the only con was that they charged my cc a full week in advance of my stay and their cancellation fee is equivalent to one night’s booking. Definitely not ok. One other thing, shout out to the gentleman that saved my son’s retainers. He had them balled up in a napkin during breakfast and didn’t remember until we were back in our rooms. The guy saw them, realized what they were and knew someone would come down looking for them. Not all...

Lots of things about the hotel were good but I subtracted two stars for the several problems I encountered. I think they are fixable so I will describe them here: WiFi didn't work for my computer or phone. Was only able to connect to internet through ethernet cable in room. When I checked into my room in the mid-evening there was a hotel employee in it measuring stuff. No coordination here between staff. Downgraded from King to queen bed. Shower water was either so hot it hurt and made my skin red or so uncomfortably cold I would have to switch to hot for a few seconds. Breakfast is staffed by 5 people (!) but uncoordinated. Nobody checked my name and room # when I sat down and placed order. The person whose job this was, was just making small talk with the other staff. To save money they make you order hot items in small portions from a counter. I don't like this way because I don't want to have so many interactions at a hotel breakfast, when I am not really awake yet. After you order they give you a number to put on your table but the plate runner doesn't check them and just goes to every other table one by one and asks if that is the food they ordered. Once I got my plate the egg whites tasted faintly like vinegar. Weird but maybe they poach the eggs in vinegar water, whatever. More problematic, the breakfast potatoes tasted more strongly like moldy bread. Only once I was eating the food, mid-mouthful suddenly it became an urgent issue for me to confirm name and room # details 3 separate times with zero consideration for me as a breakfast customer. Once my hot plate was cleared and I was just drinking coffee then the plate runner kept checking with me if other people's meals were mine instead of just looking at my table number. On the plus side the coffee and fresh milk is really good but you don't need to buy the breakfast...

APRIL 2024. This hotel needs both basic maintenance and attention. It's really disappointing to call this a Hyatt. We had much higher expectations. The pool area is closed and under construction. The "bar" that is advertised is hardly a bar. It's a counter to the side of an open room. Oh, and it IS CLOSED ON THE WEEKENDS. Seriously? Dishonest advertising. The rooms need some care to bring them to a level we expected. Basic maintenance is missing. The "business center" - again as advertised - is in a hallway leading to the elevators. Do not expect any privacy or ability to concentrate. That said, of the two available computers - both WERE FATALLY FROZEN, and the front desk could not fix them, even with hard reboots. Another advertised service lacking. The noise from I-90, directly behind the hotel, is 24/7. Hard to sleep with the old windows lacking any insulating factor. Restaurant, as advertised? Nada. There is a partial breakfast ala carte service that if you want an omelet, they can help make that happen. But if you are looking for a legitimate restaurant for your family - nope. Take an Uber. The shower loses water pressure when, assumably, someone outside your own room flushes the toilet. Really? This motel is nothing more than a roadside motel. The service was friendly. So, if you are coming just for that, you should be ok. Otherwise, I'd avoid this place like the plague. With the misguided advertising, we should get our money back. Better spent...