DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Columbia — Hotel in Columbia

My wife and I stayed at this property for three nights (7-10 Feb 2024). I chose this hotel because it was within close proximity to BWI airport and within reasonable distance to Mt. Airy. In addition to the location, I try to reserve Hilton properties whenever I can because their hotels are typically nice and I enjoy using their app.

I accomplished the online check-in via the Hilton app and had zero issues with the digital key upon arrival - I appreciated this especially after a long traveling day, where I didn't have to accomplish the conventional check-in process at the front desk. Whenever we dropped off the bags in the room, we walked around the property to see what it looked like in person compared to the pictures I saw online. Everything looked somewhat identical to what you see online; the property looked nice and the décor was appealing.

One of the biggest standout to this property are the employees...they are very courteous, extremely friendly, and professional. I didn't get the employee's name but the gentleman working the front desk on 7 Feb 2024/~7:30 pm, was very helpful. Although I accomplished the online check-in process, he still offered information to me that I wouldn't have known from the online check-in process, so, many thanks to that employee! In addition to this gentleman, I had the distinct pleasure in confronting several other remarkable employees...especially at the 5485 Restaurant and Bar. Their names and my overall review of that restaurant can be accessed here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/xWabf45RP61AiSfX7

As far as the hotel room goes, I reserved a nonsmoking, standard king room. Here's what I thought about certain items in the room/bathroom on a scale of 1-10 (1 being the worst; 10 being the best):

ROOM SIZE: 9 (Spacious) ROOM LIGHTING: 7 (Adequate) BED FIRMNESS: 8 (Excellent) PILLOWS: 5 (Decent...could afford to be more firm) WIFI: 10 (Extraordinary) FURNITURE (OFFICE DESK/CHAIR/OTTOMAN/TV): 9 (Remarkable) WATER PRESSURE: 8 (Exceptional) TOILETRIES: 6 (Acceptable...not 100% fan of the brand, but it definitely isn't horrible either) TOWELS: 8 (Magnificent quality/cleanliness, yet concerned with the room only having 2 bath towels; I'm used to it containing 3 towels)

There were two things that really stood out about the room (some may not think this is a big deal, but I feel they're significant things): (1) The bathroom had a fan! Majority of hotel bathrooms that I've experienced don't have this option which I cannot stand because the fans help with the overall comfort and essence of the room. I'm not 100% certain that it was a bathroom fan since it was always running, but it sure felt like it when I put my hand up to it. (2) The room had a refrigerator. This may seem common to a lot of people and properties, and personally, I feel it should be common at every property, but unfortunately it's not common. If you visit a lot of the hotels in my home city of Las Vegas (Nevada), a lot of hotel rooms don't have a refrigerator which is annoying at times, especially if you're traveling with family.

A couple of things that I thought were unusual or considered less than adequate were: (1) The gym did not have a cable machine. I enjoyed that this property even had a gym on site, to include dumbbells up to 75 lbs, but I like having a cable machine because they're universal. (2) I found it odd that I couldn't use the stairwell to access the floor my room was on. The only time you can use it is to go downstairs and it just leads you outside; not inside to the hotel lobby. It seems like this was designed mainly for emergency use in the event the elevators were inoperable, which is unfortunate because I enjoy using the stairs to go up and down the floors whenever I'm at a hotel.

The room, lobby, restaurant, bar, employees, parking spaces, music choice played in the hotel, and so many other features contribute to the comfort my wife and I experienced while staying here. If I were to ever visit this area again, I am definitely staying at this property. I highly recommend this hotel...

Although I have read several positive reviews of this hotel, it is evident that individual experiences can differ significantly. Our 5-day stay prompted me to provide a detailed review, as these specific issues were immediately apparent during my visit. I don’t usually write feedback of this length but I believe it is warranted under the circumstances. Having stayed at multiple Hilton Hotels, I regret to say that I am unlikely to return to this location.||BUILDING - PROS|1. All staff members, including those at the reception desk, housekeeping, and restaurant, demonstrated a strong commitment to customer service.|2. Complimentary breakfast was provided, offering a variety of options such as made-to-order omelets, all of which were of high quality.|3. The service in the restaurant was excellent, with attentive and courteous waitstaff.|4. Warm cookies were available daily, along with complimentary packaged cookies.|5. The conference room offered ample space for meetings and events.||BUILDING - CONS|1. Hotel seems outdated. Its proximity to I-20 contributed to noticeable road noise in the mornings. |2. Rooms feature sinks located outside the bathrooms; as a result, using the sink at night may disrupt others due to bright lighting.|3. The B-side elevator lacks floor number displays, so guests must check lit buttons or look outside for room numbers. There is no A/C in the elevators, and hallway A/C units are insufficient to keep the area cool. Staff members frequently wait for available elevators to travel between floors.|4. On July 25, I reported all B-side parking lot lights were out. The front desk noted this ongoing issue but seemed unconcerned about the security risk.|5. Despite several tries until midnight, I couldn't find a luggage cart for checkout. The front desk explained that carts are often left in rooms after guests leave, and with housekeeping not done daily, they stay there until the next service.||MY ROOM - PROS|1. The A/C was really cool, although it generated some noise.|2. The shower was of high quality, offering strong water pressure and multiple spray settings. Body gel, shampoo, and conditioner were provided in wall-mounted dispensers (see photo).|3. Hot water was available on demand after approximately two minutes; while this was sufficient for shower use, it did result in greater water consumption at the sink.|4. A power-flushing toilet was definitely a plus.||MY ROOM - CONS|At check-in, we received a room key but found it occupied (the bed was unmade and personal items inside.) The receptionist quickly switched us to another room; however, although we had selected a 2nd floor room earlier, we were reassigned to the 4th floor, which was disappointing.||Several maintenance and amenity concerns were noted during our stay:||• The baggage rack was broken, but it was replaced after being reported.|• Laundry bags were not provided in the closet as is customary, so we had to ask for them from housekeeping.|• The bathroom was notably small, with less than an inch of clearance between the door and toilet.|• The entry door was heavy and difficult to open and would shake loudly when the adjacent room’s door closed.|• Closet space was limited, requiring clothes to be angled in order to close the door.|• The toilet paper holder was broken and, despite reporting it the following morning, remained unfixed during our stay.|• The microwave was positioned really low to the floor, making it necessary to kneel for use.|• Mini-fridge door shelves were too small to accommodate standard water bottles.|• An electrical outlet near the dresser was nonfunctional; this was reported but not fixed.|• Dresser drawer handles were found to be extremely dusty and sticky.|• Housekeeping did not attend the room on two promised days.|• On the final day, face towels were unavailable; housekeeping staff indicated there were no additional towels available at that time.||These matters impacted greatly on our experience and highlight areas for potential improvement in guest services...

I'm a frequent traveler and I had good expectations of this hotel, given the brand name and what I paid for the room.

Cons: This hotel is being renovated. When I arrived at my room, exhausted after 12 hours of travel, the entire floor reeked of new carpet. Overpoweringly so. My room smelled awful. The odor was so strong that it gave me a terrible headache. I called to ask about switching rooms, and the very courteous woman who answered told me that she would be glad to move me to a new room, but the whole hotel had new carpet and all the rooms smelled like this - in fact, most of them were worse because the carpet was more recently installed, according to her. The hotel was VERY short staffed the night I arrived. I'm pretty chill, but one customer was having a complete melt down in the lobby because no one was at the front desk / check in and we all stood there waiting for about 10 minutes before anyone came to help us. I asked the [very nice] man who was running the bar/restaurant if the fries were breaded [I have celiac disease, so I can't eat them if they are]. He assured me that they were not. I paid $15 for a bacon cheeseburger with no bun and fries - when I got the meal back to my room, the fries were breaded and the "bacon cheeseburger" was a nasty frozen meat patty that had been warmed up and sold as a $15 burger. I threw the whole meal in the trash. I should have complained, but I was exhausted and decided to just go to bed instead. There is no free breakfast. Not a big deal I guess, but in a hotel at this price point, free breakfast is generally standard. I went down looking for food when I got up and was told that there was a "breakfast buffet" [very low quality - same level as the "free breakfast" in many lower cost hotels] that I could have for $15!!!!! No thanks. I drank some very bad coffee [no good coffee to be had ANYWHERE in this hotel] and left for my drive home exhausted and kind of salty about the whole experience. When I woke up, my eyes were red and swollen almost shut - I'm assuming I'm having a reaction to the fumes in the room, because my eyes were fine when I went to bed. Very unpleasant. They charge for EVERYTHING - you can't even get a drink of water in this place without paying 3 dollars. EVERYTHING is an up charge - very disappointing in a hotel at this price point. Not usual.

Pros: The few staff members that were actually working in the hotel were very courteous and unfailingly nice. The bed was extremely comfortable.

I would never stay in this hotel again - I would have been better off at a Motel 6, no lie. AVOID this place - it is a ripoff and kind of...