Hilton Garden Inn Columbia/Harbison — Hotel in Columbia

Hotel is nice and clean. It’s in Columbia, location NOT ideal (in my opinion) not a very safe city, but hotel is in its own complex with other hotels. Seems like a safe part of town. You have to go thru lobby to get to rooms, no worries about people coming to your door throughout the night. Check-in was easy, but “pet-friendly” = $75.00 Non-refundable fee, & $25 room deposit fee? After everything was charged it was $218 when otp and online clearly stated $104/night. Since already booked, couldn’t get our full amount back to go elsewhere. $104 & $218 is a HUGE difference. They said we could get all of it back but the $75 “pet fee” & the $25 “booking fee”, decided to just stay instead of letting them keep $100 for just trying to book a room. (NOTE: this was before we had got our room key or even the room #) $25 booking fee understandable, but the $75 “pet fee” we hadn’t been in the room yet was ridiculous! Once we were at the hotel & checked in I asked where the indoor pool was. After that long stressful nightmare we just wanted to swim & relax. Went straight to our room (5th floor # 520) changed into our swimsuits, & headed to the pool 10 min after putting our luggage in the room. At the pool 8-10 min & in that time a house-keeper came in to clean pool area, I realized rather quickly he wasn’t actually cleaning. Just moving chairs, & moving back into same spot. All while otp with someone. 100% sus. I got an off vibe, think he was trying to see if we had our valuables @ pool with us, when he realized that we didn’t have our money with us he met another housekeeper (matching uniforms) in the hallway outside the pool I could see them talking outside the glass, couldn’t hear them. Then 2nd guy walked away & 1st guy came back into the pool area & just started conversation with us, even tho he had ignored us the whole time in pool area b4, just to keep us talking. Took a min to realize why. Hurried up to the room & 2nd guy was trying to get in our room. When we confronted him he said he was “checking the phone”. They were 100% working together to rob us. Luckily they weren’t expecting the dog in our room. I think his intimidating bark & growling was the only reason he hadn’t already went in and took all our stuff. We’d only been checked in 30min max & they were working together to try & steal from us. Even though we were promised that no one would enter our room if we put do not disturb and pet in room hangers on the door knob. Our pups intimidating bark is the ONLY reason he hadn’t went in the room yet. On top of all this when I went to walk my pup around 1130pm there was a car parked right behind mine that 2 men had the hood popped on looking like they were working on it, but as I got closer they were shining flashlights into the windows(the tint is very dark) so I had to move the car directly in front on the lobby and ask the guy at the desk (Byron) to keep an eye on it. The only positive experience I have is the room was very clean and comfortable, the bathroom as well, and Byron went above and beyond to make us feel confident that he would watch our car all night to be sure nobody tried to break into it (AGAIN). Idk if the 2men in parking lot were house-keepers as well, but they were way to sus not to be connected. All in all Bryon is the only one that made me feel comfortable. So if you don’t plan on leaving your room at all during your stay then I highly recommend this hotel, based on cleanliness, (just park your car as close to the lobby entrance as possible). I think we were targeted because of our out of state tags. The next morning at 7AM card I used to book room was charged another $118, I stopped at the front desk the lady, Byron was already gone, said “that’s just how our system works, it will be refunded once the room is cleaned & available for other guests”. UPDATE This was 15+ hours ago & extra $118 charge is still on my account. Giving 72hrs just for time to process, but if not returned I will be filing a dispute with the bank to...

UPDATED UPDATE: After talking further with the GM, he did refund my stay. So I'm updating this from 1/5 stars to 3/5 stars.

UPDATE: The general manager reached out and said " I am sorry you found Caroline to be rude during your interaction" as if it was just my perception when it was reality. He also said "she said she would check you out and not charge you the late cancellation fee if that is what you would have preferred." Again, such a joke. That was not what happened. I cannot believe that this hotel refuses to take responsibility for their staff's actions. I wish I could update this review to 0/5 stars.

TL;DR at the bottom.

What an absolute joke of a hotel. Staff were awful! We checked in and the lady (Caroline was her name I believe) at the front desk was so rude. First, she tells us that our room that we selected was changed (what's the point in "picking" a room if it can be changed??). I tried to be optimistic though. My fiancé said "Well at least we have a hot tub to look forward to." She rudely stated that the hotel hadn't had a hot tub in years. Frustrated, I asked why there were pictures online with the hot tub then, as it was pretty much the only reason we booked this specific hotel. She said those were customer photos and that we needed to call the 3rd party site to have those removed. (Why in the world would I, a customer, call the 3rd party site to have them update the hotel's photos?? Seems to me like that should have been the hotel's responsibility). I tried being polite and said "That's okay" but I was obviously disappointed. As my fiancé and I were walking to the elevator, I told him "what is the point in us even staying here if we don't get the room we wanted and they don't have the hot tub?" The same staff member then YELLS down the hallway "Then you can just check out!" I wasn't even talking to her? We get up to the room. The room is mediocre. The shower was stuck on one stream (think water coming out of an outdoor hose). The room looks very outdated. Don't waste your money. I will say though that a different lady (Yolande, I believe) was SUPER nice when she checked us out in the morning.

TL;DR Outdated hotel with a rude staff member. No hot tub. And don't bother reserving a specific room as they can change it as...

I recently stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn Columbia and had a great experience. Check-in through the app was seamless, and when I went to the front desk for a key card, the employee there was an absolute dream—friendly, attentive, and helpful in every way. She even provided extra coffee pods for my room, though bottled water was already waiting for me.

The room itself was very clean and well laid out. To the left of the entryway was a closet with an iron, ironing board, hair dryer, and plenty of hangers. To the right, the bathroom was spotless with a tub/shower combo and a bright lighted mirror—the only lighting in the bathroom, but sufficient. Just outside was a small area with a Keurig coffee maker, refrigerator, microwave, and cabinet for snacks.

The main space had two queen beds, a dresser with TV, a work desk with lamp, plugs, USB ports, telephone, and even an ethernet port. A four-way adapter with USB ports was also handy. There was another desk between the beds with a lamp, a large comfortable chair with a side table, and several other lamps providing plenty of light. Power outlets were well-placed, including in the bathroom with a built-in night light. The blackout shades worked well, and the air conditioning was excellent.

Amenities included a well-stocked convenience store with lots of choices, a full bar, and food service for breakfast and dinner (though I didn’t try the meals). Ice machines are available, but the one on the second floor wasn’t working during my stay, so I had to get ice in the lobby.

Housekeeping service was also impressive. I requested an extra blanket, and the staff member who delivered it was personable and a true asset to the company. On checkout, we also interacted with another housekeeper who was cleaning rooms, and she was extremely friendly—you could tell she genuinely enjoyed her job, which left a lasting positive impression.

At checkout, the front desk was again warm and welcoming, with plenty of smiles. Overall, it was a comfortable, enjoyable stay, and I’d...