Tru by Hilton Orlando Convention Center Area — Hotel in Dr. Phillips

I travel often for business. I will typically choose Hampton Inns because they hit a perfect point of price and quality for my tastes and preferences. And, they are typically consistent. I’m not picky, I like clean, I like consistent. 

This was my first stay at a TRU by Hilton. It’s hard to criticize a hotel that was constructed very recently - everything is fresh and new. But if I look past that I could give you a long list of things that Hilton did right with the TRU business model:

I don’t mind the slightly down-sized room. And I don’t mind the lack of “drawer-ed” furniture like a dresser or night stands. I don’t typically unpack small clothing items unless I’m staying for a week. I think the area where you hang clothing could stand to be a bit larger with a few more hangers. When traveling for business I typically iron once, then hang it all up and use it for however the long the stay is. That’s a bit of a challenge with the TRU rooms if you’re staying for more than maybe three days. You’ll be living out of your suitcase for whatever you don’t hang, and there’s really no place to leave that case open, so you’ll be opening and stowing it quite often.

The bathrooms are finally updated! By this I mean no more tubs and shower curtains. The 80’s are finally dead. They have a wonderful modern shower stall with glass doors. If you are an average-to-tall person you will love not having a shower head positioned squarely between your pecs. The shower heads are up nice and high, there’s no curtain wrapping around you, and there’s ample room to shower. Everything you need, nothing you don’t.

The beds are finally updated. No more box spring. A clean platform bed with a very comfortable king-sized mattress. I think Hilton beds are generally very comfortable, they did not appear to change that in the TRU brand model. It appeared to be a quality mattress that hit that sweet spot between soft and supportive. I was very happy.

There was an in-room mini fridge. A nice touch, though I didn’t use it. What was missing was an in-room coffee maker. Initially, I didn’t think the loss of that would bother me, after all there's coffee and tea available 24-hours in the lobby. I was very wrong. This did bother me. I jump out of bed and instead of brewing a coffee and listening to the news while I wake up, check emails, and get ready …I found myself scrambling to put on some clothes, fix my hair so I didn’t look like Sasquatch, grabbing the key, going to the elevator, down to the lobby… well you get the picture. It definitely stunk, especially when you’re used to in-room coffee. Look, we all know it’s not the finest coffee - but it works. And when it’s not there, it’s really missed.

This lead to another missing item I didn’t consider until I needed it. Cups. Sure, still easy to pick up downstairs. But you don’t think about that until you’re undressed, ready for bed and you have a mouthful of toothpaste after brushing - where’s the cups to rinse your mouth? Sure, you can do the sideways head maneuver under the sink faucet with your mouth …but, this really enhances that college dorm experience. A few cups in the bathroom would have been a nice touch.

Bottom line, I really liked staying at the TRU for business - it was almost perfect. Nearly everything you need, and nothing you don’t; and the price point is very expense report friendly. The slight reduction in space is almost unnoticeable. In many respects I was reminded of the efficiency you find in a Cruise Ship state room, including the bottled liquid soaps and conditioners. This is a compliment. The modern styling, USB charging everywhere, digital keys, key-card required elevator, electronic check-in and check-out, all worked flawlessly. The large lobby area was well appointed with places to work or socialize, the room too was set up well for laptop work. However those two areas mentioned earlier are the only things that kept me from saying this was “perfect”. The location is perfect for business, the staff was kind, cheerful, and welcoming. (8 pics added)

I would stay at...

I recently stayed at this hotel and it was a nightmare from start to finish. The room was absolutely filthy with hair all over the place – behind the tub, in the sink, and even in every single towel we had. It was disgusting. The rooms looked like a makeshift motel, not what you'd expect from a reputable hotel chain. There was also mold in the shower, I requested extras 4 times and nobody ever came. When we called about the hair in the towels, they brought MORE with hair in them. It also took them 45 minutes which is insane--if someone complained they got dirty towels it'd be the fist on my list of priorities. Also, our mobile key didn't work, so I was on the phone for 25 minutes trying to figure it out--just to be told, nevermind check in at the front desk. What's the point of "contactless checkin" just for me to have to check in at the front desk?

To make matters worse, the service was a joke. The workers were extremely rude and tried to gaslight me when I raised concerns about the state of the room and inquired about a refund. Ian and Amy, in particular, had the worst customer service attitudes I've ever encountered. Despite my complaints, nothing was done to rectify the situation.

I initially sent a message to the hotel and Hilton on day one, immediately after checking in, stating our intention to move to another hotel due to the unacceptable conditions. Hilton did not reply. We stayed at the Sheraton down the street instead, which was 100 times better. On day two, after our Disney trip, we returned to this hotel to officially check out because our messages were being ignored. We were later ridiculed for the late check out, which is entirely this hotel's fault for not replying to our concerns.

Upon checkout, I explicitly asked about getting a refund. I was assured, “no problem, of course you can check out. Yes, you can get a refund but it was booked through a 3rd party so we cannot process it ourselves" by Amy. Come to find out they tried to only refund me 2/5 nights... I had to talk w/ Expedia SO many times to tell them that this was not clear when I checked out and I still expect my 100% refund. It was a nightmare.

Additionally, both Hilton corporate and one Expedia member were told by the hotel that they would only charge me for one night because I kept following up on my complaint and demanding what I was entitled to. However, when Expedia called to confirm, the manager outright denied ever agreeing to this. The gaslighting is insane!

The lack of cleanliness and the unsanitary conditions of the room are unacceptable. I travel for a living and have never encountered such a disgusting room. I have raised this issue with Hilton customer service directly.

I've NEVER had a hotel have such a dirty room and not respond to my concerns just to blame me and not refund it--every hotel chain I'd ever been would be mortified & correct it immediately meaning refund for the dirty conditions.

Do yourself a favor and avoid this place at all costs. Save your money and sanity by...

I recently got the opportunity to stay at the Tru by Hilton Orlando Convention Center Area whilst on a solo leisure trip to the Orlando area. This property, affiliated with the Hilton Honors portfolio of properties, was easy and convenient to book. Largely, my experience at this property was quite satisfactory, having no significant complaints, which makes sense in such a nice, newer hotel.

The Check-In process with Hilton in the app with the Digital Key is a well-done feature that encourages ease and simplicity within check in. Upon arriving to the property, I encountered Ian, who provided a physical room key card, and provided complimentary water, making me feel welcomed at the property and appreciated for being a Hilton Honors member. It is worth noting that even with the Digital Key, it is still almost required to obtain a physical card in order to control the power within the room, which makes sense and is valuable to be environmentally friendly, however, it could add friction for travelers visiting the property. The property seemed quite secure- with the elevators requiring a key-card or Digital Key to access guest room floors.

The cleanliness of my room, Room 838, was absolutely perfect, to be quite honest. I literally noticed no cleaning flaws whatsoever within the room. As I mentioned, the power is controlled by the room key, so make sure to get a physical key card. The room, while perhaps on the (slightly) smaller side, remained quite functional and valid for an individual traveler like myself.Much of the objects within the room were quite economic and multi-functional, but served their purpose well. No drawers, lots of hooks were present within the room. All the soaps and lotions are provided within the restroom through these pumps attached to the wall, which I am not particularly a huge fan of, due to ease of tampering. The lid on one of the ones within my room came off, and I would've been able to put anything I had desired in there. Not a substantial issue, but something worth noting. The mattress was quite comfortable.

The hotel itself was quite rich with regards amenities. The lobby was full of guests seeming happy at all reasonable times- especially during the breakfast period. Additionally, the hotel's "quiet hours" were indeed respected, which is always to be appreciated. 24/7 Coffee and Tea were provided within the lobby.

The location of this hotel is located in a safe little "corner" in a cluster of several other hotels, and is remarkably just minutes away from the Orlando theme parks (especially SeaWorld), the Orange County Convention Center, and retail.

Overall, I cannot complain about my experience at this Tru by Hilton property! This hotel overall presents a minimalistic, but passionate feel to guests at a great price point. I would totally stay here again if I had to opportunity to...