Embassy Suites by Hilton Fort Lauderdale 17th Street — Hotel in Fort Lauderdale

I recently stayed at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Fort Lauderdale 17th Street. In my thirty-five years of travel, it was the most dysfunctional and appalling hotel operation I have ever witnessed.

I am a Hilton Diamond member, and I booked a two-night reservation at this Embassy Suites for a family trip to watch a Florida Panthers preseason game. I wanted something near the beach and that offered breakfast. Lastly, I needed a separate room for my son to sleep in. The hotel appeared to meet the criteria and although slightly more expensive than nearby hotels, appeared to be worth it.

Our flight arrived late in the evening (after midnight) and after 4 hours of flight delays, I wanted to go straight to my room. Unfortunately, the electronic room key was not working on the app and I had to stop by the front desk. No one was behind the counter and after ringing the bell multiple times, John came out of the back room looking irritated and disheveled. I understand the overnight shift can be difficult, but the image a front desk person presents can affect the whole stay. He was gruff and I had to ask him twice what benefit I received for being a diamond member. He gave me my room key and two bottles of water and offered a stack of drink tickets.

When I opened the door to room 1016, the first thing I noticed was a mildew smell. I was more concerned with getting my special needs son in the shower and to bed. He began having a melt-down because the shower was lukewarm. Nothing I could do would make it any hotter. As it was late I didn’t report it to the front desk. After my wife got out of the shower (also cool) she pointed out that there was hair in the shower and sink that was not ours. I also noticed crumbs/debris in the sink and counter. I made sure the sheets were clean, and we went to sleep.

The following morning, I was woken up by the sounds of an electric tile saw and hammering both out my window and in the interior of the hotel. I got up and my son and I went to breakfast. I understand that the food is free, but it was not good. Greasy burnt bacon and liquid scrambled eggs for example. After another lukewarm shower, we left for the beach. Upon our return I asked to speak with the manager, Pete. When he came out, I summarized the issues we had been having and asked him if we could find another room that had hot water. Pete apologized and offered to send up a cleaning crew to our current room, but that they didn’t have another room available. He also offered to give me some Hilton points for my trouble. I told him I did not want the points I want a room with hot water. I also told him I would not have book a stay at this hotel had I been aware that it was under renovation. He offered to give me a credit for one night stay, which was reasonable, but did not make our room deficiencies any better.

When we went up to get ready for the hockey game, I noticed that the shower was even colder than before. I called down to the front desk and reported the problem. The woman I spoke with said she could send maintenance up, and I pointed out that I knew the water was cold and what would maintenance do in our room. She said there could be a problem with the boiler, and I said maybe that’s where the maintenance guy should go. She hung up on me. Shortly after there was a knock on the door and the maintenance guy said he had been sent up. I told him my son had just got in the shower, but I could get him out. The man said he was at the end of his shift and just how long did I expect him to wait. I told him don’t wait and closed the door.

I went downstairs to speak with Pete, and he was disrespectful and dismissive. He said he tried to fix the problem, and I pointed out that he had not. I named the members of his staff who had been rude and summarized the issues with his hotel. I told him I did not want to stay another second and that I was checking out. I also said I didn’t want to pay anything for the one night we stayed. Pete argued and said I would need to pay for one night then hit me with a late checkout...

It became explicitly clear this particular Hilton affiliated location lacked Customer Service skills and hospitality which is ironic for obvious reasons! As an avid traveler who frequently stays at Hiltons and like many today, I typically reserve my stays through my Hilton app and complete my check in with digital key for my convenience. Unbeknownst to me this particular location would also not share the same accommodations or conduct themselves in unison with what I’ve grown to assume was typical services & amenities in the hospitality forum! Maybe I assumed incorrectly but the lack of courtesy or effectiveness in addressing my issues being met with a complete lack of professionalism led me here!!! I want to ensure that my experience is shared and properly documented. Though my first draft was too long to post I am sticking to the hot points and will communicate in its depth and entirety to the appropriate individuals within the organization. So First,, I paid for the inclusion of having valet service but upon my arrival could not find anyone and when I approached a staff member it became apparent he didn’t truly understand what I was asking or just could give a damn so sent me over to a line where there were others waiting but I quickly recognized that this particular line was not what I was looking for. Now clearly this could just be an oversight but this would truly set the tone for the rest of the day and the type of “hospitality & Service” I would receive. Fast forward to after having been in the pool, we returned to our suite to wash up and head out for dinner. It was than that I realized there were only two towels, though this was a two room suite and my reservation was an accommodation for 4 people there just wasn’t enough for us. Again no biggie right? Literally had to call 3 times having been told all 3 times by a woman that she was on her way up. It was only until I expressed my frustration after the 3rd call, that it had been over an hour and she told me the same thing each time that she was on her way, did she finally arrive. Fast forward to later in the evening,, my family and I are now preparing to get some rest when my daughter asked for Water. It was then that I realized there weren’t any bottles of water in the room?? Again, no biggie right? Maybe not as much as a protocol in every hotel but feel like everywhere I’ve stayed theres at least 1 bottle of water along with coffee etc?? I called down to the front desk and was told that “This Hotel did not have water bottles in the room & that they would be at the front desk if I had wanted” I asked the gentleman to please send me up a couple of bottles of which he responded he could not do that either? Could not send anyone up and That I would have to go down stairs myself and get them? John not only was beyond rude with how he addressed my questions over freaking bottles of water, that oh yeah actually come free to me as a part of my 15 YEARS of Membership with several stays at Hiltons and it’s affiliates countrywide, but after having realized that I actually was supposed to receive the darn water bottles and grabbed them from inside the office for me he handed them to me and said “Your Welcome”! Now let me make it very clear here and to reference a very well known saying ,, “It’s not what you say , but rather how you say it” he clearly assumed that I would just continue on to the elevator as if his “comment “ was acceptable is disturbing and a testimony to the pattern regarding the type of personnel within this hotel! Again the AUDACITY to have an expectation as if I owed him some form of gratitude is downright crazy!! Needless to say my experience may not be the same as others but quite frankly this kind of experience should NEVER exist in a customer service and accommodations industry such as a Hotel, let alone one with a long standing name brand and namesake whatsoever! I WILL provide the full, complete & accurate depiction of my families and I experience directly to management level and above as it is ALL totally...

When I stay at a Hilton property I expect a modicum of cleanliness, security, safety, and exceptional customer service. However, at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Fort Lauderdale on 17th Street this is not the case and based on my experience I will not be returning to this property. Unfortunately, we had to find our own transportation to this property. Although this Embassy has a shuttle it only operates until 6:00 pm. I have worked at hotels and travel a lot and have never heard of a shuttle that stops operating that early. Our check-in went smooth and the front desk employee was professional and personable. We proceeded to our room, number 304, and when we first entered it, I could detect a musty smell. I conducted a quick visual inspection and found rust on the bottom of the bathroom door and a large hair on the bathroom ceiling in addition to a couple of hairs in the bathtub. We did not receive any hand towels so had to ask for some the following day. We proceeded to the E Spot restaurant and sat at the bar to order food and drinks. We ordered the chicken quesadilla, and it was very good. Simoan our bartender was very prompt with her service but there appeared to be a conflict between her and one of the restaurant servers that they made no effort to hide from their customers. After we finished eating, we walked to the pool area and were stunned to see several teenage males jumping from a tall waterfall structure into a six-foot deep pool. There is a sign that clearly states no diving but apparently these teenagers and their adult companions/coaches (wherever they were) did not care about the serious injuries or potential death that could occur from their stupidity. At no time while these teens were engaging in this dangerous behavior did anyone from the hotel staff attempt to stop this. After we went to our room, we had to endure teens running, yelling, and pushing one another on chairs down the hallways of this property. Once again no one stopped these disorderly activities. I had to call the front desk on two occasions including at midnight to ask these disruptive behaviors to stop. Although the front desk employee did show up, I am surprised that a property of this size with a lounge does not have on-site security. I also inquired about what the quiet hours are for this Embassy and was told there are no posted quiet hours. In the morning, we tried the complimentary breakfast, and this was the highlight of our stay here. The made to order omelets were fantastic and there is plenty of variety of food available. Unfortunately, we had to watch teens in the breakfast area without shoes and shirts and no one did anything about this unsanitary practice including the Hilton employees and the teens’ coaches. I am not a food safety health inspector, but I am fairly certain that shirts and shoes are required in eating establishments. I went to look for the gym on the morning of our stay and did not know it had been moved from the 12th floor to a conference room off the lobby level. The flyer we were given when we checked in has not been updated and shows the fitness center as being on the 12th floor. In addition, unbeknownst to me this Embassy property is undergoing a badly needed renovation which is not mentioned in the flyer we received or anywhere on their website. If you do stay here, then I recommend using the elevator bank with three elevators. The one with two elevators is extremely slow. If I had known in advance I would experience all of these issues then I would have stayed elsewhere, especially for the almost $600 we paid for a...