Spark by Hilton Germantown Washington DC North — Hotel in Germantown

I am writing to formally complain about my recent stay at Spark by Hilton in Germantown, which lasted nearly two weeks. The treatment I received was unprofessional and unacceptable, and I expect immediate attention to these issues. Unjustified Denial of Room Extension: I have always strictly followed your hotel’s policies. As a smoker, I exclusively used the designated smoking station outside the hotel and never smoked in my room. Despite this, I was informed after having already paid that my stay could not be extended because housekeeping claimed my room had a light smell of marijuana and that a small amount of tobacco was found on the table. Even if any tobacco had been found, it is legal and should not be a basis for denying me an extension. What exactly was the issue? Concerns Regarding My Pet’s Safety & Targeting by Staff: I traveled with my Fluffy French bulldog—a pet of great personal and financial value and most of your staff were always friendly toward him. I would NEVER compromise his health by breaking any rules. That’s a $15,000 dog—are you insane? To be penalized despite this is both unfair and completely ridiculous.

What really stands out to me is that just two days before my extension was denied, I had a very uncomfortable encounter with one of your staff members, and I strongly believe this played a role in what happened next. While waiting for the elevator with my dog, an older staff member (an Indian lady, short, with glasses) came out and screamed as if she had seen a ghost. Her reaction startled my dog so badly that he jerked back in fear and hit his head. She immediately started apologizing because she knew she was out of place but my priority in that moment was checking to make sure my dog was okay. Every time I saw her after that, she looked at me as if I had done something to HER. What exactly did she expect me to say when she apologized? That it was okay? No, it wasn’t. This is a dog-friendly hotel...if she can’t handle that, she’s in the wrong field. After that incident, I noticed a shift in the way some staff treated me. There was a tall African American staff member who constantly gave me disapproving looks, making me feel like I was being watched. On the day my extension was denied, I even saw a group of staff members talking amongst themselves, making it clear I was being unfairly targeted. Another Major Safety Issue That I Initially Overlooked: On my second night, a housekeeper deliberately tried to push her cart in the direction of my dog while exiting the elevator. Had I not immediately pulled him back by his leash, he could have been seriously injured. It felt like her way of rushing me to move. I initially let it go, but now that I see the pattern of treatment I received, I regret not addressing it immediately. Of course, I’m sure the staff involved will try to lie or downplay the situation, but this is everything that happened. Even Crystal, the one genuinely kind and professional staff member I encountered, apologized to me because she knew I was being treated unfairly. I truly hope the best for her, she doesn’t deserve to work in a place like this.

These incidents are not isolated. They reflect a disturbing pattern of unprofessional and potentially discriminatory behavior by your staff. I will be sure to report this to all consumer protection agencies and share my experience...

I will be fair. This used to be the holiday in express. It’s a real shame the employees used to be a little more tolerant with the guests and now they are more violent than ever before. Sandhi the hotel receptionist and “supervisor” denied me the hotel manager Barack on several occasions. In the past they have been rude. But never to this point. Sandhi raised his voice at me on the phone and Barack was eyeing the situation the whole times we passed by him when he “apparently” wasn’t available and he had the nerve to “roll his eyes” at me like a female would. He’s been very violent also. In the past when I had a complaint. He flexed his arm at me in hopes I would be intimidated. I never was. The opposite I reminded him how incompetent him and his staff were that they had to intimidate guests in order for them to do their work. That’s not hospitality that’s tyrany. I am sure they would try to mix my words up and portray me in the worst light. But the fact remains I am telling things as they are. They don’t have any tact to correct a guest when he’s wrong or right instead they try to treat you like a “child” and when you respond like any person would they get upset. It’s common for people who abuse others to respond the way they do. I would encourage management to treat their guests better. My wife and I left after one day.

The price isn’t bad and the rooms are okay. But respect and cleanliness go a long way. We didn’t feel comfortable here. We rather take our business elsewhere.

I have to mention this: we were not given a real chance to pay in cash. Only when we decided to leave prior they insisted we had to pay everything in credit one way or another. That’s the perception that we got and know.

In addition: the staff Rollie was a real help that night with his unique way to be there for his guests. So Mr Rollie thank you young man for your help. My wife and I appreciate it.

Management: Barack,please don’t ever flex or rolls your eyes at me ever again. You only look incompetent doing that. Instead use that energy to straighten your staff like Shandi who denied us a supervisor and manager. Instead they need to take notes from their other co workers like the “champion of guests experienced extraordinar” she is usually consistent with her abilities to take care of guests. I just wish they didn’t run out of bottle openers. One bottle opener for a whole hotel has to be a joke. I hold her and everyone to a high regard based on previous experiences. Don’t lose it. So far Sparks is off to a bad start and lack of transparency. It feels discriminatory to force someone to pay credit. And pay additional cash for the same room. And being lied to afterwards it’s been paid for and you never had to pay cash after all. I hope I am clear. The discrepancy is...

Never stay here!! Stay away! Staff are in on it. If you’re a woman, please don’t stay here—especially alone.

My boyfriend and I stayed at SPARK by Hilton in Germantown, MD for a night to ourselves while the grandparents watched the kids. It was supposed to be a relaxing night. He had to leave for work around 2 a.m. (he does road closures and construction), but he planned to be back by 8 a.m.

Not long after he left, I woke up to knocking on the door. At first, I thought maybe he had forgotten something, so I called out, “Babe, did you forget something?” but I didn’t get up right away because he had a key—he could just let himself in.

Then I heard more knocking, so I went to check. When I looked through the peephole, it was completely dark—like someone had their finger covering it. That’s when I got scared. I said, “Who is it?” and there was no response.

I immediately called my boyfriend, and he said, “It’s not me—I’m at work.” He turned around right away, rushed back to the hotel, and called the police on the way.

When he got there, he told me that as he was leaving earlier, he saw a man pacing in the hallway who looked like hotel staff, but something felt off. He had a name tag and everything, but his behavior was strange. When we reported it to the front desk and described the man, they told us no one like that worked there—even though he clearly had a hotel badge.

It gets worse. When my boyfriend got back to our room, he noticed black tape across several doors—including ours. When police showed up, the guests in the room next to us came out—it was two young women staying alone. It was clear that someone had been watching or had inside information, and this wasn’t just some random incident. It felt like a setup.

To top it off, the police didn’t seem to take it seriously at all.

I’ve never been more scared, and I won’t ever stay at this location again. Women—especially if you’re traveling alone—please be cautious. This experience was deeply unsettling, and it could have ended much worse if my boyfriend hadn’t...