Embassy Suites by Hilton Grand Rapids Downtown — Hotel in Grand Rapids

I stayed for three nights on business at the Embassy Suites about one week ago in April. ||The hotel is only about 6 years old and so is still pretty fresh, with modern decor and an overall feel of being well looked after by the staff. ||Parking: They have an adjacent onsite parking garage that was charged at $15 per day, which was not too unreasonable and secure, with elevator access to the hotel reception level. You use your room key to access the parking after initial entry using a ticket. ||Rooms: on the first night I was allocated room 433 (as best as I recall) which faced the rear of the hotel, which looks onto nothing but the adjacent slab sides of the carpark. Not a problem but immediately adjacent to that room are several vents from a plant room ( as we refer in the UK) that contained machinery, heating etc. all through the night you could hear background sounds starting and stopping and as a relatively light sleeper, it gave me a restless night. ||I spoke with reception first thing at 630 hrs and the lady could not have been more helpful, and moved me to room 400, which was the far end of the building and at the front. I had no problems sleeping for the next two nights. Thank you to the staff !||One thing to note was the first room at the rear of the hotel had gym equipment in it and also a walk in shower cubicle. The room at the front did not have the gym equipment and had a shallow bath tub with a shower curtain, and also a small balcony. Otherwise the rooms seemed of similar size, with a large entrance room with a couch, large TV, small table and a desk to work from. I would have preferred more lighting in this area though as it was a little dark to work from with very little natural light. ||The bed was very comfortable, and you had a small fridge (both were very quiet in operation), small sink and a microwave. This area also contained a safe. Also the usual coffee making machine. ||My suggestion is that some of the rooms on level 4 (the first room accommodation level) may be a bit noisy dependant on how close you are to the plant room and elevators at about the centre of the building. ||I return in a few months time and have requested a room away from this central area, which again the very helpful receptionist put on my booking. ||Breakfast: this is in the area adjacent to reception and offers the usual range of hot food and selections of cold, including fruit, cereals, etc. A nice touch is the made to order omelettes, and egg station. They were well cooked and pretty quick, even though the hotel seemed reasonably busy. The staff were all friendly and polite. ||Bar area: there is a bar on level 3 and between 530 and 7 pm you can order two free drinks from a selection of drinks. If you want more premium drinks you can pay a small supplement. There were also some various snacks provided. The bar was quite busy during these times, but again you were served quickly. A nice touch to add this.||Overall I would certainly recommend the hotel, being clean and tidy, good staff and location wise, about a 15 minute walk into the centre of downtown where there are various restaurants to choose from of you prefer not to use the adjacent bar/ restaurant. Likewise there are also other nearby bars / restaurants if you walk in the other direction. The area also felt safe to walk around. ||I look forward to my next...

We booked a Queen Suite for a family staycation last weekend (January 2024) - huge success and kids loved it! I am a huge fan of the Hilton App and the contactless keys, etc. You get into the garage, into your room, the elevator, the pool, and out of the garage with your phone - SO convenient. The hotel itself is so nice, modern, and spacious. Our kids loved the water feature and live wall in the lobby. Our room was clean, and plenty of room for us to stretch out. The wet bar was a perfect size, too. Fridge, sink, counter space, coffee machine, etc. Plenty of towels in the room, as well. The pull out worked perfect for the kiddos - the sheets and pillows were in a easy to access bag in the closet. The rooms share a bathroom but have two doors separating each room. They also share a door btw the rooms themselves. Only the seating area with the couch had balcony access. Warning, if you dont get river view, you will be looking at the parking garage's cement wall... that did not bother us in the least bit. The pool is on the second floor and is so nice and spacious! Lots of seating, tables, etc. The pool is decent size and the hot tub is larger and is indoor / outdoor - in the middle of a blizzard the kids thought it was awesome. You can also access the pool balcony and look outside with all the glass windows overlooking the river. Pool opens at 5:30 AM and the gym is attached to the pool area, as well. The hotel hosts a happy hour from 6-8 I believe? You get two free beverages per room and you can upgrade for a discounted price to a higher level option. Happy Hour includes apps. One of our favorite things about this hotel is the amazing breakfast buffet - it is the largest one I've been to at a hotel. The had oatmeal, yogurt, fruit, milks juices, coffee, eggs, sausage, bacon, potatoes, bagels, french toast, toast, english muffin, pastry, cereal, and an omelet station. Huge fan of the omelet station! Made to order, fresh and so good. Huge buffet area, so you aren't on top of each other and lost of seating, too! We did go down as soon as it opened at 7AM because the hotel seemed pretty full with an event that evening and a hockey tournament staying overnight... so it was pretty early yet. Another bonus is the Big E's restaurant / sports bar that is attached to the hotel. Convenient, good food, lots of beverage options, outdoor seating, and lots of big tvs. Looks like we will be coming back since the kids loved it so much, great option for Grand...

Couldn't wait to check out.

People are rude and condescending. I returned to the front desk to notify staff that there were cigarette burns on the side table between the bed. Staff was condescending and said she would be sure to note it down. However, she didn't confirm she noted anything. Went to the lounge on the 2nd floor, the bartender was consending when asked if PBR was on tap, then my card was charged twice. My brother and I had one drink each for a total of $17.00, My card has three pending charges, one for $1.00, and two for $17.00. This morning, I went to the front desk to inform them of the double charge. HOSTESS: How can I help you? ME: Good Morning, how are you this morning? HOSTESS: How can I help you?

No return kindness, no thank you's, no politeness.

The manager responsible for the lounge wasn't in as of yet and so I received her business card.

Me: When will the manager be in today? HOSTESS: OH, good question. I don't know if she will be in today, but she is great with responding to emails.

When walking through the hotel, most staff look at us suspiciously, eyeballing us but refusing to acknowledge us. God forbid you say thank you, or you're welcome to them when you do interact because they instantly become rigid and borderline rude.

Michigan has been one of the few states I had yet to visit, and I was looking forward to my experience, but the hotel has quickly ruined my excitement.

Lastly, while sitting on the balcony, we watched several drug deals in act. It was laughable but concerning. Such a beautiful area across from the balconies, but it is completely ruined by the paraphernalia littering the ground and the drug dealers selling. Zero police presence to keep tourists safe. I honestly will never return, and I don't recommend staying if you appreciate sincerity in politeness.

Nearly forgot. The power has been out for half the morning now. No staff has come by to provide any information. thankfully we have a balcony.

I did finally get a refund on my $17.00

I later found put that the floor I was put on are rooms that they "donate" for homeless to stay in. I have no problem with helping the less fortunate., however it explains why I was treated the way I was treated. It also explains why the room was in the condition it was in.

Regardless, I had called and complained with management the following week, I never received any calls back. I emailed corporate office, and never...