Hilton Garden Inn Indianapolis Downtown — Hotel in Indianapolis

Date stayed: 6/13-6/14/24 Room Booked: 2 Queen Beds 1 Bedroom Suite Sofabed (Rm 1100) Rate: $170-$180

Pros: Location: This hotel is less than 0.1 miles from the Soldiers & Sailors Monument, which acts as the center of downtown Indianapolis. As such, it was super convenient to walk to all the major tourist destinations (except the zoo) in downtown Indianapolis. It is a bit further from the conference center compared to most hotels in downtown Indianapolis. Room Size: The 2 queen bed 1 bedroom suite is 700 sq. ft, which appears to be one of the largest rooms available in a Hilton-branded hotel from what I can tell (not including any of the super lavish rooms available in the Hilton or Conrad). The typical rooms are 400 sq. ft, which is pretty standard (the Hilton and Conrad appear to be slightly bigger, while the Embassy is about the same). When I booked this room, the suite was only ~$20 more than the standard 2 double room, and was well worth it. The room view isn't that great but it does give you unobstructed views on the north, and obstructed views of the east and west sides (you will not be able to see the Monument from the west side though). Bathroom is decent sized and the toilet has a separate door. Condition: This hotel was last renovated in 2018, and appears to still be in great condition. Everything except for a single lightbulb appeared to be working, and the bedside table and desk all had plenty of regular outlets and USB ports for charging. The room has central air (no PTAC!), and lots of storage and seating. The lobby and hallways also looked to be in good condition. Sound isolation between floors and between rooms appear solid, but I don't think the hotel was particularly busy.

Cons: Cost of parking: Only those who can expense parking to their work travel, or just hate money, should use the $43 valet service. For everyone else, I recommend parking at the Market District Garage, which is 3 blocks east and only $8 for 24 hours. Lack of hot tub and small pool: I would not recommend this hotel if you were looking to do long laps, or enjoy a relaxing hot tub. The room holding the pool is actually quite large and could definitely fit a hot tub, but doesn't, and actually looks quite depressing.

Neutral: = Breakfast: Prices was fair, and I liked that there was a few options that were under the $10 MyWay benefit for those who are gold or diamond members (and that they are explicitly listed on the menu). Unless you are planning on eating at least 2 plates of food, I wouldn't recommend the buffet option, as the hot options they had (scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, and pancakes) weren't anything better than what you would find free at a Hampton Inn. I definitely wish Hilton would just allow the buffet breakfast to be included as a MyWay benefit to domestic hotels!

Overall conclusion: Oh hey look, it's the first 5 star hotel review I've made! Is the hotel perfect? Definitely not. However, between the price I paid and the room size and amenities, combined with the amazing location, made the cons easy...

Horrible experience at this hotel. We came with two kids under 8 to stay at a hotel with a pool as a getaway for their spring break. We were only going to stay two days and I called before we booked the room to see if the pool was available and was told it was. When we went to check in I asked again about the pool and then the clerk tells me it is under construction, but that they have an agreement with a hotel across the street and we can use their pool. We were not happy that we were told the wrong information, but decided we could make it work, so we went ahead and checked in. When we get to our room we were surprised to see that our room looked nothing like the updated, clean, modern picture that was on the website. Our room was outdated, wallpaper peeling, rust in the bathroom, stains on the sofa mattress and couch and had absolutely NO windows. It was highly disappointing but at this point we just wanted the kids to have a good time and go to the pool. We were able to go to the pool the first night no problem, but when we tried to go the second day we were told that the other hotel was completely booked and when that is the case they don’t allow the other hotel guests to come over. So I went back to the front desk at our hotel. First I asked them why our room did not look like what was on the website and they said we were on the only floor that hasn’t been renovated yet. I asked why they even have those rooms available and they said that is the only floor that has the suite that we booked. So we paid MORE money for an OUTDATED, NASTY room because it was a “suite” thinking we would be getting a nicer room. After this and the fact that we couldn’t use the pool we were done. The lady at the front desk told me that it says on the website that the pool is under construction and I informed her it did not and that I had called as well before booking. I then brought up the website and asked her to show me where it says that and she couldn’t find it. She then said “so what do you want me to do?” I told them I just wanted to leave at this point. They then refunded my money and we left. So thankful they refunded our stay, but I definitely would never stay at this hotel again and it definitely made our stay and getaway very upsetting. I have posted the pic of what was shown on their website and what our room actually...

We were in Indianapolis for our son's wedding and held the rehearsal dinner at the hotel. EVERYBODY that we encountered that was employed by Hilton was fantastic.

Lydee was perfect from the first time we met in October 2021. She helped us get the ideal spot for our son's rehearsal dinner. She helped us get a room reservation for a family friend who was late taking care of that. She grouped our rooms together as I requested, which I realize is very difficult to do on a busy NCAA weekend. Lydee took time out of her schedule to help my wife decorate. She went way beyond what we expected or have ever experienced.

Megan at the front desk was very helpful. When we were there in October 2021, she was able to get a room ready for us earlier than we had thought so we could go out with our son for the afternoon. She then help several of our family and friends get their rooms for the group.

At the dinner, Brian, the person in charge, made sure all of our needs were ready when when needed. The food was prepared and ready just before 7:00 pm as stated. He checked with me several times throughout the night to make sure I was satisfied. Jeffery the bar tender did an amazing job. Initially there was a line for drinks, but that is to be expected. The rest of the evening I do not believe there was ever more than 4 people waiting, which with 56 people is amazing. Will was tremendous at keeping up with clearing our tables as needed, spoke to everybody as though they were old friends and even unsolicited brought soda water in a bowl with a napkin so that one of our guest could clean her dress where she spilled her drink. The food was prepared by hotel staff in the hotel kitchen and was amazing.

The housekeeping staff were all friendly and did a wonderful job. The valet personnel that we experienced were all polite and prompt with our vehicles.

Over all, I only heard compliments from those in our party. And most of those were from people that were not asked, which shows me that they were equally impressed by how well everything went or they would have said...