Hilton Garden Inn Jacksonville JTB/Deerwood Park — Hotel in Jacksonville

This stay was NOT a great experience, and we definitely will not be staying here again. First off, let me just say that the website has false advertising when it comes to what these rooms look like and what the hotel provides, but I will touch on this towards the end of this review. This hotel is located in a very active shopping center with lots of restaurants and businesses within walking distance (the Tinseltown movie theater is literally right next door). At check-in, we chose to do keyless entry with our phones. Initially, the app was very slow at letting us into the side hotel entry door (our room was 128, which is the very first room on the first floor by this door) but finally it started working for both entry and hotel room door. Everything with an extra charge at this hotel is overpriced and left much to be desired, i.e. the snacks at the little shop in the lobby ($10 for a burrito?) and breakfast. The staff were friendly but not very helpful when it came to answering questions and knowing things about the property. Our room was not new but refurbished and, for the most part, clean enough, but there was no real storage and only one chair to sit in with a dedicated desk space next to the tv. The bed was NOT comfortable whatsoever as it did not have enough pillows, bedding was thin, and the mattress was very hard. This did not provide for a restful sleep, which was needed for the softball tournament we were in town for. Woke up very sore, with a crick in my neck and pain in my back. Also, the water pressure in the shower was horrible and did not rinse off soap very well, and shower head had so much limescale that I am surprised there was any flow of water at all. The drain for the sink was VERY slow leaving water to set in the sink for a while before it finally went down the drain which is pretty disgusting when trying to brush your teeth or wash your face especially if someone else needs to utilize it right behind you. On the website, it says there is a restaurant on site that serves breakfast and dinner and that there is a bar for nightly cocktails.Well, they had wine in bottles to purchase on a small rack, so I don't think this is what I consider a "bar." We went down to the hallway to get breakfast at 7am and that CONTINENTAL breakfast was not even fully ready and put out. The coffee machine was out of order, breakfast was $10.95 a person, and there were really no decent choices for that breakfast other than to order from a provided menu. Again, the website says that the "restaurant" (if we are calling it that) serves breakfast and dinner. Complete lie as only breakfast is served and, according to the staff, it is because no one is really buying it from them and they are losing money due to all the restaurants located within walking distance from them that their patrons are choosing to go to but I can see why they are. Needless to say, we did not partake of the basically non-existent breakfast, and this was disappointing as we are used to Hilton brands having exceptional and USUALLY free breakfast. I can say that the hot tub that I saw so many other reviewers complaining about was actually working, but it was definitely too cold (for me and my hubby, at least) to use. The pool is very tiny, but it appeared to be in a clean and working state. I do need to go back and touch on the pictures on the site for this hotel. It shows a room with actual doors to close off the bedroom from the "living area." PLEASE do not expect that type of room at this hotel as that is definitely NOT an option here. Just typical rooms are here with a fridge (that runs VERY loudly, by the way), microwave, and coffee maker in the room. The provided in room water bottles are $2.95 unless you are a Hilton Diamond, Gold, or Silver member, which we are, but just giving a heads up if you are not. Will for SURE not be choosing this property if we make another trip out to...

This stay was NOT a great experience, and we definitely will not be staying here again. First off, let me just say that the website has false advertising when it comes to what these rooms look like and what the hotel provides, but I will touch on this towards the end of this review. This hotel is located in a very active shopping center with lots of restaurants and businesses within walking distance (the Tinseltown movie theater is literally right next door). At check-in, we chose to do keyless entry with our phones. Initially, the app was very slow at letting us into the side hotel entry door (our room was 128, which is the very first room on the first floor by this door) but finally it started working for both entry and hotel room door. Everything with an extra charge at this hotel is overpriced and left much to be desired, i.e. the snacks at the little shop in the lobby ($10 for a burrito?) and breakfast. The staff were friendly but not very helpful when it came to answering questions and knowing things about the property. Our room was not new but refurbished and, for the most part, clean enough, but there was no real storage and only one chair to sit in with a dedicated desk space next to the tv. The bed was NOT comfortable whatsoever as it did not have enough pillows, bedding was thin, and the mattress was very hard. This did not provide for a restful sleep, which was needed for the softball tournament we were in town for. Woke up very sore, with a crick in my neck and pain in my back. Also, the water pressure in the shower was horrible and did not rinse off soap very well, and shower head had so much limescale that I am surprised there was any flow of water at all. The drain for the sink was VERY slow leaving water to set in the sink for a while before it finally went down the drain which is pretty disgusting when trying to brush your teeth or wash your face especially if someone else needs to utilize it right behind you. On the website, it says there is a restaurant on site that serves breakfast and dinner and that there is a bar for nightly cocktails.Well, they had wine in bottles to purchase on a small rack, so I don't think this is what I consider a "bar." We went down to the hallway to get breakfast at 7am and that CONTINENTAL breakfast was not even fully ready and put out. The coffee machine was out of order, breakfast was $10.95 a person, and there were really no decent choices for that breakfast other than to order from a provided menu. Again, the website says that the "restaurant" (if we are calling it that) serves breakfast and dinner. Complete lie as only breakfast is served and, according to the staff, it is because no one is really buying it from them and they are losing money due to all the restaurants located within walking distance from them that their patrons are choosing to go to but I can see why they are. Needless to say, we did not partake of the basically non-existent breakfast, and this was disappointing as we are used to Hilton brands having exceptional and USUALLY free breakfast. I can say that the hot tub that I saw so many other reviewers complaining about was actually working, but it was definitely too cold (for me and my hubby, at least) to use. The pool is very tiny, but it appeared to be in a clean and working state. I do need to go back and touch on the pictures on the site for this hotel. It shows a room with actual doors to close off the bedroom from the "living area." PLEASE do not expect that type of room at this hotel as that is definitely NOT an option here. Just typical rooms are here with a fridge (that runs VERY loudly, by the way), microwave, and coffee maker in the room. The provided in room water bottles are $2.95 unless you are a Hilton Diamond, Gold, or Silver member, which we are, but just giving a heads up if you are not. Will for SURE not be choosing this property if we make another trip out to...

We have stayed at this hotel twice in the last month for a total of about 8 nights.

The staff was very helpful and friendly. Alex (actually, Alexandria) arranged for us to spend an extra night and was very competent at handling the extension and making sure our account was charged and credited accordingly.

The hotel was very clean. Staying in a hotel is not like it was before covid. The room is not cleaned each day unless a guess makes the request. We did ask to have the room cleaned at least once during each stay and it was done without any problem.

The beds were comfortable. There was more noise from adjoining rooms that I have experienced at some Hilton Garden Inns, particularly from a connecting room with both doors closed. I was awakened late one night as a suitcase hit the wall in that room but, overall, the noise level was not too bad.

There were several maintenance items in the room that were somewhat problematic. The phone did not work on either visit (we were in the same room both times). The front desk explained some of the rooms had this problem with the service was upgraded or worked on and our room still did not have phone service.

The thermostat battery had a notice the battery needed to be replaced. We reported this but it was not fixed during the stay. The weather was still very mild so not a big problem but there seemed to be an issue with some maintenance items.

Also, on both occasions, the toilet would keep running. I reported this but took it upon myself to check it out as no one showed up to stop the water flow. It turned out there was a chain that had come loose and was blocking the valve from closing completely. Obviously a minor problem but one that should be fixed.

The continental breakfast was good. Kristen worked there and kept everything stocked. There was a problem one day with a lack of some food items. Apparently, a truck showed up as the items were full the following day.The English muffins were fresh, the oatmeal was cooked, hot, and there was plenty of it available and coffee was routinely filled so the thermos had plenty of coffee during the breakfast hours.

The restaurant was not open at all in the evenings--apparently a victim of the temporary labor shortage impacting most businesses. There is a restaurant just across the parking lot which is convenient and the hotel is a short drive from the St. John's Town Center which had numerous restaurants available.

The TV worked well and is a large, flat screen. It is run by Dish. We received the major networks for a short time on the first stay but these channels were removed for some reason partway through that stay. They were still absent on the second stay. Fox News was available as well as a number of other channels and reception was very good.

The location is hard to beat. The hotel was quite full on Saturday night on both occasions when we were there so the noise level went up as football fans gathered to watch the Jacksonville Jaguars play on Sunday.

Overall, the stay was pleasant and we would return...