Hilton Garden Inn Destin Miramar Beach — Hotel in Miramar Beach

I recently stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn in Destin, Florida, and while the location and some amenities were wonderful, my overall experience was unfortunately overshadowed by the unprofessional and rude behavior of one staff member, Tina Campbell, who was working the front desk at the time of our check-in.

From the moment I approached the counter, I was met with unwarranted hostility. Tina rolled her eyes at me as I stood in line to check in, which I initially brushed off, wanting to enjoy the start of our trip. She informed us that our room was not yet ready and told us to return promptly at 3 PM. We followed her instructions and returned at that time, only to be met with more attitude and told—again, rudely—that our room still wasn't ready.

Thankfully, a male staff member at the front desk overheard and offered to double-check. He was helpful and courteous, and after a few moments, he confirmed that our room was in fact ready. He even kindly walked Tina through how to verify room status on the computer. She continued to scowl and made the entire interaction uncomfortable.

When she requested my card for incidentals, I handed it to her directly—yet instead of returning it the same way, she slid it across the counter, scratching it. My teenage son, visibly uncomfortable with how we were being treated, handed it back to me himself. This lack of basic courtesy continued throughout our stay. Every time we passed her at the desk, she glared at us with the same unfriendly expression, never offering a greeting, information about amenities, or anything resembling hospitality.

On the third day, we found a lost-and-found slip slid under our door. Curious, we brought it to the front desk to inquire. Instead of checking with housekeeping or even acknowledging the concern, Tina snatched the paper and dismissed it, saying, “Oh this must’ve fallen out of the maid’s pocket,” then balled it up and threw it away right in front of us. She never checked with anyone, and we were left completely in the dark about what was supposedly found.

Luckily, when it came time to check out, Tina was not at the desk, and the woman assisting us was kind, professional, and exactly what you’d expect from a Hilton employee.

Aside from that, there were a few other inconveniences:

The hallway carpet on the upper floors had a strong, unpleasant odor, like dirty feet. It may be time to consider replacing it with something more sustainable.

There were no towels available at the pool.

The bed sheets were itchy and uncomfortable, which made sleeping less enjoyable.

On a positive note, the hotel has a beautiful view from the balcony and is within walking distance to the beach, which was incredibly convenient. Every other employee we encountered was friendly and welcoming.

That said, Tina Campbell’s unprofessional behavior greatly diminished the quality of our stay. I’ve stayed at Hilton properties across the country, and I’ve never encountered service so below the brand’s standards. Her behavior was appalling, especially considering the price point of the stay. Because of this, I would not recommend this location and will likely choose a different hotel for our annual trip next year.

Overall Rating: ⭐⭐ (2/5) Being disrespected should never be part of a hotel experience, no matter how nice the view. Edited (The explanation left under this comment by said "owner" is untrue. I never requested an early check in nor did I want one as my video will show I returned when you (Tina) told me to come back so why the hostility? As I have these interactions documented on video, that I own and will easily prove what I stated in the review its easy to hear both parties and visual 4k quality. It will show everything I stated is facts, that you Tina are infact trying to cover up what happened and lie to save face. Which is disgusting. You can also see in the manner that she responded to this review that she continues to not only flat out lie but also double down on the rude behavior a simple apology for your actions would have sufficed...

We tagged along for my husband's work trip to enjoy a spontaneous little holiday and really appreciated having the extra space in the King suite with our young one as it rained all but the last day of our adventure. The room was the cleanest I have ever enjoyed. Truly. Not even one smudge or hair or anything, just so very very clean I was immediately impressed. I was likewise impressed with every staff member we interacted with over our stay. Whether it was the courteous housekeepers, the knowledgeable bartenders, or the helpful and informative front desk staff, there was never a moment to complain. Ever. Everyone was so very friendly and hospitable.

The only things we thought could use consideration were the lack of towels by the pool every time we swam (and didn't bring our own), a lockable bathroom door (it's a very cool sliding barn door style but cannot be secured), and more places to hang wet items in our room (being across the street from the beach it would stand to reason most people would have swimsuits, towels, etc. to hang up and there were only two tiny knobs in the bathroom). Lastly, if we had any true complaint, it was how extremely loud the room door opened and shut. Like a jail cell. There was no way to outsmart that. You could also see light from outside all around it so the seal wasn't true. That part wasn't a big deal, as we were at the end of the hallway so nobody going past our room. The noise of the door itself tho did limit our freedoms with a napping or sleeping child to tag team breaks outside of the room.

Other things we enjoyed were the laundry room near the gym, the big open concept closet with a great drawer/shelving combo on one side and hanging bar on the other, (the mirror does make you look about a foot shorter and wider than real life tho. Not exactly how most people want to see themselves, lol!) a really large walkin shower with glass doors, good tv channel selection, and plenty of lighting choices through the room. Shuttles to and from beach access were also a nice perk tho we never utilized it. It's really close to several great places to eat as well.

The bed was extremely firm but still comfortable, pillows were of a good variety and the linens and blanket were just fine. Plenty of outlets everywhere. Pull out couch mattress still had the plastic on it and we thought about using it for nap time but couldn't get it level, plus it literally butted up against the main bed, so just enjoyed it as a couch. Standard small hotel fridge and microwave, and a k-cup style coffee maker which we tried but ended up going across the highway to Starbucks. The layers of curtains almost provided complete darkness which was amazing....

What else can I tell you? Overall I'd give our experience a nearly perfect rating and would happily go back any time we're given another...

I usually stay in Destin at one of the following places (Embassy Suites, Sandestin Resort or the Holiday Inn Express). However, with the sudden increase in hotel prices everywhere, I had to look for an alternative in the area of my preference.|I picked the Hilton Garden Inn, because it was right down the street from my familiar, Embassy Suites.||-Outside Impression - The building looks new on the outside, although I know it has been here a few years. The parking lot is rather small, so spaces were rather sparse when I returned to it late in the evening!||-Location - The hotel is located on Scenic Gulf Drive, but you won't be seeing the Gulf of "Mexico" from it. Because there are a ton of tall condos across the street fronting the Gulf. |-Beach Access - You cannot just walk across the street, go through a parking lot of gate to reach the beach. You must either take the hotel's shuttle to the beach, or walk about 1/4 mile from the hotel, down Norwood Drive, to reach the beach. There is no parking at the beach entrance, so if you have chairs and umbrellas to bring along, it would be a pain to walk. Suggestion - Get in your car and head west down Scenic Gulf Drive, there are several beaches with parking, if you get there early enough (hint, before 930am).||-Food - There is NO complimentary breakfast buffet at this hotel. But the following restaurants can be reached with a quick walk. Such as 'big bad breakfast', 'chick-fil-a', 'waterburger', 'five guys', aegean greek restaurant, holi indian kitchen and more. If you want full-service then Carraba's is across the street, PF Changs is about one mile up the road on Hwy 98. Further down in Destin itself, there are a ton of restaurants. ||-Inside - The hotel lobby was very nice and bright, with an extremely clean and sterile look. The staff was nice as well.||-Room - It was very modern, with nice interior and furnishings. The bed was a 7 out of 10, but the pillows were so soft I couldn't find a good sleeping position. The bathroom was adequate for two people and I really liked the walk in showers. Did NOT try the wifi. ||-Overall - I was very impressed with this hotel. My only gripe was the hassle of not being able to just walk across to the beach, like I can with its sister property, the Embassy Suites. But the Embassy Suites was a lot...