Hilton Club West 57th Street New York — Hotel in New York

The location of the Hilton Club West 57 TH street is very good. First and foremost, in relation to the wonderful Central Park, but also in relation to e.g. subway, short distance to shopping on 5 TH Avenue, for example. The room (we had a "King Studio") on the 14th floor with a view of 57th street, was also very good. We were very happy with the room itself. Very good and comfortable beds including pillows and mattresses. Everything was clean and nice, as well as a great bathroom in addition. As I see it, the cleaning staff did the best job and gave the best impression. They were both good and nice, all credit to them.

Another advantage of this hotel was that there were never problems with crowded elevators, slow elevators and long waits for elevators, as you often find in more traditional hotels in NYC. However, the lobby area was not particularly inviting and pleasant. The lobby area was small and cramped and no seating where it was possible to sit secluded to relax or to do a little work. But what was most disappointing about the hotel was the general level of service and customer service from the reception staff. My assessment is that the level of this important element is that it was far below what I expect and what I am used to. I have stayed at other more traditional hotels nearby and further down towards Times Square, where the level of service was of a slightly different caliber. Not least, I have stayed at other Hilton hotels, especially on the west coast, where the customer service was at a significantly higher level. It started already at check-in, where they initially were unable to find my booking (this was sorted out relatively quickly). When I, as politely as I could, asked if it was possible to get a "nice room a little higher up the floors", I received answer that "all our rooms are nice". I mean, when you are going to stay at the hotel for a week and pay a significant amount of money for just that: it must be possible to at least try to be a little nice to the guests? How difficult is it to say, “thank you for choosing to stay here with us, have a wonderful week here at Hilton Club”?

A little more focus on customer service and maybe a few more hours on basic staff training, would hardly hurt. Another small challenge that I experienced was about my wish for a late check-out on the day of departure. We are talking about 3-4 hours extra time beyond the normal check-out time. This was anything but easy, even though I of course made it clear that I would pay for these extra hours. I also reffered to the hotel's own policies, where it was written in black and white that late check-out is possible. But anyway, this was sorted out in a good way in the end. But not without the hotel manager having to decide about it. The manager was nice and as mentioned, this was resolved. But I think this is one of very few times in my long hotel career (as a guest) that I have experienced late check-out as a real problem.

But to summarize: the room and location were great, the cleaning staff were both nice and good, but beyond that I feel that Hilton Club West 57 TH is lacking to much in other areas. Therefore, it is important to be aware that Hilton Club is basically a slightly different concept than what you may be used to from other, more traditional hotels. This is important to be aware of BEFORE you book this hotel. I for one had not done my homework here, I had not done enough research beforehand. Therefore, there will probably be no return to the Hilton Club on my next trip to NYC, unless the hotel management convinces...

I was at home in Ohio when they called saying I "won a vacation" sigh another time share call .. we get them nearly daily usually just hang up. I was frank that we had done similar and was 100% certain we weren't going to buy. we'd talked of going to NYC together someday and the guy promised to give us this great deal .. best Hilton in nyc. basically 2 nights free. They assured me that was fine and all I was required to do was listen for 90 minutes. so we went to the time share thing and I told them I was setting the phone alarm for 90 minutes. I was skeptical they would honor their promise as we've been to others that held you 3 time the promised amount. they honored the agreement.. they gave what they promised and got us out the door in 90 minutes. So we were satisfied and thought it was well worth the 90 uncomfortable minutes. We booked an additional 2 nights at the Hilton Garden Central Park with my husbands rewards points .. couple blocks away. when I expressed we would such a hard sell they put us in the LUXURY Hilton they were showing people to try and get them to sign up for the timeshare and let me be clear it was GREAT. The other Hilton was called the central park but the 57th we could see trees from the park from our bathroom. My husband is a diamond level rewards from his work and he gets to keep the points earned so we get some free Hilton Vacations (this year 2 week in Hawaii and 2 days in NYC free). This was like no Hilton we had ever stayed at .. we semi jokingly referred to it as the Bate and switch because signing up the time share other Hiltons were not going to offer this level of luxury. They put us on the 24th floor high enough for great view and quiet stay. I don't know if all the rooms were as stately as our but our room did impress. It was huge by nyc standards. It wasn't just a suit the amount of extras was impressive. It had 2 flat screens .. one in the living room area and the other in the bedroom area. The couch in the Livingroom area was long & comfortable ... could seat 5-6 people .. immense. The king sized bed had 6 pillows with more in the closet. Let me tell ya .. the bed and the pillows were more comfortable than home .. excellent. The ceilings were higher than hotel ceiling, They even had a umbrella in our room for our use .. how thoughtful. Long desk/table in bedroom area with 2 chairs .. Fluffy soft comfy robes. The bathroom!!!!!!!!!!! Omg a great shower big enough for 3 .. 2 shower heads .. one a gentle rain shower and the tube ... I would kill to have that tub at home. I think they they call it a slipper tube .. either way it was heaven. Pristine white comfy rugs in the bathroom extra amenities. The best soaking tube ever .. and the whole length of this had floor to ceiling windows .. the view was great. The view from our tub was the city plus some trees of central park. OMG heaven. The staff were as great as the hotel. Ideal location .. super close to restaurants, shopping, central park, Broadway, Time Square. They say they don't usually put the time share people here .. they just take you on a tour of how the other half live. Usually need 2 months in advance to book it and even then it's difficult to acquire. Honestly if even 1/2 the Hiltons were this great .. I would have wanted to buy the timeshare :) Ohh I miss that bathroom and especially that tub and view. Would hate to know what they charge...

This review may not be applicable for everyone, but I think it is important to share because others may have (or be able to avoid) a similar experience.

My partner and I were considering purchasing a timeshare with Hilton. We spoke with someone when we were staying in Hawaii, and purchased a travel plan to see how the program works. We were told by the person who sold the program to us (and received a commission) that the timing could be flexible and not to worry about the expiration on the contract because customer service could extend the time for us easily. I was concerned because the timing of expiration on the contract aligned with when I was scheduled to take the bar examination after completing law school. We really wanted this trip as a celebration for completing law school and the bar. I vocalized this to the agent and they assured me it would not be a problem. However, once the contract was signed, and we spoke with the customer service agents over the phone (no longer the people trying to sell us something) we were told, rather coldly that we would have to book the trip before the expiration time or forfeit the money.

We were forced to book a whirlwind trip here in February, weeks before I am scheduled to take the bar examination, or lose the money we contributed to this "program." We were forced to go to New York because this program only allows for a three day trip at this one location (even though they advertise dozens of other locations). We previously stayed in Cabo for our first trip on this "program," which allows for a total of 7 days collectively for the credit purchased. We stayed in Cabo for four days and only had three days left under our program. Then we were told we could only stay in New York because that is the ONLY location that allows for three day stays. Absolute scam.

We were (AND ARE) extremely upset with Hilton and their abysmal customer service, but decided to make the most of the trip rather than forfeit the money we already spent. However, it was clear upon arrival that we were not high on the priority list. We already had our "pitch" regarding the possibility of purchasing a timeshare in Cabo, which we declined. Our second stay in New York had no pitch scheduled and once the staff realized we were not a possible commission, the service became laughable.

Also, we came when it was not busy, yet somehow ended up in probably one of the worst rooms possible, a courtyard room on the fourth floor, right next to the elevator. Also, this "view" of the court yard is an extremely generous statement. Upon checking in, I asked about the rooftop courtyard, and the receptionist responded, "that's for owners with a penthouse only," and made me feel like I was an idiot for even asking. Even though there are dozens of pictures on these reviews and the website showing a rooftop courtyard that looks public. So do not expect to be looking out at the city like in their picture advertisements, the view from our stay will likely be more indicative of your future experience.

Needless to say, we will not...