The Exchange Sacramento, Curio Collection by Hilton — Hotel in Sacramento

Preface: I rarely write reviews and the 5 or 6 times I have, it’s because a business not only exceeded my expectations but exceeded the industry standard - and the Exchange Sacramento did just that.

Summary: I’ve stayed here twice and each time I’ve been impressed by the level of cleanliness, friendly staff, modern amenities, and well thought out rooms (from the layout, attention to detail and decor choices). Traveling can be stressful, and an unsatisfying hotel can really amplify that stress. Even with nicer hotels, I just can’t wait to leave - but the Exchange Sacramento is an outlier – from the moment I pull up to valet through my entire stay, I feel relaxed and taken care of. Overall A+.

The Room: The room and bathroom are clean, modern and beautiful with a lux feel. Somehow both maximalist and minimalist. High ceilings, perfectly sized furniture (doesn’t feel crowded or have an awkward emptiness), the pillows are perfection, and the bed is a dream. All in-room consumables are quality brands like Korres body wash, Peets coffee and Keurig coffee maker. Attention to detail includes tv being framed with gold/mahogany to match the color scheme of the room, coffee station and fridge tucked away yet perfectly accessible for a clutter free look, steamer instead of an iron (THANK YOU), ‘makeup’ wash cloth, shoe buffer, ‘vanity kit’, robes and dimming lights. Everything is just right and I feel like no matter what I forgot, the Exchange can help me handle it.

Hotel Building/Exterior: First, for those complaining about the street noise, 1) this is a historic building built in 1914, and 2) this is a boutique hotel in the heart of downtown Sacramento. It’s unreasonable to expected soundproof walls or rooms without a wall facing the street from this hotel type/location. Second, I had a room on the 4th floor during my 1st stay, a corner room facing Jst and 4th st during my 2nd stay and had no real issue with noise – the blackout curtains seem to double as noise reducing. But if you’re a light/sensitive sleeper, might need white noise. Third, the building is gorgeous - they did an excellent job retaining the charm/style of the original architecture with a high quality renovation. Everything is so clean and beautiful it’s easy to forget this is a 110 year old building.

Food: Ironically work on the restaurant began a couple days before my 1st stay and ended just a couple days after my 2nd stay BUT they still offered breakfast and dinner from a local restaurant. I ordered breakfast twice and each time it arrived at my door fast and hot. Reception also has a selection of snacks, drinks, wine and misc. items for purchase.

Location: The location is perfect. Steps away from the old waterfront, DOCO, restaurants/shopping, 2 blocks from freeway ramps, and yet somehow avoides the less savory pockets of dt Sacramento. Super walkable.

Staff: Every single employee I interacted with was friendly, professional, knowledgeable and quick to help with whatever question or request I had. Clearly the owners and management have done an A+ job in hiring and training.

Hilton Rewards Member: I received an upgraded room without asking during both stays, and on my 2nd stay, I had a mini box of Ginger Elizabeth chocolates and a Panna bottled water waiting for me in my room alongside a sealed envelope with my name on the front and a signed card inside. Out of the 40 or so Hiltons I’ve stayed at in the past couple years, only 2 have provided this kind of member welcome experience.

My Hotel Background: I work for an international company, and have family all over so I travel a lot. I’m also a diamond member so I’m also pretty familiar with...

The Good:

-Great location near DOCO and Golden 1 Center

-Beautifully appointed and restored common areas with original architecture

The Bad:

-Lack of privacy due to broken curtains in room 106 people and adjacent windows could see into our bedroom.

-Bad communication between front desk teams. After check-in I advised the front desk of the broken curtain closing system, but after returning 3 hours later the curtains still weren’t fixed and the new front desk team didn’t know of the issue. The new front desk team found that the switch (white box) was missing. We left for another 3 hours and received a text message from the front desk that we would be moved to room 102 when we returned. Upon returning, however, we were told that room 102 was no longer vacant and would have to move to room 221.

-Exceptionally small and cold rooms. After moving to what we hoped was our final room (# 221) for the night (it was now 10:30pm), we found the room much smaller than our original room 106, with just enough room to move around the bed. The thermostat in the room read 58 degrees, and would likely take an hour to warm up the room to the point that we could comfortably take a shower and get ready for bed. We did request a larger room, even if I had to pay to upgrade, but we were told that all the other larger rooms would be colder and noisier than what we already had.

-Apathetic staff that didn’t seem well trained on the computer systems. I checked in online through the Hilton app, but upon arriving I was told that there was no record of my reservation under my name. I had to show that I already had an electronic key and I did in fact have a reservation. After the room change it took the front desk attendant an exceptionally long time to make the room switch. And even with all the room switching, the staff remained respectful but seemed to care little for the burden that this placed on our plans for our stay. The evening clerk was robotic and lacked warmth--hospitality is probably not her calling in life. A simple “so sorry for the inconvenience” would have gone a long way.

-Disorganized. After returning home, I received a phone call the following morning stating that my Tesla was still parked out front and they inquired when I would be picking it up. My Tesla, however, was safely in my home’s garage.

After all of the loss of time, I also lost a AMEX Hilton Aspire free night voucher for a hotel room that I never stayed in because it was marked as a late cancellation. Extremely dissatisfied,...

Let me start off by saying that I am a Hilton Gold Member. I didn't get any upgrade options for this location. Although I had some issues which I will touch on in this review, the manager, Maribel was amazing and made everything right. So that alone, knowing she values the hilton experience and attempted to make everything okay would convince me to stay here again.||This place is a place of convenience for an event at the Golden 1 arena. It is in within walking distance to everything. However, it is not kid friendly, or at least the restaurant is not. No kids menu, no alternative menu options for children. For the amount of money it costs, me and my daughter ended up splitting a breakfast and I had a coffee, when we left, i had to take her somewhere else to eat. Upon arrival, it gives older hotel, antique vibes, but when you get in the room it feels nice and cozy. I had a two queen room for me and my daughter and we enjoyed it for the night. The shower door is weird and no matter which way we attempted to move the door, water still got on the floor. ||The main issue I encountered was with parking. On the hilton website (they probably fixed it now because of my issue), it said valet was $50 or self-parking was $32. It did not mention self-park was on an off-site lot, which is connected to the shopping center. When I asked the valet, is the lot secured or monitored overnight, she said she wasn't sure. I asked where did valet park, she said on the top floor of the same lot, so its $50 for them to park your car, or $32 a day for you to park your car in the same lot that you don't know if its secure or not. So that was off putting. I ended up calling and leaving a message to the manager because I was just confused and one of the reasons I picked this hotel was for location but also because I was driving and not knowing my car would be parked in the same lot as the mall so when the mall is closed you don't know who can get to your car because it's not being monitored overnight. Maribel later explained that was not the case and they have 24/7 security, but it took me calling and having to leave a message for a manager to get a real option. ||As I said Maribel turned around my experience, and although I wouldn't necessarily stay here again with my child, I would on a solo experience or with a partner if we had an event because one thing you couldn't beat was the...