DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Salem, Oregon — Hotel in Salem

Update they did refund us for ONE night. Appreciated But I still think my 2 star review is being kind.

It pains my heart and soul to write a negative review but I must.

We recently stayed at this hotel, and unfortunately, our experience was extremely disappointing.

Major Concerns: Undisclosed Construction & Mold Issues – Upon arrival, we were met with a hotel covered in plastic due to a mold infestation—something not mentioned anywhere on the website. No notice, no construction discount, and yet the hotel remained fully operational despite major structural work. Billing Issues & Overcharges – We booked with a sports group at a discounted rate and pretoakd $87 to hold the rooms, yet upon check-in, the hotel had no record of this. Despite providing proof, they told us to take it up with the booking company and charged our card over $450 for two nights ($100 of which was a deposit). Worse, people checking in after us were paying less for rooms booked at that moment. In total, our cost exceeded $530 for two nights at a hotel that looked half-abandoned from the outside. (assuming we get $100 despot back it will be around $430 with the overpayment they are stating they aren't responsible for) Severe Cleanliness & Safety Issues – Our first room was disgusting. I’m not usually sensitive to mess, but this was beyond neglect. Mold, broken sockets, torn furniture, old food left in the fridge, black curly hairs everywhere, filthy countertops, and construction debris scattered throughout the hotel. The bed was positioned just inches from the heater, and tools and construction materials were left unattended, creating a major safety hazard—especially for children. Overall State of the Hotel – This place needs to be shut down during renovations. Not only is it an active construction zone, but the health risks to guests and staff are alarming. Employees shouldn’t have to risk their health breathing in mold spores just to keep the hotel open. Strange & Concerning Details – • Paid WiFi – At these prices, you’d expect free internet, yet it’s an additional charge. • Sticky, Stained Carpets – In our second room, parts of the floor were so sticky that I couldn’t stop thinking about why. • Cigarette Odors – The third floor smelled like old smoke, which didn’t bother me much, but my family was gagging. • Strip Club Next Door – If that’s a perk for some, then consider it a selling point.

Positives: • The Staff’s Kindness Toward Teens – Despite the overall chaos, the employees treated the teenage guests with respect, which I appreciated. A special shoutout to the front desk woman (dark blonde hair, cute glasses)—while she couldn’t offer a discount, she genuinely tried her best within the constraints of her job. • The Pool & Hot Tub – Looked well-maintained and didn’t have the usual overpowering chlorine smell. or mildew smell. • Warm Cookies – A small but nice touch. • Nearby Entertainment – Across the street is an awesome arcade with UV mini golf and laser tag ($5 mini golf, $8 laser tag). Their pizza was great. • Clean Beds – Amidst all the filth, at least the sheets were fresh—our one safe haven in the chaos. -showers were also nice enough.

Final Verdict: Close It Down & Fix It Properly

Hilton should be ashamed to have their name on this hotel in its current state. The mold issue alone is grounds for immediate closure, not to mention the overall filth and hazards. Until this hotel completes renovations, addresses serious cleanliness concerns, and stops overcharging guests, I strongly advise avoiding it at all...

Housekeeping at this hotel is one of the top five worst I have ever experienced, and I am a Diamond member and stay almost 2.5 months a year in Hilton-branded hotels.

Upon check-in, I specifically requested daily housekeeping and the front desk staff agreed to my request. In fact, I would later find out that Jamie (amazing employee!) put notes on my room to that effect, which I later confirmed with the Diamond desk and I even saw my request on the housekeeping clipboard, so the staff knew full well of my request and chose day after day to ignore it (and no, my DND was not on my door because they love to use that as an excuse!).

Furthermore, the days that I did receive housekeeping, a manager had to physically go up to my floor and strong arm the employee to do it! In fact, because my requests were so flagrantly ignored, the Operations Manager (I believe her name was Britta) informed me she would be firm (which she did) and assured me my room would be cleaned. On Wednesday, August 21st the OM had a conversation with the housekeeper assigned to 423 (and I know she did because the housekeeper looked petrified when she saw me) and let her know that her flagrant disregard for my room was unacceptable.

Now here is where it gets to the part where this employee should be terminated. I went back up to my room and waited for my ride and the housekeeper in question knocked on my door. I ran to open it (the DND was purposely off) and even after being spoken to by the OM within the hour, this lady had the gall to turn around and walk away!!! I told her no and that I was gone for the day and I wanted my room clean. I am still in shock at the unmitigated gall of this woman to continually avoid cleaning my room even after a conversation that morning with your highest ranking manager on site.

It really is a shame that this occurred, because I plan on being in Salem once a year for the duration and because of this one employee, I will never stay at this hotel ever again. Thus, this was not merely an oversight, but a deliberate decision day after day to ignore my room. And even had I not made a request for daily housekeeping, she still would be in violation of hotel policy for stay over guests, which is a cleaning every other day.

I would like to acknowledge the Operations Manager for doing what she could to mitigate the situation, as well as Char and Jamie at the front desk, and Irene, the one and only housekeeper that at least took out my trash and gave me fresh towels on the days my room was deliberately neglected (and 423 wasn’t even assigned to her and she still did it!).

I will also acknowledge that the hotel was quiet and the pool and hot tub were meticulously clean and were enjoyable after a long day.

I also appreciate the Diamond member food and beverage credit which helped a lot since I did not have my own transportation.

But even with all of the positives, I cannot have another experience like this one. I have never, ever seen anyone go out of their way to avoid cleaning a room like the housekeeper that was assigned to room 423 on Wednesday, August 21st. I take requesting an employee termination seriously and don’t just suggest such a thing “Willy-nilly”, but this woman doesn’t deserve to have a job and people like Irene deserve to be promoted. Obviously, she doesn’t care about her job if she so flagrantly refuses to clean rooms...

I'd like to preface by saying this location is not safe. Not clean. Not quiet. I'm not judging people that are addicted or homeless but giving an honest review of a major hotel chains location and quality. DO NOT bring your children, elderly family or handicapped special needs loved ones here. Bad meth drug area. Bad homeless area. Cabernet night entertainment next door, Tent cities here in Salem as well as in Portland. Hotel is located next to a bridge where homeless addicted stay and they are heavy in this area, staying up all night, searching trash cans in the hotel parking lot, moving quickly thru pkg. lots of area businesses and restaurants in teams and with shopping carts, on bikes, etc. These people watch and survey like predators. Watch your back!! With that being said, at least one we encountered got in the hotel which has no security given the obvious activity, no police activity seen either. This man was rummaging thru recycle bin in front of our room in the hotel. Woke me up. Noise of people and slamming doors day & nite. The housekeeping room is not securely locked, tape over the latch so it doesn't lock. Remodeling hotel during our stay but no notification of this on the Hilton app, where we booked prior and already paid upon arrival. Room not clean and sawdust from what was remodeled was in corners etc and in/on areas of bathroom. Painters tape still on wall baseboards. Badly stained carpet. No coffee, hot water or water provided complimentary for guests like other locations or Hilton brands. Really tasty breakfast though! Omelets, bagels, toast, waffles, oatmeal packets & toppings, yogurt, juice, fruit, sausage, diced potatoes. There was also fruit left out overnight in the dining area in baskets. We had to be sure we pulled the entrance door securely behind us coming in each time. We entered in separately for safety. Husband going in with bags first while I kept car locked watching out. Then he come back out so we could enter together. We made sure to not leave anything in our vehicle that may be interesting to steal. We backed our vehicle up to bushes and up to entrance door under what we hoped was a working camera. We witnessed sketchy vehicle behaviors possible drug dealing. One drives up, one from back gets in front seat, then switching to bag seat, head down, handle their business, then pulling out. We've lived in these areas and have experience with these things. Shower was nice, Good pressure. Towels clean. Complimentary shampoo, conditioner, shower gel & lotion. Fridge was clean & worked well. 2 comp. Waters in our room upon arrival but that was all, we stayed a few days. Water not available or stocked up for purchase at front desk! $4 water to boot. No water in the fitness room-dispenser & cups there, but bone dry. Worked out 3 days, not a fill. Pool looked clean. We will not be back and would not recommend. Room was...