Tru by Hilton Sebring — Hotel in Sebring

This is a difficult review to write, mostly because the experience was so unique. First the good things: The staff was pleasant, helpful, cheerful, and considerate to the extreme. Best overall front desk experience we've enjoyed in awhile. The room was spotlessly clean, including the linens, bathroom, floors and countertops. The King bed was comfortable and the pillows were fluffy and soft. The TV was amazing; probably close to 70" and crystal clear. Solid five star experience on the basics for a room. That said, while the rest of the experience may not be disappointing to some, it just wasn't what we were expecting from a Hilton hotel. Our first impression was a European hostel room upon opening the door; a 90 degree metal pipe from the ceiling to the wall served as our "closet", along with several metal pegs on the opposing entryway wall. The desk was metal framed and very compact, probably no more than 24" wide and very reminiscent of a school desk. The space normally occupied by a dresser was a very utilitarian bench-type piece of furniture consisting of a wooden lower shelf near the floor and a cushion on half of the upper horizontal surface and a plain wooden surface on the other half; maybe a setee' and table arrangement is intended, but we used the entire thing to hold our suitcases, as we were forced to live out of them for our stay since there was nowhere else to place our clothing. The windows had a tracked roller blind to darken the room, accompanied by an attractive print roll down screen to provide a combination of light and limited privacy. The bathroom was marble with attractive flooring featuring mounted squeeze-bottle containers of shampoo, conditioner, and soap in the glass-doored shower, along with similar squeeze bottles of hand soap and hand lotion adjacent to the sink. However, a single switch controlled the entire bathroom lighting. Additional switches would have been a nice touch to provide the ability to choose either the mirror, bathroom, or shower lights to be lit, especially since many travelers enjoy leaving a small light on at night for trips to the toilet. Conversely, even a small built in light near the bathroom switch would have sufficed, but we only had the choice of total darkness or brilliant white light when nature called. My wife and I both agreed that the hotel would probably be more geared to a younger demographic, not a family with children or an older couple who are expecting a more conventional hotel room with the commonly found furnishings. If you fall into the former category, I feel certain that you would find Tru by Hilton an enjoyable place to stay for a short visit. However, for us it was a swing and a miss despite the previously aforementioned staff and cleanliness. it just wasn't our kind of place, and I'd hesitate to recommend it to anyone planning a stay longer than a...

Mechanical defects in the AC & ventilation system make this a terrible place to stay. You can't sleep! The AC units are the through the wall style and have a car like rumble when running. But a ceiling vent in the entry hall sounds like a bathroom fan times 3, but it can't be shut off!! To the owner: go after the architect and/or the AC contractor who build this. I note that quite a few other people have noted this. Do you not care? or can you not fix it? You need to fix this. We looked to move to other rooms after the first night, but all made/make a variation of the super loud fan noise. Making it worse, we were on the very noisy HWY 27 side of the building - don't stay on this side. Soundproofing apparently wasn't used. Also the alarm clock needs to be set to off by the cleaning crew when preparing for new guests. I din't set it, but it went off in the middle of the night to wake us. Further, the battery in the door lock died and we couldn't get back into our room. We had to wait 30+ minutes (after 30 min of getting new cards over and over) for a maintenance person to show up to fix it. Nice guy and nice staff. We feel sorry for them to have to work here and deal with what are going to be the same complaints constantly. Never again will we stay at a TRU and it really hurts the Hilton image. Where is Hilton Quality Assurance? The hotel is targeted towards a young demographic, but the styles, colors, etc. are cheap and childish looking. There is a Marriott Residence Inn next door and Inn on the Lake is a few block down - stay at either of these - we have and both are MUCH nicer. We should have been comped for...

Between Lake Jackson and checks notes Little Lake Jackson sits Sebring's own humble hotel on the water: Tru by Hilton. I don't stay at these Tru offerings much and they certainly aren't as widespread as some of Hilton's other portfolio offerings but I recently had my hand forced into staying here for the first time in recent memory and thought it warranted a review for other weary travelers looking for guidance. Basically, this is Hilton's foray into a Euro-style hotel. That is to say: the YMCA meets the motor hotel meets an ABBA concert. If you've stayed at budget hotels in Europe, that is what this feels like. Spartan, linonleumed floors, no frills, and furniture that reminds you of your first apartment after college. Soap and shampoo meted out by wall dispensers tacked to the walls and cold, industrial accents punctuated by warm, but synthetic (see: fake) wood grains. The hotel is relatively new, well positioned, and appears to be well maintained by professional and curtious staff. Hilton would probably tell you this hotel is designed for the young traveler on the go; more concerned about the experience and what Hilton stands for as a brand than comfort, fit, and finish. Let's be real, Hilton cut the cost to build and maintain a hotel in the 21st century while charging you about the same price as the Hampton across town. Nevermind the lack of space in the room or a comfortable desk at which to work. Hail progress, the customer is...