Hilton Garden Inn Richmond Innsbrook — Hotel in Short Pump

On January 15th, I checked into Hilton Garden Inn Richmond Innsbrook. This hotel is located at 4050 Cox Road Glen Allen, VA 23060. It was the worst hotel stay I have ever experienced. I have stayed in a 2-star hotel that was cleaner and offered better service. I was highly disappointed. I was in town for a cheerleading competition and decided to stay at the Hilton Garden Inn Richmond Innsbrook. I have previously visited several Hilton timeshares and wanted to start using Hilton for all my hotel visits. The check-in process went beautifully. I was checked in by a young lady named Nella. My sister is a diamond member and our rooms were ready, so Nella let us check in early. She was even nice enough to make sure our rooms were close to one another and on the same floor. I checked into room 616, dropped my things off, and left for the competition. I had been up since 4:00 am and I was very tired. I checked in to the first room around 2:00 pm and I did not return until a little after 9:00 pm. I needed to get a good night's sleep before my long car ride back to Florida. I opened my luggage and took a shower. Once I stepped out of the shower, I saw a bug crawling on the nightstand right next to my bed. I knew I would not get a good night's sleep thinking about the possibility of more bugs being in my room, so I went downstairs to request a new room. My request for a new room was accommodated and I was moved to room 316. Once I arrived at 316, I started to look around to make sure there were no bugs by my bed. What I discovered was a lot worse. The room was not clean and was downright filthy. The bed had dirty linens with stains and marks as if it had not been washed. The blanket was also stained and had not been washed. It looked like old make-up stains and old body secretions. When I saw the bathroom, the tub had old mushed soap left from the previous guest, behind the television looked like old ice cream stains or leftover ice cream itself, and the door had old fingerprints and food left from the previous occupants. I was surprised they would offer this room to a paying guest and a room that had clearly not been cleaned. I again requested a different room and to my surprise, I was told there were no more rooms available. A young man came to my room to check on my concerns. He tried to explain away the filth and told me housekeeping only comes every other day because of COVID. I asked him if this is what I am to expect from a Hilton hotel that costs me $173.16 per night. He then proceeded to tell me I don't know what you expect. I further questioned what could be done, as this level of filth is completely unacceptable even pre-COVID. I requested some new linens, a new blanket, and some disinfectant to clean the room. Only after he explained no one could come clean this filthy room and did not offer any solutions or actual assistance. At that point, I was given Lysol wipes, new sheets that had a hole in the corner, and a ripped comforter. I was told that this was all they had at the time due to housekeeping coming every other day due to Covid. I do realize we are in a pandemic, but this is unacceptable. I was tasked with cleaning the room myself and ensuring things were not only clean but safe and sanitized. I asked to speak with a manager, but the young man stated that there was no one to speak to and none were on the premises and I could speak to the manager the next day. I asked if one could be called, as this experience is appalling. He again stated he could not call anyone and I could wait for him to arrive tomorrow at 6:00 am or call anytime after that. He said he would speak to the manager about this issue and request a full refund on my behalf because he agreed the room was not clean. Once I was finished changing my bed and cleaning the room, I did not get to sleep until a little after midnight. To date, I have not heard back from anyone. SHAMEFUL... Do not stay there if you value...

Currently here staying from 12/28/24 - 12/31/24. Hotel needs some major updates and repairs beginning with Carpet throughout the entire hotel. There are gross stains everywhere! I am here with my 5 year old who brought a bunch of new Christmas toys. I requested a luggage cart upon arrival because its just she and I and I couldn't carry everything on my own. Unfortunately none of the elevators are working and they put us on the 3rd floor. I advised the front desk person once the cart arrived that actually it will do no good since the elevators aren't working. A mean looking man (the manager??) jumped in asking what was my issue and when I told him, he called someone on the phone and an elderly man (maintenance?) Came to help me which made me feel horrible for making him help me.. They currently have signs pointing to where to go to access the stairs for guests which is out a side door of the hotel. It says you need your room key to get in, but you don't. Anyone could come in. Also, I'm pretty sure a drug addict and/or homeless man was hanging around outside the hotel earlier. He asked someone who was smoking outside for a lighter and when they gave it to him he claimed it was due to it being windy but went over to the corner, crouched down where some trashcans were to light something. It wasn't a cigarette because he was back a few seconds later and was not smoking a cigarette. Not sure what he was lighting crouched over in the corner. Again... I have my 5 year old with me. It was scary and also gross. Everytime we venture down those stairs we either encounter some scary person or someone comes barreling through the door scaring the crap out of us. I am a local person. I came here so that my daughter and I could get away from an abusive situation (using hotel.com giftcards that were given to me as a gift) and to finally relax and to figure out what my next move should be. 😭 Instead I have felt like I can't relax. The reviews on hotel.com were not accurate. For innsbrook/short pump this is not ok. No one came to clean the room even though I requested it at check in which means we have no new towels for the pool (which has been the one thing my daughter has enjoyed). I don't understand. You'd think the Hilton could afford 1. To fix the elevators more quickly. 2. To replace the gross carpet. 3. To make sure the breakfast eggs don't taste like dish liquid and 4. To provide ice for drinks in the restaurant downstairs. I had to go to the 2nd floor. This is NOT ok. So disappointed and wished I'd used my giftcards for another, nicer,...

I am a Hilton Honors Gold member with many years of experience with the brand. I recently stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn in Richmond, VA, on a round trip to Florence, SC relocating one of my Daughters. We were towing a U-Haul Trailer. I can attest to adequate parking for 33ft vehicles or truck & trailer.

Check-in was simple, but my profile cc had to be charged manually. I was thanked for being a Gold Hilton Honors member and received the obligatory complimentary water, LOL. The property was an older one, and it showed. It was clean but worn. On arrival in my room, I noticed the property did not seem to be using the Hilton CleanStay seals on the doors. We stayed in a double queen room. I traveled with my daughter and 18-year-old son and was told when we requested a rollaway bed that it was not permitted in double queens. This must be a local ordinance.

My Daughter was also relocating her two cats so we had to pay an additional fee for them to sleep in their carrier. I expected this so have no complaints in that regard. If traveling make sure to ask the hotel in advance if pets are allowed and take note of the extra charge. The room and bedding were clean, and the front desk provided extra bedding for my son, who slept on the floor. They did so only if we agreed to come to pick it up at the front desk.

Overall this was on the low end of my Hilton Garden Inn experiences, and we decided to stay at the Embassy Suites Richmond on the way back. As it turns out, that was no improvement.

On a related note… We had decided to dine out knowing in advance that the restaurant and breakfast would not be available due to Covid. I tried to get an Uber with no luck, so I asked the front desk to call a cab. I am a seasoned business traveler, so I really should know better. I got my taxi, but the driver kept a black cover over the meter. Fortunately, he charged me what the Uber estimate was. I tipped him well and arranged for a return pickup. The return charge, “just pay me the same as before,” tip and all. I was too tired to argue. Many hotels, including this one, seem to have agreements with local unlicensed taxi drivers. It’s better to do the leg...