Homewood Suites by Hilton Wallingford-Meriden — Hotel in Wallingford

Lovely, thoughtfully appointed, and warmly welcoming, the Homewood Suites provided me with the familiar comforts of home during a week long work trip.

Having stayed at many other homewoods in the past, I had a general expectation that this would be a solid choice as my home away from home for a week. Most hotels are ok for a day or two but not designed for much more than that, and become quite uncomfortable with the more time you spend. Previous experience informed my choice to book this for my stay.

I am glad I did. Homewood suites work hard to ensure their guests feel at home. The attention to details is what makes this such a standout. Not only for business travelers, Homewoods are expertly curated to provide comfort to all who stay, from vacationing families who arrive with smiles and an air of excitement to those who find themselves suddenly in need of an extended stay situation following an unexpected disaster event, or faced with unforseen housing issues, who arrive tired, needing showers or a quick meal, and a quiet room. The check-in process and superbly trained front desk staff will have you checked in quickly, as they provide you with all key hotel information, such as accessing the pool and gym, their operating hours,directions to the business center, elevators, suite shop and your guest rooms all with a well skilled discretion, the standard check-in is quick and simple, but if even that is too much for you, Homewood also offers self check-in through the Hilton honors app. Meaning you can pick what room you want from those available, and with the tap of your phone screen turn your smart phone into your room key, and simply access the building from any exterior door, using your phone key to gain entry and head straight to your room without ever needing to wade through the lobby, fo through the motions of small talk or any talk for that matter.

The elevators are quiet and clean. Rooms are thoughtfully equipped, offering the option of an oversized studio or a two room suite.

I was traveling solo for work, so I opted for the studio which provides a clearly defined separation of each space; designed for sleeping, working, relaxing, eating, dressing/bathing.

A full size refrigerator is provided in the smartly outfitted, compact kitchen.

Having a kitchen provides many options for food preparation and avoid eating a week of takeout for breakfast lunch and dinner, helping to keep me feeling my best while being away from home all week

I appreciate it is not just the suggestion of a kitchen area, but a real, functional, space to prep, cook and store ingredients for making my own meals. In addition to the fridge, the studio kitchen offered a full size microwave that was mounted above a two burner gas range cook top, you also have a Keurig style hot beverage system and a variety of coffee and tea products are stocked along with creamers and an assortment of sweeteners, several cabinets above and below the counter contain a selection of dinnerware, some basic serving dishes, glassware, a few storage containers, pots and pans, a skillet and a griddle, and a compact but highly efficient automatic dishwasher, providing a smart use of a small space. An open living space with work desk, sofa, combo coffee table/ foot rest, and a huge console with storage drawers holds a 65inch tv.

The work/sitting area gives room to spread out making yourself at home, while the other side of the room is equipped as a sleeping area.

Despite this corner areas size, it feels spacious despite the huge California King bed filling most of this area. Various table and floor lamps provide good light, and may be dimmed or even blacked out for sleep. The immaculate bathroom is stocked with soft towels and face cloths, wall dispensers of luxe bath products reduce waste and provide a generous amount of product, allowing me to use just what I needed.

bathroom doubles as a dressing room. A closet complete with safe, iron, ironing board & dozens of wood hangars to organize my clothing is hidden behind...

I wish I could give this hotel 0 star. This is my first negative review in my life. I booked this hotel last July for 3 days for my daughter’s graduation at Yale for the mid of May, and I booked it at a government rate. Since I never used government rate with Hilton, I called the customer support to confirm that I only need to show my government employee id.

I was surprised that I got a very unfriendly call 10 days before the graduation. I was asked if I have a letter. (What letter???) Apparently, a letter has to be presented from CT government to indicate this is a business trip. Otherwise, I have to pay 3 times more! I almost fainted when I heard the news since I couldn’t find any available hotels around that area so close to graduation date. I called the Hilton customer support again to ask if I need a letter from CT government. The answer was NO, and I only need to show my id. The next day I dealt with the manager of the hotel. I stated that I called Hilton customer support before I made the reservation and the day before, and I was told that I don’t need a letter. She said this is the particular policy from her hotel. Since the policy was not listed on her website, how would I know that? If they have that particular policy, why didn’t they call me when they received my reservation last July? She sent 4 emails to me that day to push me to cancel the reservation. That brought a question to mind that somebody else wanted my room and the management was trying to free up my reservation. I then asked about the non-government rate that they offered last July, but she said that the rate was never that low. I immediately sent her an attachment for the same rate they offered at different dates. I felt like I wasn’t dealing with a hotel manager; she was very unprofessional. The funny thing is she offered the AAA discount to me without asking if I am an AAA member. I am not an AAA member, but she gave me the AAA discount. I am a government employee, but I couldn’t have government employee discount. What a joke!

For the following week, I dealt with different Hilton specialists to solve my issue. Each time, the email was sent to me 2 days later since they have 72 hours response window frame. My issue wasn’t solved by the day of my daughter’s graduation. I had to cancel the reservation. I was lucky enough to find a nice hotel near Yale at the last minute. I just want other people to be aware of this hotel, and they DO NOT deserve this high ranking! I wish my review would be an alert to their upper...

I found the hotel room to be subpar at best. The kitchen had pet hairs and crumbs on the floor upon checking in. The manager was nice enough to come in and vacuum which was much appreciated, but in light of current events, and the hotels Covid protocol, the staff is not turning over rooms as often as before, which l assume would mean less work for them, so there's no reason why the room should not have been cleaned.

There were questionable stains on the living room curtains as well as the fitted sheet.

The sham which is supposed to lay in between the box spring and mattress was actually laying on top of the flat sheet.

The king bed only had 3 pillows, maybe their setup is different but l'm accustomed to their typically being 4 for a king.

Typically in the closet you will find extra pillows and a blanket for the living room pull out bed. There was nothing!!

There was no complimentary dish soap to wash the plates and cutlery.

I found out upon checking in due to Covid they suspended the hot breakfast buffet, pool, and gym amenities which is fine, but can't that at least be reflected in the price or maybe they could offer something more than a muffin and an orange. I'd also suggest noting the suspended services on the website or prior to booking because had l known that l might have chosen a different accommodation option.

Lastly, l found two questionable bugs in my room that looked an awful lot like roaches.

I cut my trip a day early l was so dissatisfied. Final verdict, l will never stay at a Homewood Suites again, but formulate your own opinion as my experience appears to be the exception. Many other people haven given this facility...