Brand new Hilton Suites Dallas North - Great Hotel W/O
Written: Apr 14 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Superb staff for the most part. Brand-new and spacious suites.
Cons: Some growing pains
The Bottom Line: Incredible effort put into training and selecting staff. Great conflict resolution experience. Terrific rooms. Better for business than family travel.
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| pilotpat's Full Review: Hilton Suites Dallas North |
Living a couple hours outside of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, my family and I make several trips a year to the area, both to enjoy the attractions (such as the Excellent Fort Worth Zoo and Museum) and to drop-off/pick-up people at the airports.
Usually, we stay in one of the many Embassy Suites in the area. Traveling with small kids, we've found very few substitutes. The second room allows us to put the kids in bed at 8 and still be able to stay up by ourselves and talk or watch a movie. The included hot breakfast is a huge benefit as well when you're feeding a family.
However, while I was making my reservations on the Hilton HHonors website, I noticed that there were some promotions, including double points and a rate similar to the nearby Embassy Suites Galleria, for the new Hilton Suites Dallas North property near the Galleria. So I made a call to their local desk. Having never stayed at a Hilton Suites (and knowing that hotels with the generic Hilton name on them vary widely), I had three primary questions I needed to ask that I couldn't figure out via their website.
1. Are there doors between the rooms? Too many hotels that bill themselves as "suites" in fact only have a small half-wall divider to separate the "rooms." A door to close is imperative in our book - the kids just won't go to sleep if they can see us, plus there's other niceties about the privacy...
2. Is breakfast included, and what kind of breakfast is it? For two adults and two kids, I figure a hot breakfast on the road will run in the $30 range. Add in the convenience of being able to run back up to the room to brush teeth and clean the kids up afterwards, and it's even a better deal.
3. Is the pool indoors? Yes this is Texas, but it was mid-winter, and a promise of a swim or two goes a long way to motivate and excite young kids on a long drive. Would hate to make that promise only to have to tell them the pool wasn't open.
The man who I talked to on the phone was quite courteous and helpful and informed me that the answers were "yes," "yes, a hot breakfast buffet for HHonors VIP members," and "yes." Good enough for me.
RESERVATIONS
After finding out that there was no better deal was available on the phone vs. the website, I decided to make my reservations online because it was easier to do and I got bonus HHonors points. If you've ever used the site, you know it's relatively easy although the room/rate descriptions are often cryptic. We reserved a standard suite with two double beds, and put a request for a crib into the remarks.
LOCATION
The hotel is located slightly off the Tollway and just North of the huge Dallas Galleria mall. Perfectly located for power shoppers, this might not be the best location if you have an early morning DFW flight, as the drive can be about 30 minutes, depending on traffic. Dallas Love, on the other hand, is only 7 miles away. The drives to Dallas Market Center, the stadiums, and the State Fair, are quick and direct.
ARRIVAL
The hotel is modern looking (should be - it's quite new) and has a covered entryway. The parking lot was quite empty (it was a weekend, and this hotel caters primarily to business travelers), and the doorman met me with a cheerful greeting at our vehicle and asked if I wished him to valet park us. Since the self-parking area was empty and only a few yards away, I decided to park myself after we checked in. He then offered to take in our bags. However, we only had 3, and the 2 kids always want to roll a suitcase themselves (the youngest with a bit of help), so we refused again. Instead, he escorted us through the spacious and well-lit lobby to the front desk and introduced us to the check-in clerk. It is hard to put this into words, but it was just incredibly obvious that the doorman was not only well-picked, but extremely well trained. I have seen much poorer customer service attitude and training in much more expensive and "High class" hotels.
CHECK-IN
Check-in was friendly and efficient. I received a code to use to get my vehicle out of the parking lot gate ($10/night parking fee). Along with my key, I was given a room number on the concierge floor to go for our breakfast the next morning (odd, I thought, with the restaurant on the lobby floor). The desk clerk noticed that we had requested a crib and said one would be up momentarily. The doorman again asked if we needed our bags brought to our room, and since we did not, he went to get housekeeping to fetch the crib, which later turned out to be one of those nice folding "port-a-cribs" instead of the cheap creaky ones you normally get at a hotel. The elevator is glassed fronted (another popular hit with the kids) and silent (a hit with the grownups since our room was near the elevator)
ROOM
The rooms were as advertised. The entry door opened to a large living room. The bar had a sink, small fridge, and microwave. The entertainment center opened to reveal a minibar with glasses and a large TV with cable/PPV/nintendo/local info/WebTV. The couch and lounge chair were both convertible into beds. A round table near the bar had upholstered chairs, and the desk on the other side had a comfortable chair, convenient electrical outlets, a phone with dataport, and ethernet connections. I did not use these connections - this was a vacation! Heat/AC was controlled by a guest-adjustable electronic thermostat. Not much of a view out the large windows - just metro Dallas.
At the end of the room on the right was a door that opened into the bedroom. This was relatively small for 2 double beds - about 2/3 the size of the other room since 1/3 was devoted to the bathroom space. The beds were comfortable with clean and comfortable linens and pillows. The room had large windows like the other room and a slightly smaller replica of the other entertainment center, with a slightly smaller TV with all the same functions. The center nightstand had another phone with dataport.
The bathroom opened to both the bedroom and living room and was well-lit, modern, and clean. The standard free Hilton-labeled shampoo/conditioner/lotion/soap were provided, along with a small sewing kit, shoeshine cloth, and shower cap. The shower and bath had hot water at good pressure (6th floor). The sink featured a large mirrored wall in front of it and plenty of space to place your toiletries, and a wall-mount hairdryer. Some day, I'll have to grow my hair out long enough to use one of these. Nah.
The room was quiet, even with its proximity to the elevators. No noises disturbed us through the night from either the hotel or the city below.
POOL/FITNESS FACILITIES
The pool and fitness rooms are located on the basement level, which keeps the noise and half-naked people out of sight/earshot of the lobby and rooms. I think this is a benefit. You may think otherwise :)
The fitness center is nice and typical for a nice business hotel. A good selection of cardio equipment, with a small weight "corner" and some adequate floor space. It has glass walls that face the patio area between the fitness room and the pool. A high-mounted TV lets you watch the news while you work out.
The patio has round glass tables with metal chairs to enjoy your drinks or chat around. 4 or 5 chaise lounges let you soak in rays from the flourescent lighting or watch the scenery. The pool was vacant during both of our visits.
The pool is temperature controlled, but cool enough to do laps (if you don't mind getting dizzy with the 50+ turns I'd guess you have to do for a mile). It's not tiny for an indoor pool - about 100' x 30' is my guess.
On the other side of the pool is a long hot-tub/jaccuzzi that would allow 2-3 small groups to sit separately.
RESTAURANT/BREAKFAST
This was the only (briefly) disapppointing part of our stay. When we dressed the next morning and went to the concierge level, we discovered a small continental breakfast spread. I called the front desk and was told that since I was a Gold VIP member, not Diamond (just a couple stays away last year, I think) that's all I got, and that I should know that from my member's info packet (yeah... I read that cover-to-cover, or maybe I didn't).
I told the person at the desk (the only rude person I talked to during our stay), and he said that obviously the persons I called was misinformed, which is to be expected, she said, due to the new staff. I replied that I understood, but since I had made my reservations under a misunderstanding that was their fault, I was sure that they could make this right. She refused to help me and told me I could talk to the concierge who would not be in for an hour. I decided to walk downstairs and talk to the manager - I've learned that arguing gets very little done, and losing your temper gets even less (see my review, Travel Tips, for more on that).
The manager was very polite and I recognized evidence of obvious Carnegie (or similarly) training. She was obviously prepared to difuse conflict, but did not show up with a chip on her shoulder. She invited me to another area so that we could sit down in two comfortable chairs. After a short discussion, she apologized for the misunderstanding and her staff member's rudeness and said she would get coupons for 4 complimentary hot breakfast buffets at their restaurant, which she delivered to our room a few minutes later. Well done. The breakfast was nice as well and the staff at the restaurant were marvelous and each went out of their way to talk to the kids, which was a nice touch.
OVERALL
I was very impressed by the quality of this hotel, and especially the quality of the majority of its staff. The one disappointment based on some growing pains with a new staff was handled in an extremely professional way. If I return with the kids, however, I will probably stay at an Embassy Suites instead. For business travel, I would make this a top choice.
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Recommended:
Yes
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pilotpat
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Member: Pat
Location: World Traveler
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