For having such a stellar location in downtown Seattle, the renowned Hilton hotel chain has not delivered the goods at this one. I got one of the cheaper rooms but for what I paid, I could have expected much more. I stayed for 2 nights on a weekend trip to Seattle from San Diego. I went there for pleasure and college-hunting. It was my first time in Seattle. My trip was made in January of 2001.

The hotel entrance is actually not the lobby. You have to take the elevator to the 13th floor. The entrance level has a little gift shop and a car rental desk. The doorman was there when I first arrived and on one other occasion when I was stepping out for the evening (during which he was nowhere near the door to open it for me). All other times, he was nowhere to be seen. The lobby staff was generally courteous but nothing special. In the room next to the lobby desk is a bar and lounge. The room is decorated with classic touches. Several couches spread about with some reading material. A nice big fireplace lights up the room well. Cream colors and wooden finishes make up a classy environment that's not stuffy but comfortable and warm. Behind the bar, a television is on with sports. Overall quiet and not busy at all. There is a restaurant on the top floor of the hotel. I had a lunch there one time because a 15% discount card was given when I checked in. The food was pretty good; the menu was classy. The restaurant featured a clear view of the north side. Not too shabby. Service was excellent.

The room was decent. Again, lots of cream colors. The standard Hilton design, I suppose. Lighting was very nice. Along a couple lamps were ceiling lights that accented the entrance and window. I had problems with the cable. I only got about 5 channels. I called the front desk and they offered to send someone up but I declined. I very much doubted it was a problem with the connection or television, itself. There was complimentary coffee and tea, but the mini bar was unavailable. The little fridge was there but it was empty. The bathroom was pretty nice. Amenities were by Neutrogena. The biggest problem I had was with the bedding. The blankets were old and full of fuzz balls (which really irks me personally). The fabric of the top blanket had a texture that also bothered me - maybe it's just me? It just did not feel very clean. And the biggest irk was with the pillows. They just smelled awful. They didn't have any overpowering stench or anything but they smelled of someone's head, like they hadn't been cleaned. I had to sleep with a towel on the pillows.

I cannot recommend this Hilton. If you really love the Hilton chain, perhaps you could try the one at the airport or in nearby neighborhood, Bellevue. Unless you can put out the cash for a suite, which I'm sure has cleaner sheets!

***You might also want to check out my review for the W Hotel in Seattle downtown. Very positive!***

Recommended: No