A Hilton At The Base Of Ground Zero
Written: Mar 24 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great front desk staff and some amenities...
Cons: ...but the rooms are sparse and the location may unsettle some travelers.
The Bottom Line: If the location isn't an issue, check for weekend packages or sales. The room was fair at best -- it's the location and some service that excelled.
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| Joubert's Full Review: Millenium Hilton |
To stay at the remodeled Millennium Hotel in lower Manhattan requires a sort of emotional distance from the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York. The hotel stands directly before the former site of the World Trade Center. From rooms positioned on one side of the hotel, guests have a lovely view of the bridge. The other side stars directly across the pit. Look down, and a mass grave, no matter how well dressed in the future, stares back. Raised in New York as the towers themselves rose, I experienced an exceptionally difficult time on that side of the hotel.
I finally forced myself to look...and to remember...and to say a prayer, but the experience shaped my weekend.
Installed in an upper floor suite, our bedroom's windows offered a series of views across that void. The Statue of Liberty was even visible from windows on one side of the suite, and she was a lovely sight, but as a visiting friend remarked, "You're not supposed to be able to see that from here."
The Room
The lack of accouterments in a suite in a downtown Hilton surprised me. Obvious little touches like the lack of a coffeemaker wee simply annoying while the parking was reasonably priced for the city, the service quality was certainly not at the level one expects from Hilton. We paid a $48 daily rate with no in and out privileges. That's a market rate, but as a Diamond member staying in a suite over a non-holiday weekend, I expected better. The other appliances were ordinary, there were no robes and the entire experience was simply ordinary, which is not what I expected after over 100 nights in a Hilton last year.
We booked under a "Bloomingdale's Package", which not only gave us a few small perks, but a $50 gift certificate to the fabled store. The desk clerk explained the package provided a single $50 certificate for the stay, but I heard $50 per night or $50 per person on the phone while making the reservation. How am I so confident? I booked through the Diamond hotline and then called the desk. During the reservation and confirmation, I joked with both women about the $100 total being less than the parking fee. To the hotel's everlasting credit, however, the manager on duty sent a second certificate to our room. We had previously been greeted by name with personal information on check-in so the front desk team really did its job.
We also had ample opportunity to sample room service, which was pricey, but relatively fast with decent offerings. During the Saturday portion of our stay, we used the sitting room for a series of business meetings. Fresh coffee and drinks were delivered on time while empties and trash were quickly whisked away. We also ate in the main restaurant once, which offered a solid if unspectacular dining experience.
The television and other appliances were adequate, although the television channel selection was very limited, and the suite's second set perched perilously close to the foot of the king size bed. At least the exercise room had decent equipment and an indoor swimming pool so there were some in-hotel diversions if you needed a break from the city.
The Bottom Line, Wrinkled Sheets and All
The Millennium Hilton is an adequate upscale downtown hotel with slightly inflated pricing, even for its city. The most important decision travelers must make is how close they can bear to be to Ground Zero.
Five Things To Remember From This Review
1. The Millennium Hilton is recently renovated due to the September 11 terrorist attacks.
2. The location, at the base of Ground Zero, might be unsettling for some travelers.
3. Room service was good, but expensive and could have been a little friendlier.
4. The room and its accouterments were average at best.
5. The front desk staff was world class in every interaction.
Recommended:
Yes
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