Booking Problems Created a Mess – Graduate Was Fine, Hilton Was Not
I booked the Graduate because my last stay at the nearby Hilton was disappointing and I wanted a better experience for our team. The Graduate itself was pleasant enough this time, but the trip was still frustrating because of booking issues.
I had paid for breakfast as part of my reservation, but the hotel didn’t have it in their system. I had to pull out my laptop — twice — to prove it was included. That’s an unnecessary hassle for a prepaid business trip.
The bigger issue was with my coworker who arrived the next night:
• His reservation wasn’t honored; he was sent to the Hilton at 1 a.m., the very hotel we were trying to avoid.
• His first room at the Hilton had a broken TV, then the AC stopped working.
• He was eventually downgraded to another room in even worse shape, with a leaking faucet.
For context, during my previous stay at the Hilton I also experienced problems — a broken toilet seat, a poorly maintained restroom, unpleasant hallway smells, and overall neglect. I even took photos and uploaded them to Google at the time. Knowing this, it was incredibly frustrating that my coworker had to endure the Hilton again after his Graduate booking wasn’t honored.
As the travel manager for my company, I test hotels to find reliable options for our employees. The Graduate met the mark on comfort, but the Wi-Fi was weak, and the booking issue forced us to split our team and coordinate late-night room ch