Mark B.
Yelp
I wish I could say good things about this Hilton. The bed was super comfy, the room was clean. So props to housekeeping, at least.
I should note up front that I'm a Hilton Honors member, Diamond, and have stayed at a wide range of Hilton properties all over the world. That frames the context of my review and expectations.
We had come to Boston for a Valentine's Day overnight. I wanted something special, and we used a blended points/pay balance to reserve a king premium deluxe room. These are larger rooms with the best amenities. When it came time to check in, I used the app and picked my room. I usually study the floor plan in the app, and look for proximity to elevator (I don't want that), ice makers and other noise sources, etc. I also check to try to get the highest floor possible. I selected what is marked as 7079, and thought we were good.
When we got to the hotel, the first off-putting moment happened. We pulled up to what definitively looked like the entrance to the hotel. We were parked in a zone that the signs clearly indicated were "valet parking" (the only kind the hotel provides) and we got out and started to unload the car. A bell person came over in the classic doorman's coat and hat, and said, "No no, you can't park here. Are you staying here?" And we said yes, but he said, "This is not the valet, the valet is on the other side." I looked at him, the signs and entrance trying to comprehend why you would set up for navigation to lead people to a door that was clearly marked "valet", only to not have that be the case.
But we took his little map and followed it to get us around to the larger valet entrance on the other side. There we were able to get the car relinquished and get our belongings out and go check in.
Of course we were early so I had no expectations that the room would be ready, but did go to the reception to check in so they knew we were there. The room wasn't ready but would be in 40 minutes or so. So after my spouse retrieved misplaced glasses from the car with the valet, he joined me at the bar. I initially however, tried to get a table to sit at. The lobby bar and restaurant is in an open area of the lobby, and the tables were all empty but set for lunch. I went to a deuce to sit as we wanted to do some work on our laptops while we waited for the room. A lady swooped in to say I couldn't sit there, that the restaurant didn't open until noon (it was about 11:37 am). I said, well can't I still sit here and then when it opens we can order something? But she said no, we had to be at the bar, or leave.
So to the bar it was, where they had one side with the lower bar that you could sit at more like a table, and do work on a laptop. Maybe it was just the experiences stacking on top of each other, but the bartender seemed to convey an attitude of "oh bother, customers", as if we were an inconvenience. I ordered a beer and my spouse a rose sparkling wine.
The room now ready we settled and went to check in. That part went well enough and I was given the keys to room 7079, the room I had selected on the map. We went up, only to find that the room I saw on the map was apparently now renumbered 7081, and 7079 a smaller room on the other side, a short distance away (marked as 7077 on the app, and not the premium deluxe level I had paid for). People were in 7081, with the door propped open and lots of people going in and out, part of a conference event that was taking place there.
The room was good enough and I realized that trying to change or fix it was probably not going to be possible.
We went out to do things and enjoy the city and a nice Valentine's Day dinner. We returned to the room around 8:30 pm, with a lot of folks in the hall by the other room, all with conference badges around their necks, talking loudly. We went to our room and when they saw how close we were they quieted down.
For about 10 minutes.
Then it got loud again. After about 10 minutes I stepped out to ask them to be quiet, that there were other guests at the hotel, and they should go in a room if they wanted to talk; the hallway wasn't appropriate.
That lasted about another 15-20 minutes.
I messaged in the app and via Diamond text but had no response for over an hour. So we called to the front desk, and had to do so twice. Finally, after security had supposedly been dispatched 2-3 times, and telling the guests again ourselves, they quieted down around 11:30 pm, well past the conventional 10 pm "quiet hours".
Good thing we got a late check out at least, so we could sleep in and get rest.
I had hopes the Park Plaza could be our new standard hotel for Boston. But after this stay, I don't plan to return to this property ever again. You should consider other, better options too. If you DO choose to stay here, remember that the map of the floor plan is wrong.