rev:text
| - I'm a frequent traveler and stay in Hiltons whenever I can. I decided to stay at the Biltmore because of the great rates in the summer. I have stayed at Waldorfs before and have enjoyed the comforts and amnemities they offer.
Walking into the building was unexpected because it was very dark and you had to find your way to the front desk which was not near the front entrance. Once your eyes adjusted, the architect is wonderful. I wish that the lighting was brighter to fully enjoy the it. Wright was a genius in design. Once at the desk, there was only one person and a long line of people. I'm a Hilton Diamond member and use to not waiting. In the other Waldorfs there is a separate area for Hilton Honor members and they have everything ready for your arrival. So after waiting in line for 30 minutes it was my turn to check in. The desk attendant was friendly and helpful. She gave me a map of the property and instructions on where to park my car and how to get to my room. This is where the hotel gets my 2 star rating. I like to park in self parking since as I said before I don't like to wait. Sometimes valet service can be busy. Well, the self parking lot was a distance from my room. I had a room in the Terrace building which is in the far back of the hotel. There is no parking anywhere but in the front of the hotel for valet and the self parking. Walking from the parking lot to my room in 110 degree weather was not my idea of fun or relaxing. The map that I was given has all the buildings but it doesn't have the walkways. The signs on the property are not very helpful. Walkways split and they don't always have signs where to go. If you choose the wrong direction you end up at a deadend. These are not deadends in which you can just walk across the grass to get on another path. They are deadends that come to a side of a building, fence or ravine. The whole time I'm walking around, I never see a hotel staff member. I finally find my building and get on the elevator. The elevator has no air conditioning and I have just entered an oven. Now I'm thinking, why didn't I just stay at the Hampton Inn. The room was ok. Nothing special, not any different than a Hampton. The furniture was old but everything was neat and appeared clean. I go to plug in my Ipad and computer to find that there are very few electrical plugs and many of them don't even work. Thank goodness I travel with an extension cord (frequent traveler). The air conditioner control is one of the old kind and I could never get it set so the room was a comfortable temperature. It was either too cold or too warm. I was constantly getting up to adjusted it. The bed was comfortable but when I woke in the morning, the first thing I see is an ant crawling across the sheet. Ok, its just an ant, it could be worse. I go into the bathroom to find more ants (call to front desk). The shower doesn't drain correctly and minor housekeeping issues creep up.
One thing I did like was the food. It was very good. I'm not a food person, I eat because I have too so I'm very picky. But the food was great. I recommend the Mega Grilled Cheese. Its a heart attack waiting to happen but it was great. UPDATE: I guess it depends on when you order food. I had the Mega Grilled Cheese for lunch and it was awful. The bacon wasn't cooked and the cheese wasn't heated enough to even melt.
If I was paying regular winter rates I would of checked out. The grounds, pool and food are great but the inconveniences, lack of service and bad upkeep of the rooms will keep me from returning.
|