We were really looking forward to our stay, especially as we generally have great experiences with Hilton properties. Unfortunately, this stay was extremely disappointing from start to finish.
When we arrived, we entered through the hotel’s underground parking entrance, where three police cars were parked and a stolen vehicle was sitting at the main entrance. We then waited around 10 minutes just to park. When we finally went to check in, our room still wasn’t ready, so we left our bags with the bellhop and went out for the Niagara boat ride.
When we returned, we checked in and were given a Fallsview room on the 31st floor. Unfortunately, the room smelled absolutely awful — extremely musty and strongly of dirty feet. On top of that, it was not the room we had booked. We had specifically booked a Canadian Fallsview Corner Two Queen room with a jacuzzi, but were given a US Fallsview Two Queen room without a jacuzzi.
We went back down to the lobby to complain, and thankfully, we were eventually moved into the correct room on the same floor. The smell was slightly better, but it was still noticeable. While the view was excellent, the room itself was visibly dirty and felt like it desperately needed updating.
Another issue was the bottled water. At $5 CAD per bottle, it is incredibly disappointing that water isn’t complimentary unless you have a high status within the hotel’s loyalty program. Just last week, we stayed at Hilton Toronto Downtown, where the water was complimentary, the room was clean, and the overall experience was excellent. The difference between the two properties was huge.
The pool was relatively clean, but it smelled overwhelmingly of chlorine and was not the rooftop pool we had expected. The restaurant with the Falls view was also disappointing. It smelled strongly of grease, looked outdated, and was completely full when we tried to visit.
Overall, the entire hotel feels like it desperately needs renovation. It seems as though most of the money has been spent making the lobby look impressive, while the rooms and other facilities have been neglected.
The only real positive was the location and the Falls view.
I usually love staying at Hilton properties, and we have had some fantastic experiences in the past, but unfortunately, I cannot recommend this hotel and would not stay here again.
