Hotel Review: Hilton Garden Inn Napa
Most Hilton Garden Inn’s aren’t my first choice when it comes to hotels. The Hilton Garden Inn Napa is a pleasant exception though.
I had been searching for a hotel room in Napa, and everything was expensive or sold out. It was Nascar weekend, which I didn’t figure out until I was already there. I finally selected the Hilton Garden Inn in Napa which had a best available rate of a high $259, so redeeming 60,000 points was a good choice for me. No king rooms were available for booking on the website so I booked two Queens, called Hilton Reservations and they were able to call the hotel and confirm a King.
Once at the check-in desk though, the hostess said she was sorry but there were no King beds available. I told her I had talked with someone at reservations that said she had been able to confirm a King, but the agent was only able to find a notation for a King request. I quickly checked online for the Marriott next door to see if they had availability on points but they were sold out.
I requested to speak with the manager to see if there were any other options, and she was apologetic that the reservation hadn’t gotten entered the way we had hoped. After checking her system carefully, she was able to find a King room. It was much appreciated, as I really didn’t want to have two Queen beds.
The room she assigned me was on the 3rd floor, and turned out to be a really nice suite.
Room layout
The sitting room was decorated with pleasant colors and artwork. I think when I opened the door I actually said, “wow this is nice” in a surprised tone.
Sitting room
Desk
Before opening the door I had seen a doorbell that had a sign that it was an accessible room. I don’t care for room with roll-in showers but prepared myself since I was grateful to be getting a room with a King bed.
Peering in the bathroom door I saw the sink area was without a ton of counter space and no storage underneath, which seemed able accommodate a wheelchair. The wall next to the toilet had a roll bar.
Bathroom
Amenities
The shower though, left me stumped. It wasn’t roll-in at all but had a a step in tub with handle on two sides and a shower curtain. I wondered how someone would be able to use the shower if they were in a chair. It was a nice tub with jacuzzi jets though and the shower water pressure was good.
Jacuzzi tub
Jacuzzi tub
Between the bathroom and the bedroom was a small refrigerator and a countertop. There was also a microwave, which I thought was a thoughtful addition so those bringing leftovers back to the room after wine tastings could heat it up for a later time.
Fridge
There was a small padded bench that took up some of the walkway room, so again I wondered how someone in a wheelchair would manage in this space. The bench made for a nice extra place to sit in the room other than the bed though.
Bench
The closet was just large enough to allow for a suitcase to be opened up inside.
Closet
Closet
The bed was fairly comfortable albeit a bit too soft, and had lamps shaped like bamboo shoots on each of the bedside tables.
Bed
The thermostat was above the bench, and the room was perfectly cool. The air conditioning panel in the corner by the closet made a thump thump thump sound as the cover banged into the wall repeatedly but I wedged a small towel in between the metal cover and the wall and that stopped.
I actually slept pretty well, and there was no noise from any of the nearby rooms. Even some luxury properties leave something to be desired when it comes to the drapes, and that bright flashlight beam of light in the early morning is annoying. The drapes closed completely in this room which blocked the outside light.
In the morning I went down to the lobby to the breakfast area where breakfast was served. On the way down I saw a sign that encouraged guests to follow the hotel on Twitter or Facebook and offered a bottle of wine to anyone that did. Interesting, since you can “boost” likes online by paying. Even if the bottle of wine was $7, it was more expensive than paying online which suggested to me that they really wanted their frequent visitors to take advantage of the offer.
Breakfast area
We were seated quickly and given menus. Breakfast is typically $12.95 but Hilton Diamonds receive it for free which was a great perk at this hotel.
Breakfast menu
The crepes are a standout at this breakfast, but there was a lot to choose from.
Menu board
Even though there were just a handful of crepe options on the board and menu, the server mentioned that the chef was happy to make any sort of crepe that I wanted. All I had to do was choose what I wanted inside, and could choose any side as well.
Crepe
My crepe came out quickly, and had lacy edges that were just slightly crunchy as I had requested.
This hotel was a great choice for my stay. I appreciated that the manager actually worked to find a room with a King to fit my original request, rather than just saying there weren’t any King beds without even checking. The breakfast was great, the staff was friendly and the room was quiet. The hotel is located a few exits away from the downtown area which makes it also close to the freeway for easy access, but not so close that you hear any noise. The lobby also offered fruit flavored water and cookies throughout the day.
If this property had upgraded beds and linens, I would really consider this to be a more of a boutique hotel than a standard hotel.
Hilton HHonors category 7. 60,000 points needed for a free night.
