Hilton HHonors - Hilton Palacio del Rio

I'm attending a conference at the Hyatt in Jan. on Losoya St in San Antonio but have booked at the Placio Del Reo Hilton instead because of the Double Dip points. Any comments on this property?

Regards,
Barry

I stayed there on business a year ago. The rooms are nothing special. But the location is great. Right on the riverwalk. Easy access to the convention center and a short walk to shopping and dining. I would recommend it.

I've been there a few times and always had an HHonors level room with comfortable furnishings, a nice terraced view, work desk w/2 line phone.

Not luxury accomodations, mind you, just clean, pleasant and properly functioning (which says a lot these days, unfortunately)

The location IS wonderful and the RiverWalk makes it complete.

Hilton is a short, pretty walk to the Hyatt along the riverwalk but they drain the river and "clean" it sometime in January. Stop by Howl at the Moon for some nice quiet piano music http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

Any comments on this property or the Hampton that is about two blocks off of the Riverwalk. Thank you.

Doesn't answer your question but neat to know ... The Hilton has an interesting history as the fastest built building of it's type. All the rooms were put together off-site, down to placement of the Bibles in the drawer. The complete rooms were added on location.


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He who dies with the most miles ... is dead.

If you do a subject search for Riverwalk in the FT Community and Trip Report fora, you will find good-to-rave reviews from a FT get-together there. Can't remember when the FT event was, but sometime in the last year.

Please note: The Hampton Downtown (Riverwalk) is NOT particularly close to the riverwalk. It is advertised as 2 blocks, but is more like 7 or 8 "city" blocks.

Otehrwise, it is a typical Hampton.

Thanks for the replies and suggestions.

Is there a concierge level? In reading the hotel profile information on the web, I could not tell.

Any comments on this hotel or suggestions for which room to request? Thanks.

I don't remember the room #, but we were upgraded to a higher room that faced the river. The hotel is very nice and the staff was wonderful. Food in restaurant was excellent.

Any room with a balcony overlooking the Riverwalk is pretty nice. Be forewarned, if you are driving and you use valet parking, it is around $24 per day. Self parking is about $14 per day.

Thanks for your helpful comments and advice. Any suggestions for a good Texan BBQ? Price is not an issue.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by bamboola:
Thanks for your helpful comments and advice. Any suggestions for a good Texan BBQ? Price is not an issue.</font>

San Antonio is perhaps my favorite texan city. Because of its strong ties (and proximity) to the mexican border, you will find lots of great mexican places to eat. I don't know of any good BBQ places though, sorry http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Take a stroll down the Riverwalk. The Alamo will be nearby as well. There are also some great tours of the old Spanish missions you can go on. Just keep in mind that the weather in SA this time of the year is brutally HOT. Enjoy!

I can also recommend Tom's Ribs for BBQ - but they are not downtown.

You definitely want to spend a few evening down on the Riverwalk eating mexican food and sipping margaritas.

As for bbq I would definitely agree that County Line is fantastic. If you're up to a venture out into the hill county, try some joints in Llano or other small towns out that way.

I would also highly suggest breakfast one morning at the Gunther House. It's an old historic home next to a flour mill. Just a few minutes south of downtown.

If you're only staying a day or two, I'd recommend valet parking. With self-park you have to drive around the block and parking building is across a busy street and will be a long walk back to the hotel.

Did a search. No specific information. Can anyone please comment on the SAT Hilton? Treatment of Diamonds appreciated. Thanks

Are you speaking of the Hilton River Walk? If so, I don't think the hotel can upgrade, except for possibly a view. I think all of the rooms are standard.

Good location, however the hotel is rather plain. It was built around 1965 in a total of like 5 weeks!

See the wall plaque in the lobby for more details.

Yes, Riverwalk. More information please. Thanks

It is my understanding that it had a concierge level and lounge until about 2000. I stayed there in 2001 and the lounge had recently closed and changed to meeting rooms. The biggest positive of the hotel is the location, especially if you get a room on a high level looking to the West - over the Riverwalk and downtown. It is great in the evening to sit on your private balcony with a super view directly over the Riverwalk. Just next door is an outdoor theatre, so you can get some free musical entertainment in the evening. I recall the parking to be rather expensive. Further down the River to the West in a quieter area is the Homewood Suites. It is in a old historical building that is a national landmark. But this is a joke. True, the facade of the building is still the original, but they gutted the inside of the building, so you can`t even tell if it is an old building or a modern one. This is the only Homewood I`m aware of that has their evening reception also on Friday and Saturday. The receptions include some great Margaritas.

I am staying at the Hilton Palacio Del Rio in about a week. I workout regularly and when I'm on the road I look to stay at places that have a good workout facility, not just a treadmill and a bike shoved in a closet. Has anyone stayed at this property lately and can comment on their gym/fitness facility? I'm looking to set my workout expectations.

Thanks.

Bump to the top...need info. Thanks.

I am staying at the Hilton Palacio Del Rio in about a week. I workout regularly and when I'm on the road I look to stay at places that have a good workout facility, not just a treadmill and a bike shoved in a closet. Has anyone stayed at this property lately and can comment on their gym/fitness facility? I'm looking to set my workout expectations.

Thanks.

Why don't you just call the property to find out? Having decent workout facilities is very important for me as well, and I usually check with the hotel what they have, and (since 80% of the time they don't really have what I am looking for) I have them send me contact info for commercial health clubs they have arrangements with or that are close by.

I have a stay booked for Thanksgiving weekend. What can I expect in terms of an upgrade as a Diamond?

I have never seen an Exec Lounge there, so don't expect that.
I have been upgraded to HH floor each time. Once with a suite. Once with a
Riverwalk balcony view.
I received breakfast coupons for their restaurant buffet. It has a nice Riverwalk view. On weekends, their chili rellenos are on the buffet and are very good.
Enjoy the holiday lights!

PS - Parking is not comped for Diamonds and is $25-$30 (plus tip) or you can park your car yourself wherever you can find a space in the city. Yeah right.

This hotel is a little unusual compared to most; the upgraded rooms are not on the highest floors, but rather on the lower floors overlooking the riverwalk
(they all have small balconies). The layout of the rooms clearly indicates it's at least a 30 something yr old hotel. The breakfast you get for free at the restaurant down on the riverwalk level is nice. We were there on Christmas morning and there was no buffet as they were preparing for a special brunch that morning, but we could order anything off the menu.
As for parking, you can self park in a garage with a Hilton-only level that is about 2 blocks away, and I think they charged $12 per night. There are several city-owned parking garages in the downtown area that charge around $8 a day.

The last time I stayed at the PdR (end of August), I had breakfasts comped, internet comped, 10% (maybe more) discount on all food and beverage (show your elite card to the server), and parking was supposed to be discounted but never saw a parking charge on my folio ^ They put a little card with all the perks in the check-in packet

Check out Sunset Station, about 2 blocks away... they tend to have good live entertainment Varies between Tejano, Rock and Country

Be sure to enjoy the holiday river parade Fri night which I'm sure is the reason you are staying at the property and hopefully have guaranteed a river view room (significant price difference) and I'm not sure if you can get it guaranteed via status.

I've stayed there twice in my lifetime (as a San Antonio native) and 1 was on a mat run to get Diamond a few years back and the other was New Year's Eve when you WANT to be on the Conv Center side of the building so as to view the fireworks launched from the Tower of the Americas (Hemisfair 1968) which is also when the hotel was built in record time using pre-fab/pre-furnished rooms lifted via crane into place (read the plaque in the lobby).

If not watching the parade from your balcony - the hotel will have chairs on the riverwalk in front of the hotel for "guests" but you will have to sort through how those get assigned yourself as I'll be busy along the parade route as the chairman of the parade from the security/seating/volunteer staffing/barricade/security perspectives (yep - I'll be having some fun!).

You can park at the public parking lot kitty corner across the river for $6. This is the same lot the valet, who will charge you an additional $20, will park your car only it will be on the first floor. I prefer the upper floors so the homless and River Walk Revelers don't "mark" my tires.

I stayed there last week... no upgrade as a Diamond, but I did get free Internet (not wifi), cont breakfast coupons (I skipped it), and a discount of parking (didn't have a car, though).

A colleague of mine had a "River View" ... but he found it so noisy that he couldn't sleep. Just FYI. I was on the other side of the hotel.

The free Internet was quite surprising.

Any recent Diamond experiences? I'll be headed down July 22 for one night after a little floating down the river...

Thanks in advance!

Hilton Palacio del Rio (http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/SATPDHH-Hilton-Palacio-del-Rio-Texas/index.do)
200 South Alamo Street, San Antonio, Texas, United States 78205
Tel: 1-210-222-1400 Fax: 1-210-270-0761
General Manager: Siegfried Richter
This property is 100% non-smoking.
AAA Diamond rating: <><><><> ....... Hilton Reward Category 5 (35,000 points)

This unusual property was planned to open for the 1968 Hemisfair - and was built largely of modules built and furnished off-site, trucked onsite and hoisted into place - in a record 202 days, according to Guinness. It is said the beds were made, Bibles were in the drawers, and even soaps in the bathrooms.

This hotel is ideally situated, across the street from the Henry Gonzalez Convention Center and on the San Antonio River, ~three blocks from the Alamo, the huge Dillard's department store, once Joske's of Texas, and Rivercenter. Public transport is very accessible, as are the trolleys and hop-on hop-off sightseeing vehicles. During reasonable weather, this is a great walking location for downtown San Antonio! (We dined the family at Azuca Latino fusion and Luciano's Italian, both within easy walks and iDine miles.)

Parking is a pricey $19 self-park, and $32.50 in and out privileges valet parking (it can take 15 minutes for the valet to retrieve your vehicle,) with $5 daily discount for self-park and $8 discount for valet parking for Gold and Diamond members. Vehicles with "high tops" are not accepted for parking. (They may not be too accurate on vehicular matters - I allowed my niece, with new baby, to valet park her car one afternon, only, and they charged me for every day I was there - had the charges reversed on departure, of course.)

The lobby is spacious and clean, staff is very welcoming. There is a signed and presumably dedicated HHonors access to the reception desk, and a nearby check-in kiosk. We showed up at noon, expecting to put bags in left luggage and return later for check-in formalities, but they had our room ready. ^ We were assigned a spacious room on the 16th floor (HHonors) with river views and a balcony (the only negative might be that you can hear some noise if the crowds get raucous or the nearby open air restaurants use amplified sound for entertaintment. Rack rate for two is $380; we are paying refundable Bounceback $134 rate after a major convention event and on a slow week.

Our River view room #1604 is very spacious, with no closet - it does have a large chest of four drawers with television, combined with a large wardrobe with Hilton bathrobes, a bagged hair dryer and ironing gear. A large mini-fridge holds a lavAzza coffee service and ice bucket. The room is done in an off-white stucco wall scheme, beige carpeting, medium-toned woods and huge picture window with balcony facing the river and sunset views, with two chairs and small table. The king bed is dressed with a duvet, and each of the two bedside chests has three more drawers; a small coffee table and larger sofa, a larger and high table serving as a desk with cabled HSIA. The task chair is unfortunately is quite low for the table / desk even at its highest extension, and at 6'4" / 193 cm I am almost chinning myself on the desk to write this on my laptop.: confused: There is no in-room safe box.

Lighting is sufficient, though still all incandescent and running a bit hot. HVAC is very controllable, there are two two-line full function telephones, the usual Hilton family clock radio, standard multi-function television. HSIA is $9.95 per 24 hours, but free to Diamonds and Golds - sign up for the service as if you were agreeing to pay $9.95 per day, and they reverse the charge every night. (The HSIA seems to reset randomly, occasionally taking me from my next web page preference back to the page just after signing up for service. :mad:) From my room, I also seem to be able to access two WiFi systems - "Public Access WiFi" and "Holiday Inn Riverwalk;" the former has a strong signal, the latter a usable signal. Given the free HSIA with in-room cable,provided free to Golds / Diamonds, I did not attempt to use these - I am merely reporting what is here.

The bathroom is not overly large, but it still feels spacious due to the layout, with towel racks loaded with plenty of towels and the usual Hilton La Source amenities. Towels are a bit thin, but absorbent (Royal Collection, made in India, rather than HH Martex collection.) The shower head is a cylindrical and ancient looking thing that aereates the water, making temperature control a bit iffy - the volume of air displacing the water makes it feel cool, even when the water itself is warm.

The highest floor here is made over into meeting facilities, so I understand there is no lounge here. There are lots of events here, and major conferences often have breakout activities here as well as the main events at the convention cetner across the street. The hotel is 20 - 30 minutes from the airport, about a $24 taxi ride; regular vans for pay also are scheduled - I got a ride from a nephew, so no idea of the cost.

Restaurants / bars include Tex's Riverwalk Sports Bar, a lobby bar, Durty Nelly's Irish Pub (karaoke and singalongs,) and Ibiza Patio Restaurant and Bar (open for all three meals, and where the breakfast buffet is served.) Ibiza is riverside, with indoor and outdoor seating, a Mediterranean / Mexican flare and a somewhat limited selection of foods; it's a great place for a drink and watching the people walk by.

The fitness room on the 5th floor seems fairly complete, with treadmill, Life Cycles, StairMasters, StairClimber, rower, five station weight machine, etc. The pool and deck are clsoed winters.

The business center is located at the rear of the lobby bar, and charges $15 minimum for Internet access (fifteen minutes,) and an extortionate $1.00 per page printed out ($19 to print out a set of two-segment airline boarding passses for two people.) You can print them to a PDF and forward them via laptop to the business center for pickup and save the Internet access fee, but you will still pay $0.99 per page printed, and a system access fee (minimum $3.00,) so $7 for BPs for two with two segments.

Sunday Dec 17 was unseasonally warm, crowds of people are walking by and taking the water taxi trips, luminarias and lights are everywhere, the city is festive and carollers are going by - and occasionally stopping at the Ibiza restaurant - singing Christmas carols. Tuesday the 19th, winter is returning with cooler wetter weather on the way.

As a Diamond, I was upgraded to the HHonors floor, woudl have been given chits for Continental breakfast (upgradeable to full) if not on a Bounceback, the parking discounts mentioned previously, free HSIA and local calls, and a 25% discount on all food and beverage items (present status card for discount; not valid in Durty Nelly's or banquet services.) As well, we were presented with two bottles of water in-room daily, and on arrival with an amenity box with two bottles of water, a bag of baked nacho chips, a bag of tostadas, box of "Santa's favorite" chocolate chip cookies / biscuits and 8 oz / 226 gm of mild picante sauce - with two Texas-shaped lollies.

My sister is Gold and was assigned a 9th floor room (#905, also looking out on the river,) give the same discounts package, Continental breakfasts chits, two bottles of water daily, but no snack pack.

Executive summary: Mr. Richter, it seems you have a nice property here and value HHonors frequent guests in spite of the high demand for events. So far, I am impressed, but please lose the showerheads and put a desk / chair combination that makes it comfortable for guests to write / compute. (You could easily saw off some inches on the table/desk legs.)

Does the room number being odd or even definitively mean Riverwalk view? (i.e., do all the odd numbered rooms face one direction, all the evens face 180 deg opposite?) -----------
To answer, my own question I (the horrors!!!) actually called the hotel rather than relying on FT: It is not an odd/even thing; it is Rooms xxx1 thru xx13 that face the Riverwalk.
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If the room did have a Riverwalk view, would the description shown with OnLine CheckIn (OLCI) indicate that?

What is the top floor? From some posts, it appears to be 16, from others it appears to be 17.

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OLCI is now offering me a room on the 18th floor
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Is the HHonors level on the top floor ... or is it more than one floor?

Thanks for whatever info you can provide.

If you are being offered the 18th floor, and I stayed on the 16th (HHonors) floor, I think that question is also answered. ;)


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What is the top floor? From some posts, it appears to be 16, from others it appears to be 17.

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OLCI is now offering me a room on the 18th floor
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Is the HHonors level on the top floor ... or is it more than one floor?

Thanks for whatever info you can provide.