Hilton HHonors - Suggestions for staying in Ft. Wayne, Indiana?

My 'search' didn't come up with much information so I just had to ask the question.. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

I'm not yet sure which part of the city I'll be staying in but could use some tips on which properties to stay at or avoid. There are only 4 listed on Hilton's site:

Hampton Inn & Suites Ft. Wayne-North
Hampton Inn Ft. Wayne-Southwest
Hilton Fort Wayne Convention Center
Hilton Garden Inn Fort Wayne

I'd really appreciate hearing about any experiences at these properties and especially where Diamond perks can be expected.

Thanks!!

My 'search' didn't come up with much information so I just had to ask the question..
I'm not yet sure which part of the city I'll be staying in but could use some tips on which properties to stay at or avoid. There are only 4 listed on Hilton's site:

Hampton Inn & Suites Ft. Wayne-North
Hampton Inn Ft. Wayne-Southwest
Hilton Fort Wayne Convention Center
Hilton Garden Inn Fort Wayne

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Any of the hotels you listed are in a good area. the Hampton Inn - Southwest & Hilton Garden Inn (brand new hotel) are both off the interstate on the southwest side of the city. The Hilton Convention Center is located downtown and probably charges for parking. The Hampton on the north side of town in located off the interstate on the north side of town.

Where will you be going in Ft. Wayne?
What are you looking to be close too?

Thanks for the reply AACruiser!

I'm not exactly sure where I'll need to be but one of client's sites is at Clinton and Douglas so if I end up working there, the Hilton Convention Center might be the best choice.

Do you know what kind of upgrades Diamonds get at any of these properties?

Thanks!

<bump>

Anyone else have experience with these properties?

I stayed at the Hilton Convention Center for about 3 months in 1997, working with GE Motors Division, so my info is a little dated.

But, at that time it was just fine. Nothing to get all excited about, just a good Hilton property and I had no problems with the rooms or issues with the hotel. Nice restaurant with a good lunch program.

Parking was across the street in a covered garage with pretty narrow spaces. There was definitely a charge, but Hilton gave you a card to use and it was put on your hotel bill.

There were, though, a couple of times when the water supply to that part of the city was overly contaminated and they had to shut down the ice machines. Once, there was a water main break and all water was shut off for a few hours. This was, though, a Ft. Wayne thing and not a Hilton thing.

There are several fast food stores (Burger King, Taco Bell) convenient to the property as well as a couple of package/liquor stores (can't buy beer in convenience stores or gas stations there).

Like I said, this is a little out of date, but I hope it helps.

Thanks for the info hnechets!

I'll be staying there next week. Hopefully, I'll have a chance to check out the other Hilton properties in the coming weeks. I'll report back to this thread with my experiences. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

My recommendation on staying in Ft. Wayne is stay away from Ft. Wayne. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

Mike
(former Hoosier)

I stayed at Hampton Inn & Suites-NORTH last year. Decent property. Good continental breakfast and very quick access to the interstate (I-65 I think...)

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"I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered. My life is my own."

I have been travelling to Fort Wayne since 1999, staying either every week or every other week. As a Hilton Diamond, I am very familiar (too familiar, frankly) will 3 of the 4 Hilton properties there.

I have spent most of my time at the Hilton Fort Wayne Convention Center. Here's my frank assesment:

Pros:
- Convenient downtown location (my business takes me there)
- Very friendly staff (of course, they all know me, including the lady in the parking garage)
- The heating & AC actually work pretty well

Cons:
- Very, very old property, with all of the problems of age:
+ Old furniture & bedding (most have a very visible indentation in the mattress on the side near the phone)
+ Dark, dingy rooms
+ Many (but not all) sinks & tubs with drainage problems
+ Inconsistent furniture & fixtures (as things have broken, they appear to have replaced them with whatever they could get cheapest, so the rooms are a mix of lamp types, etc.)
- Fair to poor room service food quality
- Fair (at best) restaurant food quality
- You must pay for parking ($4/day, if your ticket is validated)
- Relatively small (17"?) TVs (realy only an issue because (a) my eyes are getting old and (b) I almost always get upgraded to suites - which are just bigger rooms with the same old furniture, but spread out farther, with a couch and coffee table added. In the larger rooms, the small TV is almost too far from the couch or the bed to see clearly)
- Marginal to poor housekeeping (they appear to have a policy of only changing the towels that 'appear' to have been used. As a consequence, often all but one towel of each type is dingy grey - because it has been on the rack in the room for months! I often toss all the towels on the bathroom floor after my first night, just to get a clean set)
- lousy pillows

Despite its convenient location and very nice staff who know me, I have begun to avoid the Fort Wayne Hilton Convention Center at all costs.

Regarding the other hotels, I have stayed in the Hampton Inn South a few times and now usually stay at the Hilton Garden Inn. Both compare quite favorably to their peers in the chain in other cities. The HGI is slightly more convenient, and is newer with better amenities than the Hampton Inn.

Good luck travelling to Fort Wayne!

Lol @ Mikey likes it.. I definitely feel like that today considering it was -5 F here this morning.

Thanks for the info on the Hampton Inn North Jon! I'll probably check each of the other properties out and see which one I like best.

joe_s, Thanks for the detailed info! I checked into the Hilton Ft. Wayne Convention Center. It's extremely convenient for me too in terms of location. I definitely agree with you on your comments about the property. I was upgraded (not preblocked; I had to ask and the front desk clerk upgraded me without hesitation) to a room on the 7th floor (I believe 7th-9th are Honors or Executive levels) and the room is a set up like a junior suite. The furnishings are quite dated and the 17" TV is a little hard to see when on the couch. No problems with drainage in my room.
I'll be checking out the HGI and the Hampton Inn southwest next week as well. From the Hilton website it sounds like those properties are in a newer area. And an 8 mile commute is nothing to someone from southern california http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

I stayed at the Hampton Inn-North for about 2 months. The suite was nice with a stove, full size refrigerator and microwave. Seperate room for bedroom. Not bad, no real perks for diamonds. Breakfast in the morning, but don't expect it to be out before 6am. Overall, a good hotel, friendly, helpful staff.

Later this week, I am staying at the Hilton Fort Wayne at the Grand Wayne Center, which is the one close to the convention center. The Hilton website says it is "newly renovated". Anone have any recent experiences? Thanks.

Later this week, I am staying at the Hilton Fort Wayne at the Grand Wayne Center, which is the one close to the convention center. The Hilton website says it is "newly renovated". Anone have any recent experiences? Thanks.


Just stayed there last night. Rotating between them and the Hampton for stay credits.

The restaurant wasn't open. We ate in the lounge. Food was ok and typical Hotel chow. I'm gold (on a challenge for Diamond). For this status I got coupons for a free drink, apps (two oysters) and breakfast buffet. Since it was Monday morning, the breakfast buffet wasn't open so I got to order off the menu, gratis.

Parking is across the street for $6.

Bed linens still need a lot work. Sheet was old. Pillows were foam. No comforter, just a sad looking bed spred. Bathroom was nice and plumbing worked well. Evelyn & Crabtree toiletries. Rooms were nice though.

The staff are very friendly and helpful. Hope this helps!

The Hampton North wasn't bad. Fairly new and the room was huge. I believe that the hotel even had a free shuttle to and from the airport. Not much to do out there though.

I've always been upgraded to a suite at the north Hampton property. It's my choice there.

Stayed at the Hampton North on Challenger last night, no upgrade. Pretty uneventful. The one good thing is that it’s near some decent restaurants if you have a car. Tried to get into the Cork & Cleaver last night but the line was too long. Made reservations for Wed. Ate at the Red River Steakhouse at the Marriott. Excellent value for the money!

Thanks sfallsflyer for the info. on the hotel. Also, I just looked up the Cork n Cleaver restaurant and it got terrific reviews. I might have to check it out...

Thanks sfallsflyer for the info. on the hotel. Also, I just looked up the Cork n Cleaver restaurant and it got terrific reviews. I might have to check it out...


Make a reservation! Even on Monday it was an hour and forty five minute wait.

Wow, I just called Cork and Cleaver for Wed. night and they gave me a choice of 5:00, 5:15 or 7:45 or later. I took 7:45. I am definitely looking forward to it!

If you happen to be near downtown, check out Club Soda over on E. Superior. A nice upscale jazz club with some great steak.

If you happen to be near downtown, check out Club Soda over on E. Superior. A nice upscale jazz club with some great steak.
I had my first date with a long term ex-girlfriend there several years ago. Great place.

Personally, I vote for the HGI.