Hilton Cambridge City Centre {GBR}
Oct 9, 2015, 5:15 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: norwich, uk
Programs: hhonors diamond
Posts: 5,397
Hilton Cambridge City Centre {GBR}
Interesting news!.......Hilton are to take over the former Cambridge City hotel in the centre of Cambridge.......I stayed here once when it was a crowne plaza and liked it........it's not on the hilton inventory yet but link can be found in the " joining/leaving thread "........ It's about an hour drive for me and will try this out......Cambridge is a great place to visit too!
Last edited by wizla; Oct 9, 2015 at 5:16 am Reason: Capital letter amendment
Oct 9, 2015, 6:57 am
#2
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: ORF
Programs: UA 1K MM, Hilton Lifetime Diamond, Accor Silver, Marriott Gold, CAM Card
Posts: 392
Interesting news!.......Hilton are to take over the former Cambridge City hotel in the centre of Cambridge.......I stayed here once when it was a crowne plaza and liked it........it's not on the hilton inventory yet but link can be found in the " joining/leaving thread "........ It's about an hour drive for me and will try this out......Cambridge is a great place to visit too!
Oct 9, 2015, 10:05 pm
#3
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
It will be great to have a Hilton alternative to the DoubleTree!
Slightly better location for many as well: 20 Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3DT, England
Slightly better location for many as well: 20 Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3DT, England
Last edited by JDiver; Oct 9, 2015 at 10:15 pm
Oct 11, 2015, 7:31 am
#4
Join Date: May 2009
Programs: FB Platinum For Life, HH Diamond
Posts: 177
In 2012, I used both the DT and the Crowne Plaza for an event. The opinion of the guests was that the DT was the far better hotel than the Crowne Plaza. Of course, it remains to be seen how the new hotel will be run as a Hilton.
Oct 12, 2015, 6:06 am
#5
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Silver, HH Diamond, Avis President's Club
Posts: 1,219
Could be a good thing though - the DT can be rather pricey so this could be a cheaper alternative for those on a tighter budget
Oct 12, 2015, 8:24 am
#6
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Gloucestershire
Programs: BA Gold (ex-GGL, maybe future Silver), Hilton Diamond
Posts: 6,199
I last stayed there, I think ten years ago - although it doesn't seem quite that long.
Back then it was looking very dated but has now had a major refurbishment from the looks of the website, so it may be a very promising property.
Back then it was looking very dated but has now had a major refurbishment from the looks of the website, so it may be a very promising property.
Oct 24, 2015, 3:27 pm
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: norwich, uk
Programs: hhonors diamond
Posts: 5,397
I went to Cambridge today to do some shopping and meet a mate for coffee and Cinnabon ( Cinnabon is rare in the UK ), I had a look around the soon to be " hilton Cambridge "..... Staff seemed friendly , hotel was spotless and had a nice vibe to it, fairly big car park....changes to a hilton in January.
Dec 14, 2015, 12:26 am
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: norwich, uk
Programs: hhonors diamond
Posts: 5,397
Ok, according to hilton website this hotel officially becomes a Hilton on the 15th December, which is tomorrow.......I'm in Cambridge today XMAS shopping, will have a look and update thread
Dec 14, 2015, 10:32 am
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: norwich, uk
Programs: hhonors diamond
Posts: 5,397
Not a lot to report really, new signage is up but covered by black tape until tomorrow , they are also painting everywhere in lobby.......had a coffee , was nice.......also had a brief chat with concierge, friendly guy.....he said the suites and exec lounge won't be available until mid January until they have been refurbished too........nothing else to say except the traffic is a nightmare in this area.
May 5, 2016, 1:21 am
#12
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: SW London
Programs: BAEC Silver; Hilton Diamond;a miscellany of other hotel non-statuses
Posts: 3,607
Having tumbled from HH Diamond to Blue due a complete change of travel pattern I was wondering how I'd enjoy taking the family to stay here for a night knowing that free breakfast, allegedly better wifi, etc were eluding me 
.
Rooms were expensive at shortish (4 weeks?) notice, but so was everything else half-decent looking in town so I went for this as the location looked good and it helps keep the HH account alive (yes, I now stay in Hiltons that infrequently!).
Turns out it was a great location. Very easy walk into the main streets, markets and shopping centres for retail therapy. Handy for various academic and historical buildings, etc. Having said that, Cambridge is a pretty small place so maybe almost anywhere else is just as good
.
A few minor annoyances with the property such as inexplicable used Nespresso capsule leaking in bathroom basin, slow to missing table service in bar area (ended up going to bar for Sunday post-lunch drink) and having to reverse out an 'upgrade' to KNG deluxe (+ unfolded sofa bed) back to originally booked 2xDBL for separately sleeping occupants. Bar wine choices continue to be unispiring or particularly enjoyable - but I was expecting that!
Enthusiastic staff overall (even at the bar - they just didn't want to travel
). Valet parking (no self-parking available) handled well. The £22 charge took a moment to get past - I'd perhaps have sought out a different approach if on my own overnight but for a full day and with family it's just one of those costs of making the weekend work easily for all. The £5 top-up to extend the parking day from 2pm to 5pm was useful since queues out / in to repark would have been frustrating.
Breakfast voucher system worked well. Good value for a real Sunday morning feast. Large dining room meant no wait even though we arrived at classically busy time. Chef cooking eggs quickly and efficiently for table delivery. Carluccio's is just next door as a good alternative.
Rooms very nicely furnished IMHO. All new, clean and tidy with decent layout and use of space. Building is an odd pentangular sort of shape, which created a quirky but nice annex / niche in our junior suite for the sofa, 2nd TV, etc.
Corridors have that slightly unfortunate 'underlit narrow corridor in a building' décor which I think underplays the overall quality of the property, but hard to fix maybe. Floors a bit sprawling, so if you don't like a long trek from room to lift it may be worth mentioning this at checkin.
Overall a great stay that made the whole trip to see a friend in the city work very well ^^^.
.Rooms were expensive at shortish (4 weeks?) notice, but so was everything else half-decent looking in town so I went for this as the location looked good and it helps keep the HH account alive (yes, I now stay in Hiltons that infrequently!).
Turns out it was a great location. Very easy walk into the main streets, markets and shopping centres for retail therapy. Handy for various academic and historical buildings, etc. Having said that, Cambridge is a pretty small place so maybe almost anywhere else is just as good
.A few minor annoyances with the property such as inexplicable used Nespresso capsule leaking in bathroom basin, slow to missing table service in bar area (ended up going to bar for Sunday post-lunch drink) and having to reverse out an 'upgrade' to KNG deluxe (+ unfolded sofa bed) back to originally booked 2xDBL for separately sleeping occupants. Bar wine choices continue to be unispiring or particularly enjoyable - but I was expecting that!
Enthusiastic staff overall (even at the bar - they just didn't want to travel
). Valet parking (no self-parking available) handled well. The £22 charge took a moment to get past - I'd perhaps have sought out a different approach if on my own overnight but for a full day and with family it's just one of those costs of making the weekend work easily for all. The £5 top-up to extend the parking day from 2pm to 5pm was useful since queues out / in to repark would have been frustrating.Breakfast voucher system worked well. Good value for a real Sunday morning feast
. Large dining room meant no wait even though we arrived at classically busy time. Chef cooking eggs quickly and efficiently for table delivery. Carluccio's is just next door as a good alternative.Rooms very nicely furnished IMHO. All new, clean and tidy with decent layout and use of space. Building is an odd pentangular sort of shape, which created a quirky but nice annex / niche in our junior suite for the sofa, 2nd TV, etc.
Corridors have that slightly unfortunate 'underlit narrow corridor in a building' décor which I think underplays the overall quality of the property, but hard to fix maybe. Floors a bit sprawling, so if you don't like a long trek from room to lift it may be worth mentioning this at checkin.
Overall a great stay that made the whole trip to see a friend in the city work very well ^^^.
May 5, 2016, 6:03 am
#13
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Silver, HH Diamond, Avis President's Club
Posts: 1,219
Thanks for the review.
Just a point of reference regarding the parking as someone who's from that area originally - parking in Cambridge city-centre on the weekend is hugely expensive for long periods so that charge isn't necessarily 'their fault', if that makes any sense?! Much like the pricey parking at the Cardiff Hilton. Though I suppose you could say that they could subsidise it...
There is park-and-ride but that's expensive when staying for long periods - £20 for 48hours, so it's just not a very car-friendly city.
Oh and yes there's often traffic jams outside the hotel as people queue to get into the Grand Arcade car-park (previously Lion Yard).
Just a point of reference regarding the parking as someone who's from that area originally - parking in Cambridge city-centre on the weekend is hugely expensive for long periods so that charge isn't necessarily 'their fault', if that makes any sense?! Much like the pricey parking at the Cardiff Hilton. Though I suppose you could say that they could subsidise it...
There is park-and-ride but that's expensive when staying for long periods - £20 for 48hours, so it's just not a very car-friendly city.
Oh and yes there's often traffic jams outside the hotel as people queue to get into the Grand Arcade car-park (previously Lion Yard).
May 5, 2016, 6:45 am
#14
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: SW London
Programs: BAEC Silver; Hilton Diamond;a miscellany of other hotel non-statuses
Posts: 3,607
Fair point on the parking, and it was when I realised that I would want the whole day that it became a reasonable charge.
Hilton Bath have a bit of a wrinkle where they charge you a daily rate for overnight stay, but its about half that price if you just pay at the machine for an evening to morning stay.
Hilton Bath have a bit of a wrinkle where they charge you a daily rate for overnight stay, but its about half that price if you just pay at the machine for an evening to morning stay.