Hilton Dubrovnik = Beautiful Renovated Hotel in Ideal Location

There are not a lot of international chain hotels in Dubrovnik, and in low season some of them are not even open yet for example Rixos (Accor) and Sheraton (Marriott).  So for our visit to Dubrovnik booking at Hilton was a no-brainer particularly because of the recent renovations and excellent reviews of this property.  We stayed 4 nights and can highly recommend this hotel.

Hilton is in an ideal location right at the entrance of the city walls.  The hotel is on the far right of the picture taken from the top of the walls which gives an idea how close it is to the old town and all its shops and restaurants.  The schedule of the shuttle bus from the airport is timed according to the arrival of flights and the bus drops you off at Pile Gate which is only a short walk to the hotel, making a taxi unnecessary for most guests.  For the return to the airport however you have to climb the hill to cable car station so less convenient when staying at Hilton.

I booked an entry level room for a rock bottom price and received a suite upgrade given that hotel occupancy is not very high in March.  It is clear the suite was renovated recently and was in excellent condition.  I liked the hardwood floors and furniture was of good quality.  There was a small terrace with city views although in the summer it might not have the best privacy because if your neighbors also use their terrace they will be in plain sight and a short distance away.  If there is one area of the room where renovations could have been better it’s the bathroom.  They still have a shower in the bathtub which I am not a fan of, and water pressure in the shower was too low.  

The restaurant is currently undergoing renovations so breakfast was served in a ballroom where there was plenty of space for the very few guests in the hotel at this time of year.  The buffet was decent with standard hot food in addition to veggies.  For a touch of luxury they had smoked salmon and sparkling wine to make it an above average breakfast for Hilton standards.  

The executive lounge offers happy hour 6-8:30pm.  The room itself is beautifully decorated and I liked the design.  The problem will be in the summer however.  If the hotel is at full capacity with many guests booking executive rooms or when there are several Diamond members visiting Dubrovnik, I suspect the lounge will get full very quickly.  Food was nothing to write home about and there was only one choice of a bite size hot dish so happy hour can only be considered a small appetizer and is a far cry from some hotels where guests can almost make it a meal if they are not big eaters.  The lounge was mostly useful for drinks rather than food in my opinion – there were lots of choices of liquor in addition to red, white, and sparkling wine.  

Room service was somewhat different than from most hotels.  First off they waive the delivery fee for Diamond guests which is nice.  The prices on the menu were surprisingly competitive relative to the numerous restaurants within walking distance of the hotel; most hotels charge more for the convenience of ordering in the room, but not here.  However the downside is that the entrees we ordered were not as delicious as the meals in restaurants we tried in the old town.  

Service in general was good and housekeeping always done exactly at the time we requested during our breakfast.  The room was clean and they refilled the Crabtree & Evelyn amenities in a generous way.  They sometimes also delivered a small surprise to our room in the evening such as a snack or chocolates which was a nice touch.  

Given the recent renovations the common spaces of the hotel looked very nice and attractive.  

Wifi worked well during our stay with speeds of 15 Mbps both download and upload.

In cities without much competition, I sometimes tolerate hotels which are so-so and recommend them nonetheless.  In Dubrovnik, the situation is different: there is not much competition AND Hilton is an excellent hotel so it makes it a very easy choice – they do not seem to be resting on their laurels, they closed the hotel for renovations so they are clearly motivated to provide an upscale experience to guests.  It’s one of the best located hotels in the city with refreshed hardware, generous suite upgrades to Diamond guests, and an executive lounge with a good choice of drinks.  There are not many weaknesses to this property and is an excellent choice to visit Dubrovnik.