Just wanted to throw in a quick update on this property. I used to live on Hilton Head and know all the resorts in and out (I even worked at a few). With the recent renovation the Hilton is now one of the nicest with the exception of a few inconveniences like the parking situation.
Stayed there over the weekend and had an absolute failure of a stay. Due to snow in CLT on Friday evening our flight was canceled and as soon as I realized I wasn't going to make it into HHH or SAV I called the hotel to inform them. They told me that since I was on a pre-paid rate I was SOL. Fair enough, although I've had many Hilton properties waive this if I can prove (via BP usually) that I was on a CXL flight. They wanted to hear nothing of this and the person I spoke with hung-up on me.
Called back and made sure they realized I intended on getting their the next day to complete my stay.
Showed up the next day and they had canceled out my reservation. They agreed to reinstate it after I pointed out that if they wouldn't let me stay at least the one night then they would have to refund the entire stay. After explaining simple logic to the front desk manager (who was trying to get me to buy a new room, on top of being charged for the pre-paid stay they CXL without my approval) they created a new reservation for me.
Went up to the room and was met with a pretty horrific stench. After 30 seconds I found myself staring at this:
yup, that's a bathtub full of feces (sorry for the low-quality picture. Was taken on my blackberry).
I immediately called down to the front desk and about 20 minutes later someone showed up. As soon as they saw what was going on, they called a rooms manager and they called down to the front-desk who assigned us a new room.
The toilet in the new room was broken (subsequently fixed) and despite their assurances that it would be of "equal standard" to the poo room they moved us to next to the elevator, overlooking the parking lot.
There was a "boisterous" group in house and because the hallways are mainly cement / tile the noise just echoed. I don't think we got more than an hour of sleep all night.
At check-out I was shocked to see the hotel offered no apology or consideration for the inconveniences we experienced. When I tried to invoke the "perfect stay" thing I was told that since I was on a (hilton.com) pre-paid rate I was owed nothing. Fair enough, but basic hospitality says that they should have at least apologized for the inconvenience.
yadda yadda yadda, I ended up in perhaps the most frustrating conversation of my life with the front desk manager. For 20 minutes he basically told me that since this had never happened before (who cares, it happened) and because I didn't report it quickly enough (didn't realize 30 seconds wasn't quick enough) the hotel wouldn't do anything.
And then I dropped that I was in-town planning a group function and was in negotiations with their group sales person. He had the audacity to call the group sales manager in front of me to validate my claims and then he offered to comp the stay. I told him I appreciated that, but wanted to be clear -- because of what I experienced, I would no longer have my event at the property. So he told me he wouldn't comp. the room.
The front desk supervisor was perhaps the most obnoxious, arrogant, unprofessional I've ever experienced in any hotel in the world.
I can tolerate maintenance and even housekeeping mistakes but I refuse to tolerate being treated like an inconvenience.
I don't think I've ever said this about any hotel, but please book away from this property. While its a beautiful hotel they treat you like cr@p and they don't deserve anyone's business.
(sorry about the rant)