(A little bit of context: My grandmother moved to the SLO area about 20 years ago and my wife and I have been driving up to visit her all through that time - tho' our trips up to SLO and the central coast date back to the mid 80's when we were dating in grad school. Of course, we've added 3 kids along the way so now accommodations are a bit more challenging...)

Why this HGI: Others who stayed at this property when it was the Mission Inn can and should comment on how things are different now it is a HGI. I personally chose it because a) it is now a Hilton property and b) they had multi-bedded, multi-bedroom suites available at rates that weren't terribly ruinous for the area (for a non-weekend stay). We've stayed primarily at the ES in SLO over the past few years when visiting given the ready availability of rooms with multiple beds but have been at many, many properties in and around the 5 cities (either of Rose Garden Inn's or even a smoky Motel 6 anyone?) so now nicer is better. Also, I didn't have any FT info on the property and decided it was time (and JDiver encouraged it! ).

Location: Just off the 101 at the Five Cities Drive exit. Good for those driving up from the LA area since it is just a bit closer. Bad because half the rooms do have a constant noise source from the freeway.

Check-In/Front Desk: Did not have to wait at the front desk - decided not to pick a room thru hilton.com just to see what would be offered (see Room info below). Was greeted as a Diamond and was provided with coupons for complimentary buffet breakfast for all in the room - a coupon for each day for the whole family. Was also provided with two coupons which would accrue 500 HHonors points for spending $25+ in the hotel restaurant - or via room service - for each coupon. Thought that the art/sculpture/backdrop to the Front Desk was quite interesting. Pantry market is behind and to the left the Front Desk.

Room(s): Had reserved a two bedroom, 1 king/2 queen suite for two nights. Hilton.com offered me either 203 or 249 when possibly checking in on-line. If you have the choice and want one of these 2 room suites with a back patio - or any room with a back patio that overlooks the pool, select an odd numbered second floor room in the 203 thru 225(?) sequence. Other rooms have back patios but they don't all have a direct access/view of the pool area. The North Wing has rooms on the 2nd thru 4th floors (x01 thru x25 where x is the floor number) while the South Wing has rooms on the 1st thru 3rd floors (x27 thru x51). All of the common areas (Fitness Room, Laundry Room, Grill/Restaurant, Mission Room, Library/Bar) are between the two wings but on different floors.

Room 249: Yes, it is a very decent sized 2 bedroom suite. The main bedroom has the two queens with the king in a smaller, quite a bit more cosy room parallel to the windows of the room. The king room has a separate toilet and sink - but a pedestal sink and no counter. The main room has the bathtub/shower and also its own pedestal sink and toilet - and an outer sink with much counter space. Both rooms have a fair amount of closet space with the main room's closet hosting a small in-room safe. From the unfinished/unpainted plywood board attached to the inside wall, the king room's closet probably was slated to get a safe as well but there isn't one and the hangar bar is only on the right side of that closet.

If you like granite - vanity counter, counter top under the main room's LCD TV, bathtub walls, window sills - you'll have plenty here. Room decor is mission in style and color. You get your own small refridgerator and microwave under the main room's TV granite counter. All three beds have the adjustable Garden Sleep System so you can dial in your bed's firmness. However, performing said adjustment on each of the beds really didn't seem to change how firm they were - at least to all of us who tried to modify the firmness with the dials. White duvets and duvet covers are atop each bed.

Each bedroom has windows that either face west or south and all overlook the 101. Currently, all windows slide open fully to provide both access to any on-shore breezes but also the constant noise of the 101. A lockable door separates the two bedrooms - but that also shows impact wear/handle rub area with the right closet door handle from the king bedroom. Also to note, the x49 rooms are also the closest suites to the 101. On the other side of the 101, the Arco station, Pismo's Motel 6 and Oxford Suites are your view - no direct line of sight to the Pacific from this room.

Cost wise, each night in this suite was booked at $199 per. Note that this was a Sunday thru Tuesday stay so the rates currently go up to $239/night on the weekends. The rate for this class of suite room is showing a little bit cheaper in early September but I've not tried pricing much past then at this point. So, yes, the property is definitely more expensive as a HGI than when it was the Mission Inn.

HSIA: Didn't try the wired access. Wireless access is free - or at least it was for me (Diamond?). Even though room 249 is at the end of the South Wing (and neither the top or bottom floor for the wing), had very good wireless speeds. Suprisingly (or perhaps not - see Property Access below), little or no wireless access at the pool.

Breakfast: The breakfast buffet setup for this HGI's Great American Grill is definitely better than many other HGI's I've been to - but still fails the waffle test. Given how long it takes to prepare/make/extricate a waffle from these DIY waffle makers, this station should be set away from the main traffic flow at any hotel. I've seen this done at a Fairfield Inn and it makes getting into and out of the buffet area much smoother.

Staff who are supporting breakfast are both very attentive but also not always there when you need them or something. Had to go and get Tabasco sauce myself when they disappeared on both mornings. They also will provide freshly prepared salsa cruda which goes well with the scrambled eggs - but you need to ask them directly.

Since our eldest is now a teenager, breakfast as a family at the same time was a little more challenging, thus making use of the breakfast coupon as a family set somewhat more difficult.

Also, since the coupon covers the cost of all of our breakfasts, I asked how I might charge a tip to the room. The first morning the waiter/server said that there was no way to do so and we ended up leaving without tipping. The next day, I simply ordered a single child buffet and signed off with a large tip for both days since the servers were the same staff. YMMV - or you may choose to leave cash. $10.95 per adult was the listed going rate for breakfast if you don't get a coupon.

Pool: Pool towels available/provided just inside the entrance gate. Pool is heated - but not terribly deep (3.5 ft. to 5.5 ft.). Spa/whirlpool is hot but its jets are not super strong. If the on-shore wind blows, things can get a bit cold outside of the pool. Bathrooms for the pool are external to the pool fence, each require room key for access and are probably located for sharing with the Fitness Room.

Property Access: One primary driveway downramp off of James. Parking/driving access is on all sides of the property. Multiple external access points that require room keys to get into the room corridors of both wings - and on multiple floors. Pool area is directly accessible from the parking area - which may not be so good since my wife observed a couple, accessed the pool area and then went in the spa/whirlpool, dried themselves off and then exited the pool gate and went directly to their car. Not clear if they were guests or simply people who figured out how to get in from the local area.

General Comments: Family was happier with more space than we usually have at the ES SLO and very much happier with the quality of breakfast food and this hotel's guests as company at breakfast in comparison to the ES. All were not quite as happy with the firmness of the beds and our apparent inability to dial in softer mattresses. Kids were happier with an outdoor pool vs. the ES. Mom said things were good - but clearly wanted more down time. Dad not as happy with the cost of this property vs. others and the ES but did appreciate the newness of the HGI. Dad was also probably more critical and hyper-observant in order to collect data for this review - have multiple photos but haven't decided what to do with them yet (still haven't uploaded them off of my camera so far). Any feedback welcome.

Summary: Nice addition to the Hilton family of properties. Will go back again.

David