Mrs. bj-21 and I stayed at the Hilton Fallsview last weekend in the South Tower, where much has been said in the past about the older "dated" furniture and worn out carpeting, etc. Not any more!!! They're completing a renovation and refurb of the South Tower, and everything, including the hallways and walls have been painted, wallpapered, carpeted and are really like brand new. Very modern furniture in the rooms (we stayed in a suite and it was obvious that we were the first one's in it), and had a look at the regular king rooms on our floor and they also received the complete refurb, including now having individual safes in the room that would take a laptop (never had them before in the South Tower), and new furniture, beds, bathroom fixtures and jacuzzi tubs. Haven't been there for several months, as we were told the renovations in the South Tower would remove all the rooms for smokers, but for now anyway, floors ten and eleven still have some smoking rooms, but that's subject to change. Not much of a falls view from ten or eleven (we had a view of the casino's parking garage roof, and a long view up the Niagara River past the Horseshoe Falls, but that's okay for us, we've seen the falls many times before) so if you want the better views of the falls you'll need a room at least above the fifteenth floor.
Watermark restaurant on the 33 floor with the great views of both falls is closed for renovations (comped hot buffet breakfasts for Golds and Diamonds still available in the buffet on the ground floor, but get there early as lines can be very long) and the breakfast options are very good and comparable in either one. Also, after April 15 the indoor pool at the Mid-Tower wil be closed for renovations but guests can use the pool at an adjoining hotel, or so read the signage (Four Points is next door, so maybe there, but it won't have the Hilton's waterslide for the kids).

Really nice rooms when all the renovations are completed, and since they started on the top floors and have just about completed down to the tenth, it shouldn't take much longer for the South Tower to be done. Don't know how long for the Watermark (are they making that an EL???) and the pool, so it's worth a call before booking to get all the details.

Haven't stayed at the ES recently, less then a block away from the Hilton, but last stay there a year or so ago, the room was gettting a little rough around the edges and the breakfast wasn't as good as the Hilton's. Both are packed with families all year round and more so in summer, but for us the Hilton is better, even though the ES has a better (closer) view of the falls if you get a fallsview facing room.

bj-21.