Originally Posted by NJUPINTHEAIR
Dear Chris,
Thank you very much! I, too, am usually in need of A/C, as well, and that is one of the reasons the Cardiff jumped out at me.
I plan on spending my HHonors points instead of GBP, in part due to the bad exchange rate of the $.
Also, when booking, I was guaranteed a confirmed King N/S room, apparently both a rarity when booking online or via the phone.
Many thanks again for the report.
The only other Hiltons that appear to have A/C in that region outside of London are both the Swindon and Coventry properties. But, from the info already on this board in the past, they appear not to provide what they advertise, and they seem to be bad choices, as well -- unless others have a contrary opinion?
I stay in the Hilton Swindon quite regularly and can offer the following:
Very handy for the M4 motorway. About 30 seconds off Junction 16.
Pricewise, they're a bit flukey. The lowest rate I've seen online for ages is the BB rate, which is £68 bed & breakfast for up to 2 people. If you're thinking about spending points, you might want to check if that rate is available first as IMO £68 is better value than the points it would cost.
They have an Executive Level on the 3rd floor but there is no difference at all to the rooms on the other floors, just a brass plaque on the door saying "Club Room" (I think). What you want to aim for if you're after an upgrade is a "Deluxe" room in the "Cotswold Wing" - same size room but nicer furnishings & bedding, as well as better showers (you get both overhead & handheld options). Ideally, whatever room you get, you want to be "facing in" to the little courtyard as some of the "facing out" rooms get a little bit of noise from the nearby M4 motorway. You'll have a much better chance of an upgrade if you are there 1-2 nights, rather than all week.
AFAIK there is no VIP Lounge.
The parking is free & ample - I've only once in over 80 nights (yes really) had to drive all the way through it once and then a second time to get a spot.
They do have air conditioning which I often don't use as it's not a particularly hot hotel - if I'm in a "facing in" room, I will usually just leave the window open for some fresh air.
The breakfast is fine, nothing special when you've eaten it 80 times (!!!) but OK. I almost always stay on rates that include breakfast so I don't know if they are good on offering free breakfast based on status. On a few occasions when I have ended up with a rate not including breakfast, I haven't been offered it at check-in (nor have I asked), but the waitstaff in the morning have given it to me free - however I get the sense that that's coz I'm me, rather than because I'm a Diamond
.
Um, what else ... I think they brought in a new theory on amenities for Diamonds (don't know about Golds, etc) about 6-8 weeks ago. Since then, I often get an amenity in my room, usually consisting of one tiny-size bottle of Merlot, a mini canister of Pringles crisps, a jar of peanuts or jellybeans, and two small bottles of water. On stays of more than one night, the cleaner will usually renew the amenity in full every day. However, this is a bit hit or miss - I don't always get the amenity, maybe about 75% of the time. The irregularity is not something I have complained/asked about as I don't consume it anyway - it just gets taken into the office to bribe engineers with
AFAIK only the Cotswold Wing rooms have a stocked minibar in - all the standard rooms have a fridge, but it's empty. Also only the Cotswold Wing rooms have a iron & ironing board in as standard, so if you're going to need one and you're in a standard room, you might want to give reception a call in advance before you're running 10 minutes late and it's an emergency.
There's a mini-shopping centre about 5 minutes drive away where there is a big grocery store (ASDA - Walmart owned chain, for the Americans' reference!), a pharmacy, a McDonald's, a couple of other stores, and most importantly the cheapest petrol for many miles around. It's just off Whitehill Way and the reception staff at the hotel can give you a map.
The restaurant is not what I would call great for evening meals. They normally have a carvery on, and almost everything is heat-lamped to death. It's not hard to drive a little way and find something better in Swindon Town itself. The "Rendezvous" Chinese restaurant is particularly good and has a £15 all you can eat style offer Mon-Wed.
Any other questions on the Hilton Swindon, just post them up and I'll see if I can answer.
decemmie