We stayed here for two nights on a weekday in late March. At check-in, there was a designated line for HH Diamond members. The check-in staff was international, and I conversed in English with staff, who were friendly and outgoing, from South Korea, France, and Ireland. The hotel lobby is spacious and has a small café located at its center. There is lounge seating off to one side of the lobby and a concierge desk on the other side near the elevators. Parking is a little pricey at 2,500 yen/day for hotel guests.
Entrance to Hilton Hiroshima
Lobby/Check-in Counter
Room
I booked a standard Twin Deluxe room and was “upgraded” to a Twin Executive Room with Lounge Access. Both rooms appear to have the same design and layout with 35 sqm of space, so I was simply upgraded to a higher floor. On our first night, the hotel was packed, so that may have limited the upgrade options. The rate for the Twin Deluxe was only 15,390 yen/night, very low for a new Hilton Hotel of this caliber. Since the hotel opened in October, the hard product is still new and attractive. The room was reasonably spacious, as were the bathing and bathroom, which is really where Japanese discount hotels fail with their claustrophobically small plastic unit bathrooms.
Twin Executive Room
Twin Executive Room
Washroom
Furoba
Dining
Breakfast is served in the restaurant Mozaik, which is spacious with self-service stand-alone buffet counters. There was also a counter near the entrance with bread and cereals and on the wall next to it were shelves on which salad, fruit, and yogurt were provided. The breakfast spread is fairly extensive with both Japanese and Western options and numerous beverage options. Overall, I would rate the breakfast as good and satisfying.
I found breakfast time to be somewhat disorganized. On the first morning, guests checked in at the desk and gave their room numbers, and were assigned to either the Diamond/Gold line or a separate non-status line. On the second morning, I tried to check in the same way, but a foreign staff member chastised me, loudly shouting so that all could hear that I must line up first before entering, as though I was trying to cut ahead of others who were already in line. Publicly shamed, I shut my mouth and got in line, which I was planning to do anyway after providing my room number, oh well…
We did not eat dinner in the hotel or outside the hotel, although we did have lunch outside one day while sightseeing. We did not plan it this way, but after attending cocktail time in the Executive Lounge from 5 to 7 pm, we found ourselves full after eating the lounge food, so we had no desire for restaurant food. Now, before anyone chastises me for eating hotel lounge food instead of going out for a hopefully delicious Japanese dinner, as a long-time resident of Japan, I’m not a tourist and can eat Japanese cuisine anytime I want.
Breakfast time
Breakfast time
Executive Lounge
The lounge is located on the top 22nd floor of the hotel, so the view is excellent. The lounge is a bright space with lots of natural light and plenty of seating. I was surprised to see nearly all seats occupied during our first evening there. The food options are various, with lots of small appetizers as well as a few more substantial dishes. There is a draft-beer machine and a few different wines including sparkling and non-alcoholic options as well. After an initial rush to grab food, things settled down and food was replenished as needed and there always seemed to be enough F&B throughout the two-hour cocktail time.
Executive Lounge
Lounge food
Lounge food
Lounge wine
Lounge F&B
View from lounge
Pool
We enjoyed the 6th-floor pool, which is large with a spacious jacuzzi built just above and at the head of the pool. There’s also a small sauna near the pool entrance along with a few showers next to the pool. Although the hotel was full on our first night, the pool only had a handful of people using it. The entire pool area is spacious with 10 or more reclining chairs set around the pool.
Fitness Center
The fitness room, which is located near the pool, is well equipped and spacious with five treadmills, rowing, cycling, elliptical, and stretching machines, and a free weight area. We used it in the morning before breakfast. We were the first there and only two others showed up by the time we left.
Fitness equipment
Free weights
Fitness equipment
Location
Since we drove to Hiroshima by car, we were not inconvenienced by the location. On our second day, we walked to the Sogo Department Store, a 15–20-minute walk, to meet relatives and then walked another 10 minutes to the A-bomb Dome where we walked around and toured the A-bomb Museum. Normally, I prefer to walk (for exercise) than ride if the distance is not excessive, so I did not consider the hotel’s location relative to these sights to be inconvenient. From near the Dome, you can catch a boat and ride it down the river to Miyajima (Itsukushima), which would have been a pleasant trip, but it was already getting late, so we nixed that idea.
A-bomb Dome
Peace Park
Overall
The hotel is large, shiny, and new with plenty of amenities for a comfortable stay. Unlike another reviewer, I would in no way put it at the level of a Conrad, it’s simply not there in terms of the quality of materials used, design, and service. That said, it is a very nice Hilton Hotel and perhaps among the best and most comfortable Hiltons in Japan (though I've never stayed at the flagship Hilton Tokyo, which first opened in 1963 in Akasaka before moving to its current location in Shinjuku in the mid-80s). Above all, I find it incredible that I could stay here for only 15,390 yen/night (19,130 yen after taxes). When you factor in the US$-JPY exchange rate, it’s even better at $144/night after taxes. If you are a budget traveler, I think it would be hard to justify paying between $90 to $100/night (after taxes) for an APA or Dormy Inn when you get so much more for only a little bit higher price. For foreign tourists with an Amex Aspire Card giving them Diamond status, it’s an even greater bargain.