dankyone

This was a disappointing stay, but I did warm up to the place a little by the time I left. If you arrived expecting a regular Hilton, you would be very pleasantly surprised, but if you arrived expecting a stay at supposedly one of Hilton's very best properties you would likely be disappointed or even upset.

The arrival procedure was awkward at best. LOTS of valet/door staff standing around doing nothing. LOTS of front desk staff standing around looking puzzled. Literally, the first agent I approached yelled to her colleague, "Hey Mary, can you help this guy?"

I presented my HHonors card and the agent said "We're not giving Hilton points until tomorrow."

My room was not in the main building and I asked if it would be easier to valet or to self park. "Valet is $21 and self park is $7," was the reply.

I didn't ask what the prices were, I asked what was easier...when pressed, the young woman admitted she didn't know. "You never have to walk more than 10 minutes to get anywhere," she added. This was no great comfort to me given it was 105 degrees out and I had my business clothes on.

The self parking was VERY far from the rooms, but the valet was probably about the same. Very poor situation for parking.

The room was somewhat large, with new carpeting. Otherwise very standard for a Hilton type property. I was on the first floor and I had a very large patio with a dining table, 2 chairs and a lounge chair outside. The upper floors had no balconies in my wing (Paradise.)

Beds are pretty good, similar to the new Hilton bed. A/C worked extremely well, which was a nice benefit. Bathroom had 2 sinks, but was small. There were signature bath products which were better than the standard Hilton ones but nothing fantastic.

The spa is horribly outdated and almost substandard, but the gym was pretty good and offered complementary coffee/tea/iced tea. On the plus side, access to the spa facilities was free.

There does not appear to be any sort of lounge and no HHonors breakfast or recognition of any kind was offered, but this may change as of today (June 1.)

The grounds are extensive and the exterior of the buildings is quite attractive. HOWEVER, the pool decks and chairs are crumbling and nothing is really in the luxury category at all. In fact, given the competition in the neighborhood, this is firmly a second (if not third) tier property.

Overall, the staff is very inconsistent. Most seem to know little or nothing about the property and seem to be college age employed for the summer, not real hotel people. However, I had a great experience in one of the main bars after food service had stopped...a waitress offered me a room service menu, called in an order for me, and had it delivered seamlessly to my table in about 10 minutes. This was really the only unusually good service I experienced at the hotel.

I would consider this a great place to take kids to use the pools etc. if you got a good rate. It was a very poor choice for a business trip given the necessity to walk outdoors in the heat. I assume I will get HHonors credit...but absent this I would stay at the RC on Camelback given similar price points when visiting this neighborhood in the future.

Far and away my preference is for the Phoenician in PHX...but they were still asking $395/night which was out of my budget for this trip. The Biltmore's facilities and clientele are reflective of the significantly lower rate ($219.) I think it is a huge mistake on Hilton's part to market this place as one of their prestige properties...I am not likely to return and I would certainly not spend the number or points required for a reward stay.