Originally Posted by stifle

And I've just been informed that due to low occupancy, there will be no evening reception either If I'd been advised of this in advance, or on arrival, I would not have sat around waiting for it to start until now. I'm trying to decide what compensation I should look for.

Originally Posted by stifle

I'm home from what has been a stellar stay. After an online check-in, I got to the hotel at 2pm and the room was ready. There was a generously-sized bed, nice desk and chair, sofa, glass table, an oldish TV, tea/coffee making facilities, bathrobes & slippers, and the bathroom had a separate shower and bath. Not that I spent much time there, as there's an executive lounge

Service-wise, this hotel seems to have adopted a policy of researching all the dumb policies that are applied at other hotels, and ensuring they are not in appearance. Examples:

1. Can you have your complimentary gold/diamond breakfast in the restaurant? Yes.
2. Can you have cooked items? Sure.
3. What if you want cooked items but you want to eat in the EL? They're there.
4. And if you want a Coke with your EL breakfast? No problem.
5. Can you bring in a friend to the EL for evening drinks? No worries, just don't be silly about it.
6. Are kids allowed in the EL after 6pm? Technically not, but if they're well-behaved, then no sweat.
7. What if you get to the EL 10 minutes after the evening service ends? They'll sort something out for you.
8. Would you like to use your complimentary gold/diamond internet in the EL? Why not? (although you do need your own wi-fi capable device; the two computers available are chargeable, but see the next question)
9. Can you get a complimentary voucher for the EL computers if it's quiet? I can't answer this, for fear of getting a lounge dragon in trouble
10. Do you want a pizza in your room/the EL/your car/the NEC? Just order it up, it'll be £6.50 and would you like that boxed?
11. Not that hungry? Sandwiches are £3.

The last two items are possibly not always going to be permanent. Vampire Diaries had a convention in the hotel this weekend (which resulted in the hotel's public areas being thronged with girls in their teens and twenties, although not the EL or restaurant, as the convention was charging £90, plus more to take photos).

The EL is on the 5th floor and has seating for around 40. Breakfast service is between 7am and 10:30 (goes on until 11am in the restaurant), afternoon tea (including cakes, sandwiches, scones with jam and cream, etc.) from 3pm to 5pm, and evening drinks service from 6pm (not 5pm as mentioned on the hotel website) to 8:30pm, although it finishes half an hour earlier at the weekend.

Outside the above hours, the offering is fruit, cookies (complete with Hilton logo on top in icing sugar, or confectioner's sugar if you're American ), salty snacks/nuts, tea and coffee (from a coffee machine), milk, Coke, diet Coke, bottled water, tonic water, lemonade, and lemon juice, and there are jugs of other fruit juices.

The breakfast service has just about everything that the normal Hilton restaurant breakfast has.

The evening drinks service is fully self-service. Three or four varieties of hot spring rolls and similar items were accompanied by three types of cheese, crackers, various canapés, and a few other bits and pieces. Alcohol choices were Becks and Kronenbourg, red, white, or rosé wine (I didn't look at the bottles as I don't drink), port, and premium spirits (Bacardi, Grey Goose, etc.), on a self-pour basis. It did lead to some unedifying stockpiling when the lounge dragons called time, but that's hardly something you can hold against the hotel.

There is not always a lounge dragon on duty outside of the morning and evening service times, so don't rely on being able to check in/out at the lounge.

We didn't use the swimming pool, fitness facilities or the restaurant. This is a large hotel (approximately 500 standard rooms and 140 executive rooms) and conferencing/banqueting are big. Other than those items mentioned above, bar food ran to starters at around £5-7, mains at £10 for vegetarian, £14 for burgers, £16-20 for other items, and £23 for steaks, with desserts around £6. Cheaper items can be had at the NEC (5 minutes on foot) where there are several Subways, cafés, and a Wetherspoon pub, but they operate odd hours and may not open at all when there are few exhibitions on. The airport (10 minutes on foot plus another 2 minutes on the monorail) has a further selection, including Burger King and the marvellous Frankie & Benny's.

There is not one thing I woould have sought to change about my stay and the hotel engenders loyalty both to the individual property and to the Hilton brand.

Originally Posted by stifle

And I've just been informed that due to low occupancy, there will be no evening reception either If I'd been advised of this in advance, or on arrival, I would not have sat around waiting for it to start until now. I'm trying to decide what compensation I should look for.

Originally Posted by mookie10

Overall, very good hotel and especially excellent value if you can get a 33GBP room as a DIA

Originally Posted by chitownflyer

How do you manage to get a £33 rate as a DIA?