BKKLEE

Heading to the UK and have the choice of staying at the Blackpool Hilton or Marriott Preston for 7-nights (about 14-miles apart). I’ll be driving and have gold status in both HH and MR if that makes a difference.

Anyway, since this is my first time to this part of the UK anyone been to either and have comments for choice.

GentleGiant

Not stayed at the Blackpool Hilton, but UK Hilton's are generaly very poor (am sure there are some good ones though - but having stayed in several I have yet to find one that I would consider returning to) - so if I had the choice I would probably go for the Marriott.

NorthOrSouth

Marriott is better but not walkable to many places. Hilton Blackpool is fairly central in Blackpool but depends really on which place you'd rather stay in rather than which hotel.

Tim_T

Stayed in both several times. Both similar standard with indoor pool, gym, single restaurant, and OKish rooms. Nothing much to upgrade to at either, and if staying for 7 nights, in my experience you rarely get upgraded anyway. Free parking at both.

Blackpool Hilton has much more to walk out to and do in the local area, especially if you like 'tat shops' and bars. Tends to have more people on holiday staying here, especially 'blue rinse'.

Preston Marriott. Nothing to walk out to, apart from a very nice restuarant just down the road. Tends to be more business people staying. Easier to get to Manchester and the lake district etc (both less than an hour), but the junction out of the hotel to the motorway is very very slow at rush hour.

Neither would be my first choice of somewhere to stay for 7 nights on vacation in the UK, especially (I assume) in the Winter. If I had to choose, disregarding location as I don't know what you want to do, I would go for the Preston Marriott as the nicer of the two.

I would disagree with GentleGiant, there are some very good Hiltons in the UK with excellent staff. There are some rubbish ones as well, just as there are in other countries.

Land-of-Miles

Stayed in Blackpool Hilton in a suite 2 months ago. The room was fine but the bathroom was rather dated. Service was patchy but the stay was OK overall.

GentleGiant

I was only basing my comment upon my own experience having stayed in several Hilton's around the UK. I have had springs coming out of the bed, pigeons nesting in carefully placed beer boxes for them, torn towels in the bathroom etc. Whereas I have stayed in Hilton's in Australia, Asia, USA, Europe and they have all been far superior to UK Hiltons. I now pick and choose carefully (learnt my lesson!). However I also realise that one person who is unhappy does not mean the next person will be - if they are staying at the hotel for different reasons they might be happy with items that I am not.

All I will say is that from my experience UK Hiltons are of a much poorer standard to those abroad. I have not stayed at the top London sites, which I am sure are fine.

Land-of-Miles

Many UK Hiltons are simply awful and merely devalue the brand. However there are a few "real" Hiltons in the UK too. In my experience the Newcastle Gateshead, Manchester Deansgate, Cardiff, Canary Wharf, Tower Bridge Hiltons together with The Trafalgar in London are the best Hilton properties in the UK. All the others (including some of the prominent London properties) can be rather hit and miss.

Tim_T

I hope we can add the new Liverpool Hilton to that list when it opens.

Geoggy

Any HH members with status stayed here can let me have an idea of what if any benefits I might get as a gold?

Looking at a midweek stay with my son in October and would like to know peoples experiences of breakfast / upgrades etc?

Thanks

G

Land-of-Miles

I have always stayed in suites here as they are generally rather cheap.

The hotel is relatively old, not recently renovated and has some serious maintenance/cleaning issues. The location is rather good though and there is a very nice Indian Restaurant next door.

Breakfast is a typical Hilton Buffet but the ambience is rather "feeding time at the zoo". It is the only Hilton anywhere in the world that actually charged me for a Latte or Cappuccino at breakfast.

The only positive thing I can say is that there aren't many better hotels in Blackpool.

adobbing

The Hilton Edinburgh Grosvenor also used to try that stunt, justifying it by saying it was now Costa Coffee.

Naming all the other Hilton's that I had stayed at which didn't charge for real coffee often solved the problem.

I also produced my costa loyalty card and said I would use points on it to cover it, that really pissed them off!

hugolover

That happened to me at the Grosvenor too. The guy said it was free as a "favour" and I was a bit shocked considering other properties in Scotland offer it for free.

Geoggy

Hi there - I have stayed at the hotel numerous times but never as a HH gold member and was really interested in if they do give gold benefits.

ie can I just book a room only rate and we will get breakfast? Do they give upgrades to Golds etc?

Thanks

Land-of-Miles

That is what I always do as a Diamond. There is no point paying for breakfast if you get it free. I wouldn't pay for breakfast full stop at this property when there are infinitely more pleasant places to dine I haven't had any issue however with a full free breakfast as a Diamond in line with Hilton policy (well above it really since they only have to give you a continetal breakfast).

Geoggy

thanks for that. I managed to get a rate for an extra £10 a night that guaranteed breakfast and had dinner for the 2 of us on the first night also. I know the food isn;t exactly haute cusine but my son is only 7 so it will be fine.

booked the basic room and was offered the usual upgrades on booking, so selected one that was £0.

we can only see!

can you let me have the name of the Indian restaurant near the hotel you said was good?

Thanks