Hilton Garden Inn Ocean City Oceanfront

“Gives kennel vibes, but not a bad spot!”

Took a quick and last-minute summertime trip to OC - my lodging options were limited due to my last-minute planning. I chose this hotel because I am a Hilton Honors member and this hotel had oceanfront rooms available for my travel dates. The property's reviews seem to be all over the place, so I h… Mehr

Took a quick and last-minute summertime trip to OC - my lodging options were limited due to my last-minute planning. I chose this hotel because I am a Hilton Honors member and this hotel had oceanfront rooms available for my travel dates. The property's reviews seem to be all over the place, so I hoped for the best. I knew this was a pet-friendly hotel prior to booking so I somewhat knew what to expect -- but I would not recommend staying here if you aren't traveling with a pet (or don't enjoy being around other people's pets). I am a dog owner x2 and love my pets, but I don't always love being so close with pets that I don't know. For example, I was riding the (small/slow) elevator and an anxious and large pitbull boarded the lift. The very small and frail female owner was having a difficult time calming the dog down. This in turn made me and the other riders anxious. If the dog attacked or acted out, we would not be able to safely remove ourselves from the situation. It was in that moment that I decided pet-friendly hotels are not my thing. I'm not sure if the hotel requires vaccination/health history proof, or has pet size restrictions, but I was talking to another guest who said they did not need to show any medical records for their pet at checkin. Biggest irk - there are no luggage carts that are free to use. You must hire a bellhop. Sir, this is a Hilton Garden Inn, not the Four Seasons. I like handling my own stuff and dislike feeling forced to have to use a "service" that requires gratuity. Because of this "policy," we had to "schedule" a bellhop on our departure day - 40 minutes later than we planned to leave - because we were told that we could not independently take a luggage cart to our room for loading. We had to wait until the bellhop was available to do it for us. If we didn't have a heavy cooler, we would have carried our stuff in our arms. It's great that the assistance is there if needed, but we shouldn't be forced into it in order to access a cart. Not the biggest deal; it's the principle. As a side note - I did see some people using carts on their own, so if this property doesn't require bellhop use in order to access luggage carts, they may want to explore whether they have certain staff members who are strong-arming guests so they can get tips. Another irk - you have to pay for parking. I expected it, but WHY? The room rate is already extremely high, IMO. Amenities - There is one pool (indoors) and it's relatively small/narrow, but looked clean. No special decor. Fitness center is spacious and decent. No outdoor pool or jacuzzi, etc. I'd say this hotel is geared more towards older travelers versus children/young families. Common areas are nice and well-kept. They diffuse a scent into the common areas - heads up to anyone who has strong aversions/allergies to air fresheners. It was better than smelling wet dog, which is likely why they do it. Outdoor deck has lots of rocking chairs overlooking the beach. I wish I had more time to sit and enjoy. Pizza/snow-cone shop in lobby is a small but great benefit to have on site! This definitely elevates the hotel's offerings. On site bar (which extends outside to deck) is nice, drinks are inexpensive and staff was friendly in both places. Food from bar area and pizza was good! There are only two elevators - they are SLOW and SMALL and easily become crowded. The property desperately needs to improve this. Signage for stairs is non existent unless you look at the tiny map plaques. I ended up using the stairs all of the time, which is not ideal for high-level rooms. Room only had 3 bath towels. I groaned when I saw this upon our initial entry because after a long day of traveling, we all just wanted to shower. I didn't love having to fetch more towels immediately. The number of towels should match the room's occupancy. This is an easy fix that could go a long ways! Oceanfront balcony room was spacious, clean and nice. I'd say it was a step up from a Hampton Inn room, but with a nice view. Wish the balcony had a slider door and not a regular door. One of our bed's headboard reading lights was busted and only the stem of the lamp was left sticking out of the headboard. It should not have been left like that prior to a guest arriving as someone could have hit their head on it. Also made me question the level of care and attention a room is given during cleaning. One light switch in room's entryway did not work. Fridge was not cold. We relied on our Yeti -- this was fine EXCEPT the ice machine on our floor was broken. So we had to traverse floors (using the stairs because the elevator took FOREVER) in order to get ice, to keep our food cold, because our in-room frig was a bust. For every one working ice machine, two were broken. It felt luxurious to find a working one. A lot of rigamarole for a room that cost nearly $500/night. Front desk staff - all I encountered - were super nice and welcoming/helpful. Location is great. You are on the beach, right off the north end of the boardwalk, and the "beach bus" stops right near the hotel. Lots of mini golf, restaurants and shops in walking distance. Highly recommend using the beach bus to get around town. Very easy to access the beach as well. Lounge chairs and umbrellas are available to rent on the beach, directly outside the hotel. Would I stay here again? Likely no, but only because there were just too many pets in such close spaces/on furniture, etc. That aside, we had a great time and I would recommend this hotel to anyone traveling with a furry friend.

Weniger

“Great Hotel and Location”

I have stayed here several times as I love this hotel. Oceanfront rooms with balconies make for a beautiful setting to watch a sunrise. They are very pet friendly and most know my puppy by name and always acknowledge her. Unfortunately this trip I had to cut a few days short due to illness. Unfortu… Mehr

I have stayed here several times as I love this hotel. Oceanfront rooms with balconies make for a beautiful setting to watch a sunrise. They are very pet friendly and most know my puppy by name and always acknowledge her. Unfortunately this trip I had to cut a few days short due to illness. Unfortunately I paid for the week using my Hilton Honors points spending 124,000. I did not realize that if I had to check out early I would not get unused points back. It’s very aggravating but unfortunately I don’t see the use in being a gold member of the points can’t be used as needed. So basically if you book with points you are booking a nonrefundable reservation. I have tried to email the GM several times as Hilton Honors said it would be up to the property if I could get my points back, but no response as of today. So basically being a gold member means nothing but 2 bottles of water at check in.

Weniger

“Good hotel on the beach”

Very good experience this past weekend at the Hilton Garden Inn. Overall the hotel is very bright and clean. The rooms provide plenty of space and are comfortable. The restaurant and bar areas were excellent, particular shout outs to Jeff, Cookie, Rachel and Vincent. We will see you again in the … Mehr

Very good experience this past weekend at the Hilton Garden Inn. Overall the hotel is very bright and clean. The rooms provide plenty of space and are comfortable. The restaurant and bar areas were excellent, particular shout outs to Jeff, Cookie, Rachel and Vincent. We will see you again in the fall!

Weniger