Overview

Hilton in York. It's dirty and lost all the sparkle that made staying in a Hilton hotel something special.

Transport & Parking

I had forgotten to check out disabled parking so some of this is my fault, but no-one on reception had any idea where there were any disabled parking bays other than 5+minute walk away from hotel, which, after a long drive - 5.5 hours - was just too far. There are NO DISABLED parking spaces near the hotel. I contacted York City council who were BRILLIANT and discovered there's an enormous parking building with unlimited FREE disabled parking less than a minute away. 0/10 for reception.

Access

The outside disabled access lift was broken. 0/10

Toilets

Loo on ground floor was ok, cleaner than our bedroom wet-room. 3/10

Staff

RECEPTION - Polite but clueless and had no idea where there was any disability parking. I phoned York City council parking and found that there was Coppergate, a multi-storey carpark less than 2 minutes walk away! Why did Hilton not know about this? Hilton have a 'discount arrangement' with another some distance away. NB. Coppergate Parking is FREE no matter how long you park there - in any bay - as long as your blue badge card is clearly visible. There are no instructions at the car park entrance, but all you have to do is when you leave, is to scan in your blue badge, and that's it! Could be better signposted at the entrance though. We saved £89.00 by doing so, for the four days in York. RESTARUANT - I wanted to cry it was so bad. The 'continental breakfast' consisted of an A4 space on the chiller, with three slices of ghastly bright pink 'sausage' and a single square of something yellow marked cheese! Nothing else. No choice. I asked for a poached egg and was told by a grumpy and untidy male member of staff, 'It is not our policy to offer poached eggs!' The only person who showed any customer service was Charlotte, who really deserves a thank you, and deserves to work somewhere better than where she is.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

The staff on reception wore masks, we wore ours - coming from Scotland where it's still compulsory. No-one else did. Long review! The problems with Hilton in York. The place is a dive. The disabled lift outside didn't work. The reception entrance carpet was filthy; with stains on top of stains. The Accessible Bathroom, It was cold, with nowhere to put dry towels other than the floor, which flooded each time we showered. There's no seat or non-slip mat in the shower area, and it's not possible to raise a foot, wash it and hold the shower at the same time. The shower head is way too high to reach from a chair. The drains were stinking, clogged with hair/detritus etc and the floor was dirty - the kind of greasy ingrained dirt which will require professional cleaning. The extractor fan didn't work despite asking for it to be fixed, so the walls were running with water and the loo rolls were all damp. There's no-where to dispose of incontinence items. The one and only good point re the bathroom is the water was hot. The Bedroom. The very first thing - other than how cold and drab the room was, was that the red emergency alarm cord had been tangled and knotted way above my reach. This is dangerous and possibly contravenes all Health and Safety with regard access for disabled visitors? There was a discernible dip in the mattress. The bed is too low which makes getting into/out of bed a struggle. The mattress is also hard and lumpy. The carpet - which was under the bed? was frayed and ragged at the edges. The heating is awful. I was cold and turned up the temperature but this only resulted in in cold air hitting the wall, coming down behind the headboard and out of the space between that and the mattress. I resorted to filling the gap with towels and using another as a blanket. The Dining Room. I almost cried with disappointment, because, having been a regular customer of the Hilton, I always make a point of staying with them especially in Europe, because they are a reputable organisation with great customer service. Breakfast was so bad, we ate out for the remainder of our stay. Have you stayed in a Hilton in Europe? I have, and was so ashamed at what was on offer in York. The 'continental' breakfast option was a tiny A4 space of some vile looking pink cold sausage, and a square of yellow plastic 'stuff' labelled 'cheese,' with dried and curled up corners. No alternative. I asked for a poached egg and was told by a grumpy male that 'it's not our policy to offer poached eggs!' The bacon had been deep fried and was running with grease. the scrambled eggs were solid, the sausages were burnt and looked, on cutting one open, to be of very poor quality. The grilled tomatoes were either raw, or mush. The one waffle machine was so dirty I wouldn't use it, and probably represents not only a health hazard, but a fire hazard as well. It is well out of reach for a wheelchair user, as are the toasters. The bread products were of the cheapest sort available. The yoghurts were also of the cheapest quality. The rotary cereal dispensers (also out of reach for a chair user) served only to grind the cornflakes etc to dust! The tea and coffee facilities; on the far side of the room away from the hot food counter (Why) - the water was not boiling for tea. The coffee is cheap nasty horrible stuff masquerading as coffee. Compare all of this to any Hilton in Europe - and Hilton should hang their heads in shame. I contacted Hilton but have had no response. Our booking was 14-18 March 2022. There is only one member of staff, Charlotte, in the dining room to thank for finding a teapot, and for her overall good customer care. This comment is also going to be published on TripAdvisor, Hilton Hotels and and visitbritain.org. I have photos of all the issues raised above. I am passionate about how fabulous UK is as a tourist destination, but honestly could not believe just how appalling this Hilton is. They can do so much better, and to see them failing to meet even basic levels is very sad, frustrating and unnecessary. I hope Hilton take a moment to address these issues and thank you for reading this long review. Would I recommend anyone stays there? Absolutely not if you need an accessible room. My husband said he wouldn't recommend it to anyone either.