Hilton Albany

This place is comically terrible. Rooms smell like mold. The basement conference area smells like a wet dog. Attending a half-week long conference with hundreds of people, hosted here at the Hilton. Conference starts at 1pm and they tell us we have to pay $25pp to get into our rooms before 2:30, *if* the room is available. Never have I experienced this requirement from any hotel, having gone to this same conference for over a decade (first time at this hotel - and probably last). Free shuttle - sounds great - but I couldn’t get anyone to answer the phone. They either put me on hold or just let the phone ring. Had to get an uber to the hotel from the train station. Air was set to 55° on cool in my room, so it was 64° when I got in my room. With the heat on for the past 3 hours, it has only increased to 66°. Speaking of temperatures, the conference rooms are colder than the center of the ice shelf floating through the Antarctic. Do yourself a favor and stay at the Fairfield across the street. Stayed there last year and it was wonderful!

A previous stay at Hilton Albany a few years ago swayed us into choosing it again, however sadly our recent stay at this location did not live up to the quality we have come to know with Hilton hotels. With trash consistently overflowing in bins outside the hotel, a spoon that lay in the hallway during the duration of our 3 night stay, a lack of towels despite repeated inquiries, and a toilet that worked only sometimes, Hilton Albany fell short of meeting basic hotel standards. Despite repeated inquiries about the airport shuttle throughout the weekend, and arriving 10 minutes prior to instructed, a member of our party was left behind by the airport shuttle. During later discussions with staff, we concluded that the absence of hotel procedures and poor communication among staff were the cause, ultimately resulting in her incurring her own costs for a Ride share service to the airport. While we encountered two staff members (a plumber and a lovely member of the housekeeping staff) who put their best efforts into trying to address some of the stated issues, in all other circumstances it felt that additional staff and significant staff training are needed. I share our experience publicly only after trying to address these issues on site, first with front desk staff, and, as the Hotel Manager was in a meeting, concerns were shared again with the Food & Beverage Manager. While the F & B Manager sympathetically took notes and assured us that he would share our concerns with the Hotel Manager so she may call us as soon as her meeting ended, that call never came. It didn’t come the next day, and it was only after our party made the effort to reach out that contact was made. The lack of response by hotel management seems to be representative of the hotel’s communication shortfalls and challenges as a whole. Sadly, communication with hotel management led nowhere and resulted in a missed opportunity for redemption in our group’s lasting impression of Hilton Albany, only adding to a poor guest experience. We had truly hoped for a positive resolution, though based on other recent reviews, it now appears that other guests have experienced challenges similar to ours. I hope Hilton Albany uses this collective feedback to help make needed changes in order for guests to enjoy the quality that we have come to associate with the Hilton brand.

Beds were just bad. Thin mattress on a stiff box frame. Showers were awful. Very little hot water, almost no water pressure and what existed was inconsistent based on every other hotel guest's use. Air Conditioning was terrible. The room remained too warm and too humid for the entire duration of our stay. The doors are also very thin. You will hear almost every sound your neighbors make. Staff was very helpful and friendly, and they did a good job. Housekeeping in particular was mindful of our timing needs and worked around our availability. If you're staying at this hotel, it's probably because you need this location specifically. Good luck to you.

I went for a night to see friends and check in was very easy and quick. The room was clean, the beds were clean and comfortable. I had no problems. The staff was friendly. We enjoyed the little time we had and was able to use the pool which was empty at the time. The only issue is the shower drain didn’t work well which is not a big deal. Bathroom was stocked well. I wasn’t happy that I had to pay for parking but realized it’s probably private parking since anyone can park. Would definitely stay again