3 Strikes
I travel to work a fair amount and, as a loyal Hilton Honors member, I have stayed in this particular HGI 4 times with 3 negative experiences.
My third bad experience, which happened in June 2012 includes those nasty words that no hotelier likes to hear - bed bug. Checked in, headed to the room and was surprised at the strong chemical smell in the room. I called the front desk about it and was informed the carpets had just been cleaned. They said the smell should dissipate by evening. I headed off for a day of meetings, returned to that same strong chemical smell. I got into my PJs, flipped on the TV and turned down the bed to find a rather healthy 5mm bed bug sitting on the pillow of one of the double beds. Called the front desk after taking a picture and a manager came up to inspect. They took the "suspicious insect" and moved me to a new room with no chemical smell. Upon checking out, I found out that despite their claims that they don't have "that type of insect" that the room I'd been initially assigned had JUST been sprayed for bed bugs that very morning. For me, that was the last straw after two previously negative experiences. Although the managers and concierge are friendly and helpful, I just can't stay somewhere where I need to worry about what I'm taking home with me. Below are my other experiences at the HGI W 35th.
My first bad experience was this past January. I stayed for a few days with my fiance while tacking on a few personal days to a work trip. HGI have adjustable mattresses in their rooms (think poor man's Sleep Number bed). Without getting too technical...the mattress is essentially built like an air mattress with compartments. Some of the compartments in our mattress were popped. The result was a crater in the bed. I complained to the manager about it, who assured me that I just didn't know how to use their adjustable mattresses. A maintenance person was sent to "teach" us how to use it, and discovered - SURPRISE - that we had some deflated chambers. We were told the mattress would be fixed, by 10pm that night, it wasn't...and it was time for me to head to bed. That makes 2 days with a large crater in the bed.
Believe it or not...my second bad experience is a repeat of my first. I came to the hotel for work, and found myself with a crater on the bed. The explanation is "deflated chambers" in the mattress. I don't know how it happens, but it's pretty hard to tell that it will happen, as you really have to lay on the mattress for a few minutes before you can tell.
Between the bed bug and the bad mattresses, I won't be going back to this hotel...ever.