- mannyb
- First Reviewer
- 3 out of 5
- Avg. Member Rating
- 5
- Reviews
Horrible Customer Service & Room at a Very High Price
- July 16, 2009
- Rated 1 of 5 by
ChantelleSTX from christiansted, U.S. Virgin Islands
This is the type of hotel that will nickel and dime you. But that is often the case with a large resort that has trouble keeping itself full. So that wasn't that big of an issue.
I've lived in the Caribbean for about 10 years and customer service is often lacking (but if you make an effort to talk with people they will generally warm up), but I have never come across anything like this. Every single employee I encountered was sour. From the Check in to the check out., no smiles and no courtesy. Check in took over 45 minutes and most of that time was for us check in, not waiting in line. All we asked was to upgrade to a King Villa with Ocean View (we were not asking for it for free but to pay for it), from an ocean view deluxe room. He said it was available as soon as we asked for it but then took FOREVER to check us in, never chatting with us or telling us what was wrong, just frowning silence.
On a side note I hate the loud squawking parrots in hotel lobbies. Feels like its going to pierce your ear drums, but I guess kids like that.
So after a long very confusing walk to the villa area of the property we get to our room. I was really disappointed. It was beige, beige and beige with a white bed (Who decides to make a Caribbean room brown? Just makes it look dingy). It was a very dark room and on top of the disappointing first impression we had no ocean view but some kind of canal view with construction going on.
The windows and the walls are extremely thin, we could hear our neighbors every night and construction woke us up every morning!!! So we were kept awake late at night and woken up early, sounds like a great vacation doesn’t it? And the room would barely get cool. We’re paying all sorts of taxes, resort fees and energy charges and we have a hot room. Also after discovering our room OPEN (if you did not lift the door handle back up it wouldn't click and lock) we called down to the operator right away and reported the problem, no one came, reported it again, not one came. That was pretty much the last straw.
We ate at Mortons several times and had excellent service. That is the best part of the hotel. Ask the Concierge for recommendations twice and the recommendations were awful. And again she acted like we were putting her out by bothering her.
We moved to the Marriott San Juan & Stellaris Casino, halfway during our stay because I could not stand the service any longer at the Caribe. We had a wonderful stay there. I told Caribe front desk at check out how awful my stay was and they had no concern about it at all. Caribe made my stay so awful I am telling everyone how bad it was. I feel like I came back from vacation angry and I’ve never experienced that before.
Caribe Hilton
- January 10, 2007
- Rated 4 of 5 by
MKtravel from Los Angeles, California
The Caribe Hilton is a very popular hotel. It is a mix between a resort and a conference center, there were a lot of business folks and a lot of families with kids. The grounds are clean and are right on the beach. The pool area is great and the service is very friendly. We stayed in the Main Tower and really enjoyed our view. Our first night, the walls seemed rather thin as we could hear everything said by the teenagers in the room next door. We didn't have the problem the second night though, so it could have just been that they were loud. The Executive Lounge for Hilton Gold members had a good sized breakfast and was stocked with snacks and drinks throughout the day. The location is about a 1 mile walk to Old San Juan although the walk is along a busy street, so you might just want to take a cab. Overall, I recommend it as the pool and beach are spectacular.
From journal San Juan for Business
Caribe Hilton San Juan Puerto Rico
- December 19, 2006
- Rated 5 of 5 by
K BERGER from MAPLETON, Illinois
This hotel had it all! It was on the beach. It was close to shopping. It was 2 miles from Old San Juan. There were four dining areas right there in the hotel, including Morton's Steakhouse. The spa was right there on property as well.
From journal Caribe Hilton: San Juan, Puerto Rico
Caribe Hilton San Juan
- October 13, 2004
- Rated 3 of 5 by
LESLIE OHIO from Vandalia, Ohio
The room was a nice size. It had a refrigerator and the room was separated by a wall from the bathroom. Balcony overlooked the ocean. Nice place.
From journal Spring Getaway
Caribe Hilton
- October 16, 2000
- Rated 4 of 5 by
mannyb from San Juan, Puerto Rico
Just renovated, it's a jewel. Private beach in the middle of the city. Plenty of stores inside the hotel to cater to your every need. The pool area is excellent and the food will satisfy even the most demanding connossieur. The rooms are elegantly furnished and many have views of the sea. Centrally located to the old city and it's pubs and night clubs.
From journal San Juan for Fun