Valet Service Crashed Car... Hotel Denied Responsibility (read on please!!)

This hotel ruined my girlfriend's and my vacation and has caused weeks of havoc and stress. The valet parking service blatantly crashed our car. The entire staff refused to accept responsibility, saying we had no proof. It is amazing how the entire staff, from the valet drivers, to the night manager, to the hotel's GM are all really terrible people who would rather lie than take responsibility and help us. At one point in our discussions, the GM (Norm Roca) yelled "You will get no more information from me!" and hung up the phone on me. There was a girl who got out of our damaged car when it was brought to us, and the manager on duty said it couldn't have been her driving because "she doesn't know how to drive a 5-speed yet." (Yet?! Is she learning to drive on the cars we entrust with the valet service). Everyone on the staff had a different story as to who was driving and where, and no one would take responsibility. After long discussions, we were told we wouldn't be charged for the room until the situation was resolved. Then a charge showed up, and no one from the hotel had ever contacted us. After getting the Hilton Corporate Office, the Better Business Bureau, the Maine Innkeepers' Assocation, the Portland Police, the Maine Attorney General of Consumer Protection, and the Town of Portland involved, the hotel finally submitted the claim to their insurance. The hotel will still not reimburse us for the room.

The Perfect Place to Stay

After originally checking into the Portland Regency and not being at all happy with it, Norman, the manager at HGI, graciously showed us a room so we could compare. There was absolutely no comparison. The rooms at HGI were well-appointed, clean, comfortable and we had a beautiful waterfront view for considerably less money than we would have spent at the Portland Regency. We felt we received good value for our money and the staff was courteous and helpful at all times. We will definitely stay there again!

Great location in Portland

My 12-year-old son and I took the Amtrak train to Portland for an overnight trip and stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn. We thought it was great - request a room with a view of the harbor on an upper floor - we were on the fourth floor and had a great view of the waterfront. Pool was small but clean and had a nice jacuzzi. Rooms were very spacious and the whole hotel was very new and spotless. VERY close to restaurants, boat rides, shops, etc. Not cheap but really nice and in a terrific spot! (I thought the room was very quiet and didn't hear any street noise at night).

This is an exceptional Garden Inn

Stayed at HGI on Commercial Drive in August and it was excellent hotel. Although a year old, seemed like brand new. It is definetly an upscale HGI and location right on waterfront was superb. We were in executive room on 2nd floor with waterview in executive room. Only better location would be higher to see the bay (5th or 6th floor).

Most of staff was friendly and only negative was incompentency of the valet parking - they lost our car keys twice and until they complete the garage in December, be prepared for delays in getting your car.

Nearby Fore Street restaurant (Gourmet Magazine top 10 in U.S.) and bakery below are awesome.

Would stay here again and again. This is not your ordinary HGI.

Louder than we'd hoped

Loved the location;very pleasant staff both valet and front office and very accommodating (cookies for the kids at check-in.) Unfortunately our room was across from the ice maker/vending machine room and the combination of that plus outside noises at night (motorcycles, sirens) conspired to keep us awake off and on all night. Also, it took the valet staff a bit of time to retrieve our car each time we needed it so you might want to build in the extra minutes for any time-sensitive trips. On the plus side, the pool while small was delightful as was the hot tub/whirlpool at the end of it.

Loved theHilton

Perfect location on the waterfront. We hade lovely water view. Never needed to take our vehicle out. Everything in walking distance. Old Port has some great shops and fabulous restaurants. My husband was on R&R from Iraq and we wanted to get away for a couple days but not too far. The hotel was very nice. Staff friendly and courteous. It was a little pricey but worth it for us on a special occasion.

Great value and beautiful hotel

This hotel is a great deal, and for the price it was surprisingly modern, stylish, super clean, and spacious. The pool is a nice ammenity - it is a lap pool, but was still fine for our kids, who loved it. Excellent location in Portland, walking distance to all. The staff is very warm and friendly, the dorrman gave prizes to our kids, which they through was the best. We would stay again - and are recommending it to others.

Great Location

Great location and nice, new hotel. Rooms were beautiful, and the bathrooms were very nice. Would stay here again. There is construction going on behind the hotel, which makes it noisy during the day. There is an extra fee of $11 per day for parking. Overall a great hotel with a very friendly staff.

Excellent location, neat

We just got back from our trip to Portland. The location of the hotel was excellent. We got a room on a 3rd floor overlooking the waterfront and a ferry terminal. We stayed there for 2 nights(Fr,Sat).The lobby is beatiful, the service was great, clean and spacious room with microwave and a small refrigerator. The bakery was right next door as well as plenty of restaurants. We had enjoyed breakfast of blueberry pancakes at Becky's Diner(featured on Food channel) and a visit to an indoor farmer's market with bakeries, deli counters and it was fun. There is a good children's museum there for younger kids, mine are 10 and 12 and we thought it was really more appropriate for a younger age group.

There are wharfs at the waterfront with lobster baits and fishing boats.We also had enjoyed a light house in Fort Williams and cobble stone streets of Downtown. There is plenty to do in Portland for 1-2 days there in this time of the year.

Great Hotel, Super Location

My husband and I stayed here for 4 nights recently. It was 12 below in Portland, but the hotel was warm and friendly with a nice fireplace in the lobby. Our room faced the port (fantastic view) and was very large.

Everything is new and clean, and the staff was extremely friendly. They have a nice breakfast every morning that it is easy to find a 2 for 1 coupon for. Look in one of the free newspapers in the surrounding shops. Highly recommend this hotel!