Hotels near Wilmington Riverwalk, Wilmington

Okay, I am going to say that the hotel itself is clean, comfy and the staff is friendly and efficient. The property is in the downtown area and adjacent to the local college campus and is a River front property... and that ladies and gents is my only issue. What I am about to write will no doubt be read by people who will think Hmmm, what a self-entitled ***** and to that I will correct you and ask you to remove the ”self” part and focus SOLELY on the ENTITLED part. I am and have been for several years a Diamond HHonors member. You achieve Diamond (Hilton's HIGHEST level of guest loyalty) not because you OCCASSIONALLY stay at a Hilton branded property, but because you stay at them CONSTANTLY. In order to get there, you have not only spent nights in their bed's but THOUSANDS of dollars to achieve that level of brand LOYALTY. Among the perks/benefits of that level of BRAND LOYALTY (please note the theme here with that word) you have the right to request a room upgrade at check in among other benefits. For the record, not once since achieving Diamond status, have I requested my room be upgraded to a suite. Primarily because I am in the hotel for one day and on to my next property the following day, most times leaving in the middle of the night due to the line of work I am in. Today, as I arrive at the Ballast, I notice the river and the USS North Carolina museum ship moored just behind the hotel. I get to my room and discover that I am street side in an odd numbered room and would really like to get some upper view photos of the battleship. I returned to the desk and ask if I could be switched to a waterside room. Now, for the record the hotel is NINE STORIES TALL and as near as I can calculate has 26 water facing rooms on each floor. Assuming, that floors one and two and possibly three are event and meeting space that still leaves six floors or 156 water side rooms available for booking. Imagine my surprise when I am informed that ”sorry, there is no way for me to move you” You're telling me that 156 rooms are occupied by folks that are incredibly LOYAL to your brand? That the2 wedding parties that you tell me are in house could not be equally accommodated in street side rooms? So much for brand LOYALTY!

I have never written a bad review for any establishment I've been to ...but this was very upsetting and handled very wrong! At check-in, I gave license plate information for 2 of my cars. After I checked out, I found a ticket on 1 of my cars for non-payment of parking. Gave the ticket to front desk, and was told ”we'll take care of it”. Called 2 days later and spoke to Grace, their GM to follow-up and was told I never gave them info for 2 cars, only 1. She wouldn't even give me her supervisor's name, said I have to call customer service. I did that and they were unable to assist me and told me that their Gen Mgr has final say. Really???!!!

Check in process was not smooth due to room keys not programming correctly at check in. We were sent upstairs to “try” the key which of course didn’t work. The hotel staff was very kind about it and came up to let us into the room until keys could be programmed. The major disappointment was our room. It had 2 doubles which is perfect for family traveling, but the glass shower is front and center with a view from every direction within the room and from the exterior hallway. Not a family friendly stay.

Great hotel, which was quiet, with helpful and kind staff. Especially Ryan and Alexis, they were extremely kind, friendly, thorough, and helpful. Alexis answered all our questions without making us feel incompetent. Ryan was an incredible gentleman, helping my great grandmother and aunt into our vehicle and closed the door behind them and provided water for all of us. Thanks for the great experience!

Breakfast was crowded and very little food remaining both mornings of our stay. Desk staff was friendly and helpful. I left an item behind and tried calling the hotel for hours once I got home and realized what had happened, but no answer. I chatted online and was told that I would get an email withing 3-5 days. Not getting a phone call answered is frustrating and unprofessional.

The location is excellent, the parking is convenient, the room space is large, the service attitude is very good, the lobby has local tourist attractions, as well as local food descriptions, adjacent to the big shopping malls, convenient shopping.

We usually like to stay on the beach at Wrightsville but lately the hotel prices there have been north of $600 a night, so we decided to try staying here about 5 miles off the beach. The hotel feels very new and is super clean and trendy/nice in common areas and in the suites. Even the 2 queen bed suite feels very spacious and has a curtain between those 2 beds and the pull out sofa, which didn't have that crumby feel. Nice kitchenette with fuller size fridge and true freezer. The outdoor areas (outside the breakfast buffet area and near the pool are equally nice (pool is on the small side with not alot of loungers for sunbathing). It was nice to have free parking and breakfast buffet although we found the breakfast buffet foods are not restocked that often unlike we've experienced at other hiltons so often out of bagels, etc. The waffle iron needs replaced because it doesn't work properly where the waffles come out easily (even with spray) like they do at other Hilton properties - many had plates of ripped apart waffles. However, it was still nice to have a free buffet and the buffet area is nice so despite this, it was fine and one can always head out to a local restaurant if desired. Pet friendly too - we saw some cute doggos. Had no impact on the cleanliness factor/feeling.

The staff was really nice. Excellent location to walk to shopping and nearby restaurants. We had a power outage during our stay due to a storm. FYI, there is no generator to power the whole building, so if you are traveling and know it may be bad weather, it's not the best option. Some rooms had AC, and others didn't. Power was randomly on different circuits. It was definitely an interesting situation for all. Luckily, it got handled, and the power came back on before bedtime. We like the size of suites. But many things need to be cleaned and replaced. Our shower curtain smelled terrible. There was tile broken in the bathrooms along the tub. Microwaves and floors were super dirty. The carpets needed to be replaced. Next renovation just ditch the carpets. It's much cleaner and healthier for all. Overall, our stay was pleasant, and time spent with family is priceless, but unless they get a generator and renovate, we probably won't return.

The advantage of the old hotel is that the service standard is guaranteed, the environment is good, the breakfast is good, the front desk girl is warm, and she has been to Beijing, Xi'an and other places in China. The equipment is a bit old.