Hilton New Orleans Riverside

After a long and tiring drive down to New Orleans from Memphis we were all a little tired and just wanted to check in, get to our rooms and sleep. This isn't to much of an ask as the primary function of a hotel is to give you a bed for the night? Unfortunately the two Gentlemen working this specific evening had other ideas. We popped across our British Airways hotel vouchers for the two river view rooms we had booked and paid for almost 1 year prior to our visit along with a passport and credit card to cover the two rooms. Only to be told we weren't on the system... then we were on the system then we'd only booked one river view room, names were asked, ludacris questions were asked until finally one of the Gentlemen who clearly was out of his depth and kept telling us he was new and had a terrible day of having to deal with the public all day and see how we'd like it finally said "I'm getting racist vibes here" horrified, mortified, angry and very upset we had been accused of being racists we kindly asked for an explanation. Sadly he walked away and handed the job over to a fantastic lady who quickly got things moving. Room keys, helpful tips etc. Like you'd expect from any check in staff. On finally arriving at our river view room it was indeed everything we expected it would be and did not disappoint. Clean, tidy, well appointed large room with a comfortable bed and a lovely hot shower. Sadly we were denied the second river view room which we had booked, paid for and was clearly written under room type on our British Airways hotel paperwork In the morning we went back to reception and spoke to another fantastic lady who gave us clear and precise instructions on how to get to certain places we were visiting. Also certain places within the hotel i.e. the cafe next to reception was advertised as being open from 6am to 12am so on returning from an evening meal a little after 10pm we very surprised to find the cafe was all locked up and we were unable to purchase a bottle of water, coffee or snacks. Misleading information is not a good look for the Hotel Needless to say all these things left a very bitter taste in our mouths and we would not stay here again.

BED so comfortable

I hate all the dang fees done through booking.com. rather than Hilton rewards. Why 1000 dollars charge to a 400 room. Lucky my husband was with me. The other 18 friends did not have this issue

Lovely 1st and second floors. It was a good location for the Tall Ships. Nice views from our room of the river and some of the ships. Very nice breakfast buffet.

I reserved two rooms but was told I only had one. Took some convincing for them to find it. Had to wait an hour past check-in for second room. Acted like they were doing me a favor. Check-in agents rude, acted like they didn't want to help us. My daughter got stuck trying to leave the parking deck because her key was not correctly formatted which almost made us miss a reservation. She swiped her card for a $90 charge to get out. If the check-in agents were trained never to smile or be hospitable, then the training was a success.

The view

My stay at the Hilton Riverside was very pleasant. The room was nice, and the staff was friendly and accommodating. The only thing that stood out to me was seeing the parking attendants working in the extreme heat. I was a little frustrated while waiting in line at the overflow lot, but when I pulled up and saw the smile on Tristan’s face despite the heat, it completely changed my attitude. She greeted me warmly, apologized for the wait, and remained professional and positive throughout the interaction. I told her there was no need to apologize and encouraged her to stay cool.

Ester is what everyone should aspire to be if they work at the front desk! She was professional, kind, courteous and accommodating! The hotel is on the river walk, near the casino and a short walk to Bourbon Street. Wonderful location!

Service and food was excellent.

The buffet is excellent. But even better is the service by our waitress Marnie. She is great. It is because of her that we have breakfast here every day during our stay