The only redeeming quality of this hotel is its location. The rooms had potential, but that was completely overshadowed by finding someone else’s hair in my bed and, far more seriously, the loss of my ID by hotel staff.
I am a Marriott Platinum Elite member and spend 50-75 nights a year in hotels for work. I only booked the Berkeley Hilton because I needed that specific location last-minute while staying within my company’s travel budget.
From the moment I arrived, the experience was chaotic. The front desk was under renovation, with active construction in the lobby, and check-in was being handled from a small temporary desk off to the side. During check-in, the associate took my ID and credit card. My credit card was then taken into a back office out of my sight for over five minutes, which immediately made me uncomfortable. I have never had a hotel take my card out of view, and having worked for Marriott earlier in my career, I know keeping payment methods visible is standard practice.
Then my ID disappeared entirely.
When I first raised concern, staff claimed they reviewed the cameras and insisted my ID had been returned to me. I went upstairs, emptied every bag, searched every belonging, and even had a coworker help me double-check. It was nowhere. When I returned downstairs and asked to see the footage myself, the story changed. Suddenly, they said the camera angle did not actually show the temporary desk area clearly enough to confirm what happened to my ID, though they could see their employee taking my credit card into the back office. Their solution was essentially, “Sorry, we don’t have it,” with no real accountability or urgency.
At that point, I joked that maybe a ghost took it since it had apparently vanished, and based on the manager’s expression, that honestly didn’t feel far off.
Upon getting off the elevator and heading to my room, the hallway itself was a mess, pillows left on the floor, carts cluttered with boxes, and an overall sense of disorder. Seeing that level of visible negligence immediately made me question the cleanliness standards, and after later finding a short dark hair in my bed that was clearly not mine or my coworker’s (I used the pen for reference since I have waist length hair and she is very blonde), it became hard not to connect the two. The condition of the hallway felt like a direct reflection of the hotel’s overall lack of attention to detail.
Now, because of this hotel’s carelessness, I am four hours from home in Charlotte, without my ID, after just sending my passport off for renewal following international travel. I have an important work trip this coming Monday and had to pay to expedite a replacement ID, which is still unlikely to arrive in time. My options are now either rescheduling a major meeting or driving 10.5 hours each way to Fort Lauderdale. Both are incredibly disruptive, but driving is likely my only choice.
And somehow, it got worse. Today, the manager called to inform me I had left my coat behind. After everything that happened at this property I tried to rush out of there first thing in the morning but was met with waiting 25 mins for the valet despite being first in line. They actually had the audacity to ask for my credit card over the phone to ship it back, or suggested I drive five hours to retrieve it myself.
That call solidified it: I will not stay at a Hilton property again.
The level of carelessness, lack of professionalism, and complete absence of basic human decency I experienced here was beyond unacceptable. I have encountered better service at budget roadside hotels early in my career. This management team and staff should be genuinely embarrassed by how this situation was handled from start to finish.
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