Hilton London Watford

Lovely hotel, lovely staff

Rooms were quite warm even with windows opeh

After losing every brain cell from the interactions I was having with the most incompetent staff- both at reception and within the restaurant, I left very dissatisfied. Extremely poor service, but then again, it is Watford.

After a long time, I decided to give this hotel another chance. Unfortunately, very little has changed. The property still feels tired, but more disappointing was the lack of professionalism at reception. As a Hilton Honors Diamond member who spends significant time and money maintaining status, I expect the recognised benefits and, at the very least, a professional and courteous experience. There was no meaningful acknowledgement of Diamond status on checkin. What was particularly frustrating was the handling of upgrades. At the time of check-in, the Hilton app and booking system were clearly showing suites available for sale, yet reception insisted no upgrade was possible. Ms. Davina then stated that Diamond upgrades are “to the next category only.” When I politely asked where this limitation was stated in the Hilton Honors terms, no explanation or evidence could be provided. I fully understand that upgrades are subject to availability and hotel discretion, but what disappointed me most was the dismissive manner in which the matter was handled, rather than the upgrade itself. A little professionalism, transparency, and hospitality would have gone a long way. Overall, this hotel continues to disappoint both in presentation and service culture. Certainly not the experience one expects from Hilton, especially as a loyal Diamond guest.

Stayed at the Hilton Watford given it's proximity to WB Studios for our return to the Harry Potter Tour as we felt it might offer a 'Hilton upgrade' in experience from the Holiday Inn we'd stayed at the previous year. Sadly it didn't. While graded as a three star hotel, I naively expected the standard to be better than it was. The bedrooms were particularly tired and in significant need of refurbishment including unpleasant stains across the carpets and bathrooms that had clearly been in the rooms way before the idea of Harry Potter had ever entered JK Rowling's head! The lobby and restaurant areas were better, but the service in the bar when ordering food was like pulling teeth and the food was bang average for the price (including garlic bread, which was four slices of brown toast with garlic butter spread on it). I've stayed at many Hilton Hotels and even worked at one in my student days and have never had anything other than great service and a great experience, but this property really lets the brand down. What has added insult to injury, is they charged me twice for the room (once a month before my stay and a second time after my stay on my credit card). After apologising for their error, i was told I'd have the refund within 5 days. 14 days later, it's still not here and after they claimed it would be a bank issue, I have called my bank who have no trace of any payment/ refund attempt making place. Hilton Watford, please don't tell porkies and return the funds you owe me.

Location was great. Easy to find, straight off the M1. Value for money.