Homewood Suites by Hilton Oakland - Waterfront

"We checked in to this hotel on Friday, 2/2/24 - 2/3/24 around 9 PM and we thought it looked so nice outside. Inside, not so much. If any Hilton hotel is in dire need of renovation, it is this one. The carpets were very stained and dirty. Hallways are pretty narrow. Our first room 149?, was super small, toilet handle was broken and microwave "start" button does not work. The first Front Desk, Shay, responded to this by saying she'll get back to me. I contacted her at 9:24pm, didn't hear back until I reached out about the microwave issue at 11:15pm. Elena was able to move us to an upgraded room on the other side of the hotel, which was bigger, but hallway carpets were stained as well. I noticed Elena didn't write the room number on our key card, and while we were there, she had forgot to swipe the room key for another guest. So, there's very little to no attention to detail. Later, I messaged Elena what the cost would be for us to stay Saturday night. She gave me the details, then I messaged her and said I will get back to her if we decide to extend. Then I asked if we can get a later check out Saturday at 12 pm since we were there for a vball competition at 1 pm. She said okay. Monday morning 2/5/24, around 9 AM, I noticed I was charged twice from the Homewood. I called them and Connie(?) answered. I just began to explain to her about the charges when she said hang on a moment, and then left me on hold. A little rude. After awhile, she got back on and I explained to her what happened. She told me that I stayed at the hotel for Saturday so my total stay was over $300. I told her that is incorrect, I stayed there Friday night and checked out Saturday afternoon. I have the messages of my conversation with Elena that I'll let her know if we extend, which I did not because we decided to leave. I also asked her for a 12 pm checkout so why would she think I'm staying for Saturday night. Connie continued and said she doesn't know because she didn't do it, "I'm just at the front desk?" She told me to call back since management wasn't in and if I want to call back before 11 AM. Mind you, it's around 9 AM so I'm confused why she said that. I told her to just take my info down and please hand that to her manager when they get in. It's after 1 pm now and still no phone call. As someone who has hotel experience, this is not how you should handle this kind of situation. I suggest they train their staff in professionalism, communication and speech, telephone etiquette, problem solving, and attention to detail. The front desk is the first line of defense of the hotel. They set the entire mood and impression of the place, they're resourceful and can handle difficult situations. To say, "I'm just at the front desk" tells me this person may not have a strong understanding of what this position entails. I'm giving them a 2 as the front desk staff are nice, but clearly needs more training. I am still waiting for a call from management."

"Great location for our trip. The rooms are in need of an upgrade, but are still nice and in great shape for the age. It was a bit gloomy outside on our visit, but there was a great view out of our window that would be beautiful when the sun is shining."

"My coworker and I were scheduled to stay here for work. Upon arrival we noticed the very shady area the hotel is in. Homeless camps are all over the area near the hotel. There are signs posted all over the property to warn you not to leave items in your car, which is very unsettling to say the least. The pictures of the property on the Hilton app are very misleading about what the property looks like. As soon as we walked into the building to get to our rooms we were greeted by the nastiest of carpets and the aroma of freshly smoked Marijuana. There were stains and marks on the carpetfrom one end to the other and every floor was like this. My room was on the side of the interstate and was very noisy inside. I requested to be moved to the water side which the front desk clerk graciously did. My coworker and I left for dinner not long after checking in and our drive through the area looking for food was very unsettling due to all the homeless camps and sketchy looking area. At dinner we discussed all the issues and safety concerns we witnessed. We decided to only stay the night and looked for another hotel to check into. We ended up checking out the next morning and found a Double Tree in the Fremont area that was in a much nicer location and much cleaner and nicer hotel. My coworker and I learned our lesson and will now review all hotels we book in the future to ensure we are in a good and safe area. It's a shame that you can't just trust it to be a nice hotel due to it being a Hilton brand. Hilton really needs to reevaluate if this hotel belongs being branded to them. It was one of the worse Hilton hotels I've ever stayed in."

"Beautiful hotel. Great quiet location with a nice view of the water. Sitting by the fire pits made it a very relaxing evening Upon arrival I was told there weren't anymore rooms that I reserved available. I got a free upgrade which worked out perfectly! 2bd 2ba with a separate living room.The rooms were nice, clean & very spacious. There was a fully stocked kitchen. The king size bedroom had an additional fridge. The staff was great! The evening mixer was an unexpected surprise with free food, beer & wine. The hot breakfast was great. Many options to choose from. I will stay again."

"Do not stay here. The only good thing about it was the breakfast. Other than that, sketchy area (cars were getting broken into) my room was absolutely disgusting. There literally was not even a duvet cover. I felt so gross the entire time I didn’t even want to be in my room. Curtains and walls had things splattered on them. People’s hair still in the shower, musty smell, lights would flicker(creepy), tiny rooms, and there was a clothing tag on the floor when I first walked into my room. Not to mention… I went downstairs to get a new key card because mine kept locking me out, and the lady had remembered me since it happened before. She said room 33* right? Loudly. In front of three other people. I am a female staying in Oakland at this sketchy hotel. I do not want ANYONE knowing what room I am staying in. This is a safety hazard and shows complete incompetence. On top of all that, a fire alarm went off at 10pm, and the lady at the front desk deemed it a false alarm… it was not a false alarm. A persons room was literally full of smoke causing the entire floor to smell like smoke. The fire fighters never came, hotel staff did not communicate to us what was going on, I was waived off when I asked what was happening. The fact that the lady deemed it a false alarm and told police not to come until a customer came out of her room to tell the front desk a room is smoking is beyond me. I repeat do NOT stay here. Worst experience ever"