The Best and Worst Hilton Hotel Stays in Europe

I have a thing for really great hotels – especially clean, beautiful, well-curated and comfortable hotels. I love the charm and personality you can find in a boutique hotel or the comfort of classic Hilton hotel stays. There is something about the crisp white hotel sheets and clean minimalism of a modern hotel room that soothes my anxious soul. And don’t get me started on not having to do my own laundry and cleaning when I leave!

I do a lot of research before I book my hotels, so today I want to share our experience with Hilton hotel stays in Europe. I’ve written our experiences in the order in which our stays took place. We hope it can help other travelers out there to have awesome Hilton stays as well!

Hilton and Hilton brand associated hotels featured largely in our five week honeymoon/anniversary trip to Europe in the Fall of 2022. The main reason was our choice to pursue Hilton rewards points during our months long home remodel. By doing so, we were able to greatly reduce our hotel budget for the trip. (see Budget Luxury Travel Doesn’t Have to Be an Oxymoron) During our thirty-seven days traveling in Europe, we stayed at a total of twelve different accommodations, which included a mix of hotel and Airbnb vacation homes. Of those twelve stays, six were with Hilton properties, ranging from Doubletrees and a Curio Collection offering to Hilton and Waldorf Astoria properties.

Here are our rankings of the six Hilton properties we visited, based on the most important criteria to us: Comfort, Food, Convenience, Atmosphere and Welcome. The “Comfort” score is based mainly on how well we slept with a nod to the bathroom facilities. “Food” is heavily weighted on the quality of the breakfast, since as Diamond Members we received free breakfast at every stay. (see Is Being a Hilton Diamond Member Really Luxury?) Our “Convenience” rating reflects how easy or difficult it was to get to and from transportation hubs and major attractions in the area. And of course, “Atmosphere” and “Welcome” are a highly subjective rating of how the property and the staff made us feel during our stay.

Waldorf Astoria Versailles

Comfort: 5/5
Food: 5/5
Convenience: 4/5
Atmosphere: 5/5
Welcome: 5/5

Summary: Nearly perfect in every way

Where do I start with the Waldorf Astoria Versailles? Perhaps with the fact that we arrived completely exhausted, cranky and probably smelly after a horrible thirty-six hour travel nightmare with American Airlines. (see Our Nightmare Flights to Europe: Why American Airlines is Out and Why It’s Smart to Book with Airlines Directly) We had already missed the first night of a three day stay that was supposed to be a splurge and for which we had used up one of our major luxury perks.

Our plan had been to use our combined AMEX luxury credits for a three night stay, which would include easy access to Versailles Palace. After which, we would switch to a more centrally located hotel for the remainder of our stay in Paris. As completely worn out as we were, we chose to cough up the expensive cost of an Uber all the way from Charles De Gaulle airport (CDG), rather than try to navigate public transit. We were regretting not choosing a closer hotel to start with.

Our Uber brought us right to the door and we walked into the charming lobby of the Waldorf Astoria Versailles looking like grubby backpackers. There we were greeted with warmth, kindness, and sympathy from the outstanding Waldorf Astoria staff. Thanks to our Hilton Diamond Member status through our American Express Hilton Aspire card we received a complimentary upgrade from the most basic room in the Pavilion, to a palace room with a view.

We found a charming little apartment awaiting us, along with fresh flowers, a handwritten note, and dessert wishing us a happy anniversary. We ordered room service and collapsed into a giant bed, no small bonus for the extra tall traveler, one of the most comfortable either of us has ever slept on.

After a solid, and much needed, nap we wandered out to explore the hotel a little and also to take advantage of free drinks and snacks in the Bar Galerie before a dinner reservation at La Veranda. The interior and exterior of the grounds are beautiful and elegant. But what makes the hotel really special is the welcoming staff. Though we were still not feeling great, dinner was simply delicious and we were very happy with our choice to stay in Versailles for the first part of our French adventures.

We were even happier the next morning to be treated to an incredible breakfast that was included in our stay as Hilton Diamond members. The variety and quality of the breakfast provided was outstanding. The hot chocolate alone might earn the five stars in the food category, and the service was as impeccable as always.

The Waldorf Astoria Versailles is an easy ten to fifteen minute walk to either Versailles Palace or to a train that will take you into the center of Paris. Overall, the location was quite convenient, though it’s obviously a longer commute to the majority of Paris’s main attractions than is ideal. Versailles Palace and Gardens are worth spending a day or more exploring, and we highly recommend going at least once.

I think our Waldorf Astoria Versailles experience was summed up by our final hours there. We had a remaining free drink at the Bar Galerie, but neither of us was in the mood for alcohol, so we simply ordered ginger ales. They were served to us with the same style and pleasantness of the finest cocktails and a kind wish to enjoy “our moment”. And that was our stay at the Waldorf Astoria in a nutshell: a series of beautiful and enjoyable moments.

Doubletree by Hilton Brussels City

Comfort: 4.5/5
Food: 5/5
Convenience: 4.5/5
Atmosphere: 4/5
Welcome: 4/5

Summary: Excellent all around

Belgium was the next country on our European itinerary and it was one of our favorites. We arrived from Paris by train and the Doubletree by Hilton Brussels was an easy fifteen minute walk from the Central station. We were able to choose a free room upgrade with an awesome view of the Brussels Botanical Gardens right across the street through the Hilton app and were quickly checked in by a friendly staff.

Our room was clean and modern, with a very comfortable king-size bed. One special touch we especially appreciated was reusable glass water bottles that we could fill for free at a water station right outside our door. We were able to easily walk to great food and drink. That included some amazing Belgian waffles and the world famous chocolatiers and breweries Belgium is known for. Plus, the most famous sights of Brussels, like the Grand Place and Manneken Pis were also just a twenty minute walk away.

We enjoyed dinner that night in the hotel restaurant which was actually superb. We were also very pleased with the quality and variety of the breakfast the next morning. There was a definite Middle Eastern/North African theme to the food offerings, which was a pleasant change, but lots of classics were available as well.

Sadly, our time in Brussels was a little derailed by my breaking my tooth during a day trip to Brugges (See How to Deal with a Dental Emergency Abroad). However, our stay at the Doubletree by Hilton Brussels City was absolutely one of our favorites on our Europe trip. We would definitely stay there again.

Hilton Molino Stucky Venice

Comfort: 3.5/5
Food: 3/5
Convenience: 3.5/5
Atmosphere: 5/5
Welcome: 4/5
Bonus Points: Executive Lounge

Summary: Good but could be better

Our stay in Venice was a bit of a splurge in that, instead of booking the cheapest available rate and hoping for an upgrade as a Hilton Diamond member, I actually booked a higher price room. My hope was that we would be upgraded one level up to a view of Venice and I was not disappointed. The room was lovely and the view of Venice well worth it. The bed and bathroom were decent, though not remarkable. However, there were some issues that brought the comfort and convenience levels down.

For starters, the hotel is not on the main island, which means you will need to take a vaporetto or water taxi from the train station some ways to reach it on Giudecca. We were aware of this when we booked and had researched well how to arrive and obtained VeneziaUnica passes to get around. There is also a Hilton shuttle (not free) with limited stops back and forth.

The location is by no means a dealbreaker, especially since Venice is a special case when it comes to walkability. However, it definitely lowers the overall convenience level of the hotel and is a consideration for staying more centrally.

When we first arrived, we were greeted politely, but we could tell the staff were a bit harried and, as a result, impersonal. It’s a huge hotel and apparently regularly gets large bookings from cruise ships coming through. As a result, it’s no doubt difficult to give the same level of welcome you might receive from a smaller hotel. The breakfast staff were the most friendly during our stay. We also received a nice welcome snack and drink in our room.

The room was not ready when we first arrived but, as Diamond members, we were able to access the executive lounge. The lounge is conveniently located on the ground floor, not too far from check in and we were given a key card to enter. The atmosphere inside was calm and quiet. We were able to enjoy some to drinks and snacks, as well as comfortable tables and chairs with nice views of the water. The executive lounge is definitely a great perk of this property.

The historic, Neo-gothic “Molino Stucky” building the hotel is located in is quite awesome. It’s an old flour mill and has been redone beautifully. Efforts were made to preserve the personality of the building and document its history. Yet, the modernization provides an elegant and comfortable space. Adding in the gorgeous views of Venice from our room, we thought the atmosphere was five star.

Unfortunately, our room had some scuffing on the walls and a few strange yellow stains on the bedding that really brought the comfort level down a notch. Not what you would expect from a four star hotel certainly. Otherwise we were quite happy with our room.

Breakfast was also a something of a disappointment. While there was a good show of variety, the quality was not really there. Unfortunately, I can’t remember a single thing we enjoyed from breakfast, as it was quite mediocre. Again, not what one would expect from a four star Hilton property.

Overall, our stay at the Hilton Molino Stucky was good, but could have been better. If we visit Venice again, we will probably try one of the smaller hotels on the main island rather than sticking with Hilton.

Doubletree by Hilton Rome Monti

Comfort: 4/5
Food: 2/5
Convenience: 5/5
Atmosphere: 4/5
Welcome: 3/5

Summary: Hit and miss

The greatest thing our Doubletree by Hilton Rome Monti had going for it is the location. It was incredibly convenient to walk to and from transit as well as to the major tourist sites like the Colosseum. The hotel itself is also beautifully designed and decorated. Our room was one of my favorite, design-wise from our trip, with a lot of modern industrial touches.

Where this property missed the mark for us was on the welcome and the food.

This was the one Hilton property our entire five weeks in Europe that did not offer us an upgrade on our room. While this is always subject to availability, even for Hilton Diamond members, we were especially sad because this was one of our most expensive stays points-wise and we were stuck with a queen bed. The hotel seems very geared toward business travelers, and was holding some small, conference-type meetings while we were there. The desk staff was polite and we were offered a food discount in lieu of the upgrade, but we really would have rather had a king-size bed (see Living the Carefree King Life – How to Find the Right Size Bed On the Road)

The other real low point was the breakfast. A few reviewers on Google claim that the breakfast is great. I’m convinced that this is only because they are used to dismal continental breakfasts in the US that don’t include champagne. The champagne was probably the highlight, because even the “safe” choices just didn’t taste good. This easily rates as our worst Hilton stay breakfast, a close tie with the Doubletree by Hilton Islantilla Beach Golf Resort (see below).

In contrast, the food on site at both the Mamalia and the Mun Rooftop Bar were surprisingly very good, though pricey. For that reason, I raised our food rating for the property to a 2.5.

Overall, our stay at the Doubletree Hilton Rome Monti was neither awful nor wonderful. The location was really great. If we could get a king bed at a decent price we might stay there again when in Rome and just skip breakfast.

Doubletree by Hilton Islantilla Beach Golf Resort

Comfort 3/5
Food 1/5
Convenience 2/5
Atmosphere 2/5
Welcome 3/5

Summary: Disappointing

Given that this property has “resort” in the name, I think we were expecting something more luxurious. The greeting was friendly enough, if not memorable and we did receive a room upgrade. We even got a welcome plate of fruit and bottled water.

For the price (one of the least expensive of our trip), the room was decent, but the bed was just okay. It definitely wasn’t one of our more comfortable stays. This was the only part of our trip for which we had a car, which is good, because it would have been extremely inconvenient to get to the property if we hadn’t.

Overall, this hotel seemed to have largely shut down for the season, they seemed short-staffed and had closed down the main breakfast area. Unfortunately, they still had a large, noisy group of guests to serve. There was nothing nearby, so we chose to eat at the hotel restaurant. Dinner was probably the worst we ate the entire time we were in Europe and Jeremy thinks the breakfast served the following morning was leftovers from dinner.

This property may be better in the high season, but we wouldn’t stay there again.

Alexander Barcelona Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton

Comfort 1/5
Food 3/5
Convenience 4/5
Atmosphere 3/5
Welcome 4.5/5

Summary: Just ok

Hilton describes its Curio Collection of hotels as “a global portfolio of remarkable hotels with one-of-a-kind stories to share” and Upgraded Points describes it as “upper up-scale.” So, our expectations were relatively high for our stay in Barcelona. The location was quite convenient, being close to the downtown area and public transit. The front desk was polite, no issues at check in.

Our first impression of the hotel, walking through the corridors, was that it had seen better days and is ready for an upgrade. For all that, it has a lot of charm. I loved the stone mosaic floor in our room. That was probably my favorite feature of the hotel. Unfortunately, there was a convention in town and we did not initially get an upgrade, so we were in a very small “Queen Superior” room. Small as in, you couldn’t easily walk between the bed and the mini fridge and there was nowhere to comfortably open your suitcase.

The bed was simply terrible. We were making do with a queen, but the mattress was one of the least comfortable of the whole trip and certainly the least comfortable Hilton stay. After the first two nights, we did beg the front desk and were able to upgrade to a larger King room for our final night. They were very accommodating and also offered to pack us a breakfast for our early morning departure.

Sadly, the king-size mattress was just as uncomfortable as the queen, though we at least had room to stretch out in the bed and walk around the room. Breakfast was forgettable, especially compared to the banquet of great food we enjoyed outside the hotel in Barcelona.

Overall, the high points of the hotel were the location, the accommodating nature of the front desk staff and the charm of the historic details of our first room. If they got new mattresses we might stay again.

Our trip to Europe was a great test run of our new Hilton Diamond status and whether the Hilton brand is one we could stick with long term. The perks from the Hilton Aspire American Express Card, do make Hilton stays very worthwhile. Check out a great review of the perks of the card from The Points Guy here. We enjoyed most of our stays, but we may branch out from Hilton more in the future to see if there is a chain whose properties we more consistently enjoy.