Sleep rocked by the sound of Niagara Falls, Hilton Fallsviews review
Small premise, this Hilton hotel is not the closest to Niagara Falls, there are some hotels in the group [...]
Small caveat, this Hilton hotel is not the closest to Niagara Falls, there are some Marriott Group hotels that are significantly less distant, but this is the only one that offers an incredible view of both falls.
In this article:
The hotel stays on the hill overlooking the Canadian bank of the falls, walking less than 10 minutes (downhill) from the boardwalk that runs along the Canadian bank and allows views of the two waterfalls, the American and the more beautiful, i.e., the Canadian falls.
Reservation
Booking using Hilton Honors points has a cost that normally starts at no less than 32k points per night. In this period of low occupancy, rooms cost much less than usual and therefore the use of points is not recommended. Mandatory instead is booking through the APP or the website to take advantage of all the benefits and accumulate points that can be translated into free stays.
I stayed only one night in this hotel and I must say that I absolutely did not regret the choice.
Location and check-in
If you arrive by car, the hotel has two parking lots: one underground, at a cost of 50$ Canadian per night, and one outside, immediately outside the hotel at 30$ Canadian. It is very easy to get to and, having a dedicated area, you can safely park and unload your luggage.
After the paperwork was taken care of, I was handed not only the key but also the list of restaurants and a set of vouchers, including one worth 12$ to be used at my leisure at almost any of the eateries in the facility or possibly the following morning for breakfast.
As we wrote some time ago, In the United States, the free breakfast benefit for Gold and Elite status holders has been, at least until the end of the year, suspended. In return, guests receive a voucher of varying value depending on the facility and level in the Hilton Honors program. To my surprise, the test phase was expanded to include some Canadian facilities. And of course I complained to the receptionist.
The idea might even be nice since Hilton says it was made to come in handy for guests who do not eat breakfast, but perhaps prefer to partially discount the evening meal or a beer at the hotel bar. Too bad that on balance the voucher does not cover the actual cost of breakfast, thus leaving the guest with the burden of paying the difference.
The room
When I opened the room and headed for the window on the 32nd floor, I absolutely did not expect such a view.
The hotel has two towers: the 32-story south tower with the last one occupied by a rooftop restaurant that, unfortunately, due to the low number of tourists, was only open on weekends, and a second tower (the north) that rises to over 50 stories and was completely closed for the same reason.
Thanks to my Hilton Diamond status I took advantage of a free upgrade to the highest possible floor, and I must say it was a really nice upgrade.
The room is as "elderly" as the whole hotel, you can feel and see all the ravages of a decor that has seen better days.
What is certainly not lacking is space; two rooms could fit inside with no problem. There is a sofa and a desk by the window, and then everything else that is usual in a Hilton hotel.
The surprise comes from the bathroom, which is also huge. In addition to a walk-in shower, in fact, there is a double whirlpool tub. In addition, the wall bordering the bedroom can be opened, so you can treat yourself to a bath while looking at the waterfalls. Not bad.
But the view, especially during sunset, makes you forget any shortcomings. The sound of the falls can be heard very well, and thanks to the central, elevated location, you have what many call the best view of Niagara Falls.
Then in the evening, when the two water walls are illuminated, one would stand for hours at the window watching the play of light. The view alone is worth the price of the room. About the rest of the hotel there is little to say; there are five restaurants and bars, including a Starbucks. There is also a huge casino, one of many in the area.
Breakfast
As mentioned, the breakfast was bitter, I personally find this choice of Hilton really pejorative and hope that the experiment will be rejected by American customers in order to prevent this novelty from reaching our side of the Atlantic.
In fact no buffet, but a very restricted a la carte menu. Again very pejorative when we think about To certain buffets found abroad.
The thing that bothers me the most is precisely the fact that we have lost the main benefit of the Gold level, which is the free breakfast. I can understand changing the buffet for Covid-related reasons, but paying 4$ for an orange juice I find it really ridiculous.
In conclusion
I would return to this facility just to enjoy the view again and fall asleep with the din, in the positive sense of the word, of the falls.
Of course, the cost of parking is high and the breakfast is not up to par. For the former it is difficult to find much cheaper alternatives, while in the latter case If you are not at least Gold it would still not be included. If, however, you are entitled to the voucher, I recommend using it in other ways and having breakfast at one of the many diners that are outside the hotel or at Starbucks.
Pro
- The view
- The hot tub
Against
- The room a little bit old
- Breakfast NOT included