The 9-story property has 330 rooms, and is located less than 5 minutes from the airport. The complimentary airport/hotel shuttle runs 24 hours a day, every 20 minutes beginning at the top of the hour. The hotel shuttle driver helps you load your luggage in the back of the shuttle bus, and there is seating for about 10 passengers, with standing room for about 6 or 8 more. The shuttle bus is also wheelchair-accessible. The hotel offers plenty of surface parking that is surrounded by a fence, although one does not need to access the lot through a latched/locked gate, so the parking lot is not completely secure. Be sure to book the parking package if you are leaving your car there for more than 1 night; you would not want to risk coming back from your vacation to find that your vehicle has been towed away. (The front desk provides a placard that you place on your dash board stating your arrival and departure days.) There is no bellman or valet parking at the hotel, but perhaps if you have mobility issues, they could make some accommodations. The hotel entrance features a long, covered porte-cochere, which was particularly useful on the rainy and blustery night that we checked in (you can probably fit 6 or 8 cars beneath it at the same time). There are some benches set up for smokers beneath the canopy, and a portion of the roof near the front door has outdoor heaters so that you do not freeze if you prefer to wait for the shuttle bus outside. There is a revolving front door, as well as a door that opens automatically for handicapped access. (There are other doors that exit into different areas of the parking lot near the conference rooms that are supposed to be locked during the night hours; however, we found them open and accessible without a room key at times when they should not have been.)
The hotel has several dining options: The Landings (a full-service fancier restaurant), Players Sports Bar (a full-service casual restaurant), and Café Express (open mornings only and serving Starbucks products as well as other drinks and snacks). The lunch menu at The Landings seems to be the all-day menu at Players (sandwiches primarily); however, the dinner menu is more fine-dining with steaks and other complete main course options (the Landings is open until 9:00 pm). The hotel offers an all-day complimentary coffee service in the lobby near the front desk. Players was a lively spot on the night that we stayed; the restaurant has both bar and table seating, as well as a comfy sofa and chairs in front of a large-screen TV. (There are several smaller TVs also.) Players has some video games for the kids, and two pool tables for the adults. There is a door from Players to the exterior parking lot that faces the nearby Starwood hotel complex (Sheraton, Four Points, and Aloft), although you must cross the exit ramp from I-95 to access those properties. (There is a Marriott Residence Inn located behind the Hilton that is more safely walkable.) We shared the buffalo won-tons as an appetizer, and the sliders and Philly cheesesteak as entrees (along with French fries and onion rings), and everything was good (and better-than-expected) except for the onion rings. We also tried the pecan pie for dessert, which was just acceptable. (The dessert menu comes directly from The Landings.) Players is open until 1:00 am but stops serving food at 11:00 pm.
As Hilton Hhonors Diamond members, we were given coupons to the buffet breakfast at the Landings (which sadly, we could not try because our flight departed too early), as well as two coupons for a drink or appetizer at Players (pretty generous, and ended up saving us about $20 off our total bill).
The indoor swimming pool is more attractive than we expected. Instead of being stashed in a dark, dreary basement, the pool at this hotel is on the main/lobby level, and it has tinted windows that look out onto the lobby. (The windows are merely tinted, not frosted, so you can see in and out, which means someone checking into the hotel could see you lounging around in your bathing suit.) There are some chairs spread around the pool, and plenty of striped towels (so there is no need to bring a bath towel from your room), and the area is bordered by some indoor plants. The fitness center is adjacent to the pool and features the usual equipment (perhaps 3 treadmills, 2 ellipticals, 2 bikes, some free weights, and some universal gym/weight machines). It seems that at one time there was a hot tub/Jacuzzi in the pool area, but it has been covered up/closed off (the image still shows in the hotel map in the hotel directory). There is a portable lift available if someone handicapped wants to use the pool. Off the fitness center and pool are locker rooms that contain bathroom stalls, lockers, changing areas, and one shower.
There is a small but well-stocked gift shop (open late until 10:00 or 11:00 pm) that sells both typical merchandise (snacks, reading material, OTC medicines, toiletries) and more atypical items (Philadelphia souvenirs, swimsuits, neckties, jewelry). There is a flight information board near the front desk, so you can check departure and arrival times. (Supposedly, this information was also available on one of the TV channels, but it was not working on the night that we were there.) A somewhat makeshift business center is located near the restaurants, outfitted with two computers and a printer. There are many conference/meeting rooms at this hotel. There is a good amount of comfortable public seating in the lobby area, and there is a small alcove across from the restaurants that offers seating in front of a fireplace (which was a popular place on the cold and rainy night that we visited).
We booked a deluxe room, and it was a generous size, with a king-size bed, easy chair and ottoman, desk/bureau/TV stand combo, and so on. The bathroom was a fine size as well, with a single sink in the vanity. Peter Thomas Roth toiletries were provided (two kinds of bar soap, shampoo, conditioner, body lotion). Previous reviewers remarked that this hotel was looking old and tired, so we had low expectations, but we were pleasantly surprised that everything was clean and in good working order. The property may need some updates to meet current full-service Hilton appearance, but we will gladly stay here again before an early flight. We liked the full-service aspects of this hotel (on-site bar and restaurant, gift shop, pool, room service, flight info board) that might not be available at the nearby Hampton Inn (although we would try that property, too, if their rates were substantially less).
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