Hilton The Hague Review

I had the opportunity to stay at the Hilton The Hague recently. I recently started staying at Hiltons again and had one good and one bad experience in September, so I was curious to see how this one would go. I checked into the Hilton and was pleasantly surprised. The hotel was built in 2010 so it’s very modern and in great condition. I was able to stay at the Hilton because I got a great pre-paid rate for the two-week stay. Had it not been for that rate, I don’t think I would have been able to justify the steep rates. The hotel was filled with diplomats and lawyers trying cases at the International Crimes Court.

I really liked the ambiance of the hotel. The lobby was large and had plenty of seating areas. The décor was black, white and red – my three favorite colors and what I have decorated my home with, and the accessories and lighting was unique and interesting.

The check-in process was very easy and the hotel had my room ready upon my arrival (which was about 12:30pm). I was upgraded from the standard room I booked to an executive level room. The room was quite large and had a king sized bed, desk, entertainment center, chair and ottoman. The bathroom was also very big by European standards. There was a bathtub and stand-alone shower, Peter Roth bath products and large fluffy towels. The water pressure was great, but I felt bad for the maids because no matter I did, I couldn’t keep all the water in the shower! The floor would have big puddles after every shower.

As a gold member of the Hilton Honors program I had access to the executive lounge. The lounge was very nice and had plenty of tables and couches. There was an outdoor patio that looked quite nice – but I was never able to enjoy it due to the rain and cold temps. Breakfast was served each morning and consisted of scrambled eggs (which were usually down to the last few pieces by the time I arrived at 8:30), bacon, a selection of meats – which were always plentiful, two or three fruit choices, breads and pastry, cereal and yoghurts. There were a few juice choices, tea, and a great coffee machine. Throughout the day the staff would place snacks out in the lounge. In the evening, drinks and appetizers were served. The selection was always very good and they didn’t seem to run out like they did at breakfast.

The hotel staff was very helpful and always friendly. I only really encountered one problem during my stay. I was in the hotel for a total of 12 nights and so I unpacked my suitcase and settled in. On the 8^th night I heard some very strange noises around 10pm. It sounded like hammering and drilling. It went on for quite some time. I called the front desk to ask if there was construction going on. They seemed shocked that I would be asking such a question – and in fact, it did seem like an odd question at 10pm at night – but that’s what I heard. They assured me there was no construction going on. About 30 minutes later I heard water dripping and then the drip turned into more of a stream. I called the front desk again to tell them that now water was dripping into my room. The hotel night manger came up to my room – I’m pretty sure he thought I was crazy, until he saw the water himself. His exact words, “wow, this isn’t good.” He informed me that I would have to switch rooms because there was no one from maintenance at the hotel so late. So at 10:30 at night I started to re-pack, everything! I moved down the hall, to a much smaller, but drier room. My only real disappointment with the situation was the no one from the hotel followed up with me the next day to apologize for the inconvenience or ask if everything was okay now. I had to make a point to speak with the front desk and ask what had happened. It turns out that there are executive apartments on top of the Hilton and someone in the apartment above my room had been doing some decorating and hit a water pipe.

I didn’t eat at the hotel’s restaurant, but I did order room service. The room service was well managed and arrived promptly. I got a Caesar salad, which I didn’t care for – there was almost no dressing and the dressing was not a traditional creamy Caesar salad dressing. I also got a ham, cheese and mushroom Panini that was very good. Everything at the hotel was quite expensive, as was everything in The Hague.

Overall, I really enjoyed my stay at Hilton The Hague. Aside from the one hiccup with the leak in the room, the rest of the stay was quite good. If I return to The Hague, and I can find a good rate, I would absolutely return to the Hilton.

The Bathroom

The Bedroom

The Hotel