Room

Hilton Adelaide offers a range of guest rooms that can be classified under three categories: guests rooms, executive rooms and suites, with the price in increasing order. Rooms come with different views either of the city, Victoria Square or Adelaide Hills and it is possible to request for a connecting room should you need one. For my stay at Hilton Adelaide, I booked an executive room which is located on the 18th floor and comes with perks such as free breakfast and access to the classy executive lounge – also known as the club lounge in  many other hotels.

The executive is of the same size as the normal guest rooms, providing 36 square metres of living space. This is actually a pretty decent sized room, as many hotels of the same class provide slightly lesser space especially when located in a busy city. My first impression upon stepping into the room was that the room was expansive and provided more than sufficient space for guests to live in comfortably. However, I thought that the room falls behind in its level of luxury and the quality of its fittings. It is obvious that the room is not as updated and modern as it should be and there are clear signs of age that I will describe throughout the review. One of the more obvious signs of age and what made me a little disappointed is that the carpet in the room is stained and worn. At the corners of the room, you will notice carpet threads coming loose and all over the flooring of the room there are several stains of varying severity. Though the rooms are cleaned thoroughly when a guest checks out and there is housekeeping on a daily basis, it is inevitable that the carpets are stained over time and for this case, I think that a room overhaul is overdue. However, besides the somewhat unsightly carpet stains, the room is in fact very clean. Given its age, I was surprised to not detect the smell of smoke or any stale scent and there wasn’t any pools of dust in less touched corners.

The bed is built against a wooden backdrop and laid in a neutral setting. The darker colour of the wooden strips forming the backdrop makes a good contrast against the lighter cream colour of the bed area and this makes for quite a cosy feel. The wooden fittings does not really add to the amount of luxury, but it is sufficient in adding some zest to the area. The king bed is very thick and comfortable and not too springy and I think that this is one of the better beds that I have slept on in many hotels. Each guests also gets two pillows of slightly different hardness and plushness, but I think that more options should be provided. After all, many luxury hotels in this day provide an extensive pillow menu that can meet the needs and preferences of almost all guests. Guests can keep warm on the bed under the cover of a thick and soft duvet as well. The bed sheets are also very clean and crisp, and if you compare the bed sheets to the carpet, you will notice the stark contrast between them. This brings comfort in thought knowing that the housekeeping staff has put in effort in ensuring the sheets and duvet covers are washed thoroughly and only the spotless ones are used.

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Lighting around the bed is also pretty decent, with table lamps on both bedside tables by the king bed and spotlights that shine above the pillow area. I thought that the spotlights were well positioned as it provides for an adequate amount of lighting for those who enjoy bedtime reading. However, many newer hotels have adjustable reading lights by the bed and in comparison with that, the lights at Hilton Adelaide might just inflexible. On one of the bedside table, there is also a telephone that can be configured to ring at a certain time as a wake-up call, and an alarm clock cum radio provided which are basic amenities to be expected.

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Nested on a wooden structure that houses a small wardrobe and some drawers is a LCD television that is bound to keep guests entertained with Australia’s standard TV network, on-demand movies and an in room movie channel. Though it is not a full HDTV, it is capable of presenting clear images and its size is large enough so that guests sitting on the bed can enjoy some shows without having to squint or strain their eyes. Also, there is a tiny magazine rack that houses a decent selection of magazines and I must say the magazine options are more abundant than many other hotels. However, the entire wooden structure that houses these amenities seems to have lost its lustre, as the wood looked old and the colour faded. In some areas, the wood layering also seemed to be peeling off and this only adds to the ageing signs of Hilton Adelaide.

Located by the bed is a solitary arm chair that has a unique chequered pattern to it. The arm chair has a city view as its backdrop and the windows behind it allow for natural sunlight to light up the room. There is also a standing lamp beside the armchair, making it a nice cosy place to do some reading. However, I cannot seem to find much use for it. There is no coffee table paired with the arm chair, making snacking or drinking while lounging on it a hard task. Also, with Victoria Square as its backdrop, I would assume that most guests would want to take in the view of Adelaide from the arm chair but it is hard to do so as the arm chair is rather heavy and hard to shift around. Furthermore, most occupants would stay as a pair but one single armchair does not help make the room a communal place.

The view out of the room is also rather unimpressive. Yes the executive rooms are all located rather tall up in the building, but even with a view from two angles in my executive room, there isn’t much to see. After all, a city view is promised, just that the city lacks beautiful sights and skyscrapers like what you will get in metropolitan cities like Shanghai, Hong Kong or Singapore.

Hilton Adelaide caters to a healthy amount of business travellers as well, due to its proximity to the CBD area of Adelaide. As such, having a well equipped and functional work desk should rank highly in terms of importance. Fortunately, the work desk in the executive room should be sufficient for most business travellers. For starters, the work desk is rather big and offers plenty of space for many papers, documents and a laptop to live together. The power sockets are also convenient located at table height, making it easy to plug in and charge your electrical appliances. Because the hotel is pretty old, there isn’t internationally adaptable power sockets and thus bringing your own adapter is highly recommended. The swivel chair is also quite plush and very comfortable, which makes working long hours in the room much less painful.

There is also another phone on the work desk so that guests do not have to switch between the desk and the bed should they have to make urgent calls while getting some work done. Unfortunately, wifi is available albeit at a chargeable rate and I thought that this is a bit of a disappointment. After all, many hotels with businessmen as its target group of customers do offer free wifi, especially in their club rooms or in their suites and this is not the case for Hilton Adelaide. Another point which guests might find a little disappointing is that the room does not have many stationery for use. Besides a pen and some paper, there are no other office supplies that guests can use.

The working area of the executive room in Hilton Adelaide is good in terms of space and convenience. Unfortunately, many of its competitors are able to provide guests with similar perks and perhaps Hilton Adelaide should try to differentiate themselves by providing even more amenities.

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The pantry area, unlike the usual set up you get in most hotels, is located in the corner of the executive room right behind the swivel chair of the work desk. I personally think that this is quite a good layout plan that is unique and practical, especially for a hotel like Hilton Adelaide which has a tendency to host more business travllers. After all, it feels good to be able to spin around and have some coffee and snacks all within reach while working hard in the room.

The pantry is housed in a wooden structure comprising numerous drawers and cabinets, and is strikingly similar to the wardrobe structure that holds the television set. Over here, guests will find some tea and coffee available, an electric kettle and a selection of snacks for consumption. Though there is quite a decent selection of snacks, it is placed in a large holder that somehow makes the snack drawer look sparse. Even so, guests can nibble on chocolate bars and different brands and flavours of chips should they feel hungry. The mini-bar is contained in a cabinet and it houses a wide selection of drinks, ranging from juices to a variety of beers. I must say that this is a pretty well-stocked mini-bar and the best part is that non-alcoholic drinks are all free of charge! This sets Hilton Adelaide apart from its competitors as many 5 star luxury hotels charge exorbitant rates for consumption of in-room drinks. The mini bar is also of a decent size and guests who go on to purchase their own food and drinks form Adelaide Central Market should be able to make use of the free space in the refrigerator. And for those that are wondering if there is a vanity table, the decently sized mirror and ample space on the pantry table top doubles perfectly as a vanity area.

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