Have you ever literally laughed out loud when you opened the door to your hotel room? Well, that just happened to me, during my most recent hotel stay.
“Thanks for being a Diamond, we’ve upgraded you to a suite”
During my Aer Lingus & Iberia A321XLR adventure, I had a night in Dublin, and decided to stay at the Hilton Dublin Airport (more on that in a bit). At check-in, I was told “thanks for being a Diamond, we’ve upgraded you to a suite.” “That’s very kind, thank you so much,” I responded.
Then I opened the door to my suite, and couldn’t help but laugh. Below is what the living room looked like (if you can even call it that)…
…and then below is the bedroom.
Of course I get what’s going on here. This is some sort of a family suite, and the idea is that the living room can be configured to accommodate more guests. However, there were two things I found funny:
- Typically you’d think that the default would be for this to be configured as a living area with couches, and it would only be turned into this setup upon request; admittedly I got a free upgrade, so that might be why they didn’t care to change it back
- I don’t think I’ve ever seen a living room with two side-by-side couches that convert into beds, in quite this way
Even beyond the strange configuration, there were some other things I found to be odd. There were two sets of balconies, but the doors were locked, and they had “spikes,” presumably to keep birds away. It felt a bit like being in a jail, in terms of not even being able to crack a window open.
The shower setup also left a little to be desired.
But wait, y’all told me not to stay at this hotel?!
When I tentatively planned this trip, I booked the Hilton Dublin Airport. But then when I wrote about what I had booked, several of you warned me not to say at this property, and that it’s outdated. I appreciated the feedback, so I decided I should rebook my stay, and go somewhere else instead.
Unfortunately I found the choices to be very limited — the Hyatt Centric was sold out, the two popular Marriotts were charging 800 EUR per night, etc. In the end, I decided I’d just stick with the Hilton, given that I’d be leaving at 3:30AM. And hey, sometimes it’s fun to review a not-great property as well.
Indeed, the Hilton Dublin Airport is more than a little outdated, and I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it. However, at least the staff were friendly.
Bottom line
I was grateful to receive a suite upgrade at the Hilton Dublin Airport on account of my Diamond elite status, since suite upgrades aren’t necessarily that consistent with Hilton. That being said, the room setup left a little to be desired. Since I was traveling alone, the two extra beds didn’t exactly do a whole lot for me. The whole thing gave me a laugh, since I was caught off guard when I opened the door.
What’s the most unusual room upgrade you’ve received?
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