Hilton Hotel, York

I went to the Hilton for 3 nights from 27th-30th December 08 during the Christmas period. I went with a friend and her family who had gone to the Hilton the previous Christmas. The rooms were £99 per night for 2 people which I thought was very reasonable. (Although I'm aware depending on season this cost can vary) This included bed, breakfast and a 3 course evening meal (the evening meal only on one night) My friend took charge of booking us into the room so I never discovered how easy it was to book yet I never heard any complaints about the process.

Arrival and Check-in
When we arrived at the hotel we were directed to an underground car-park. I wasn't too keen on the car park which comprised rows of 3 cars tightly parked together actually parking each other in! Our car was at the front yet I'm not sure how the third car back would go about getting out! We did have to leave the keys on reception (so they could move the car if required - which they did as it wasn't in the same place when we returned). For us the car park wasn't too much of a problem as we didn't use the car for the break, however it was hard work getting in the small space!
Staff were friendly on arrival and we were seen to our room quickly.

Location
The hotel is ideally located in the centre of York. It is right near the York Dungeons, only 10minutes walk from York Minster. We visited most of the main areas of interest on York and everywhere was close to the hotel. Because we came at Christmas we were also right near a temporary ice rink, which was situated only a few minutes from the hotel.

The Room
We were pleased with the room which was spacious, modern and clean. The room consisted of 2 beds with bedside cabinets, a big dressing table in front of the beds with a large mirror on the wall and drawers. On this was a flat-screen television and tea & coffee making facilities. And there was also a spacious wardrobe with hangers. The room was an excellent size and felt very clean and new. At the bottom end of the room was quite a large window which could be easily opened. This looked out onto York which was a nice view. In front of the window were two chairs and a small table. The only problem we had was that it had stated on the site that each room would have a Playstation2, my friend had anticipated this and brought along some DVDs, but it was nowhere to be seen. We ended up asking in reception where they said they had recently got rid of the PS2s and were updating to PS3s. We felt the staff weren't very apologetic about this and should really have said upon arrival.
On the final night me and my friend went on a night out in York and discovered at night the usually quiet and serene town has a buzzing nightlife with loads of younger people. Despite this the hotel isn't too close to any of the bars therefore there is no noise at night around the hotel.

The Bathroom
The bathroom was also very spacious, clean and modern. It had a bath with a shower in it. I only used the shower which was easy to use and a good temperature. There were a few little freebies in the bathroom but nothing too exciting. It was kept clean by the maid who visited daily and towels were changed daily.

Restaurant and Bar
The hotel had a bar but we tended to go out into York for drinks at night so didn't really experience it.
We had breakfast in the hotel restaurant on all 3 mornings. We were very pleased with the breakfast, it was self-service from a buffet table in the centre of the room and there was plenty of choice between cooked breakfasts, cereals and fruit & yoghurts. The food was all warm and well cooked. Staff were at hand to help and were very helpful.
On the final night we dined in the hotel restaurant. We had a 3 course of meal, and there was plenty of choice. I had a ceaser salad for starter, beef roast dinner for main course and cheesecake for desert. All the food was of an excellent standard, we really enjoyed the meal and service was good throughout.
Overall I was very pleased with the hotel and we have already planned to return this Christmas.