I had just arrived in England from a full day of traveling. My fiance met me in the arrival terminal and she could tell that I was dead tired and needed some sleep. So instead of making the short trip to the Totting Bec area we decided that it would be nice to spend a quiet afternoon and night at the Hilton. I have previously stayed in the Hilton in Bahrain and found it very pleasant. Well that is where the good part of the story ends.

Once in our room at the first thing I noticed was that our non-smoking room had recently been smoked in. I called the front desk and they again did not apologize and did not offer us to swap rooms, hey why not they already had our money. Before jumping in the bed I really needed a shower. This was probably the best part of the stay. The shower was nice and HOT just how I like it, and had plenty of water pressure. The towels were nice and soft as I dried myself off. The lighting was just right not to bright on the eyes and positioned just right for the optimal sight when using the mirror. But as I came out of the shower the STENCH of the freshly smoked cigarette was stronger than ever. As it was winter we had to turn on the heat which increased the smell of smoke in the room. Deciding that it was best just to get some sleep and then get out before the smokey smell made me start gagging, I layed down in the bed expecting that nice soft sinking feeling that you get at even the most average hotel, but it was just not to be felt. I plopped down on what felt like pure stones. The bed was nothing less than ROCK HARD. Rock hard can be good but not in this instance. I needed it to be soft and comforting to relax me from the flight. Well instead of calling back down to the front desk my fiance and I tried to fall asleep, even as tired as I was I had problems fall asleep in this bed. It has to be the worst bed I have ever slept in, and let me tell you I have slept in some dives. Finally morning came around nothing too soon either. I had maybe found about 4 hours of sleep out of the 12 or so hours that we were there, which averaged out to be about 35 pounds per hour of sleep. Yap your math is right it was about 150 pounds that night. YES, I did take my opprotunity to fill out their custumor service survey and send it off. I did not dare leave it with the reception knowing that it would never make it farther than the closest rubbish bin.

My advise to you and all that you know, STAY AWAY FROM THE GATWICK HILTON, unless you just absolutely have to stay there. If you do stay I wish you the best of luck to have a better experience than I did. I know it is not a reflection of the whole chain but it sure leaves a bad first impression of London.
Luckily I have found many other things here in London/Cambridge that have made up for the stay there.