Hilton Athens Hotel

Our stay at the Athens Hilton was short, two days and two nights, but very enjoyable! We had the “King Hilton Executive Room” which has a balcony with a small table and chairs and faced the Acropolis. It also included Executive Lounge access with free breakfast and refreshments, a desk with ergonomic chair, high-speed internet, a sofa and a marble bathroom with walk-in shower and nice sized Jacuzzi tub. The bed was very comfortable and the rooms smoke free and quiet. The room also had a large closet with a dresser with nice sized pull out drawers. The staff here was very nice, courteous, friendly, professional, and willing to help in anyway to make your stay great.

Breakfast in the morning for us was in the executive lounge, which was your basic Continental breakfast (European style not American style) plus extras. Breakfast is my favorite meal, but it doesn’t have to be big or fancy to be good. Some times a bowl of cereal, a bagel and some juice is good enough. But, other times…bring on the pancakes, waffles, crapes, eggs and meat!

The pool was large and very clean and the area well kept. There was a pool bar, which they call the Oasis Pool Bar & Grill, where you could order drinks of all kinds and food off their menu. The staff would wait on you poolside, or you could walk up to the bar and order your self. There were many chairs provided with towels, some in the sun and some in the covered shaded areas. This is where we had lunch on our second day, and the food was very good.

The hotel has four other restaurants to eat at. Our first night, the only night we ate at the hotel, we ate at the Milos Restaurant. This restaurant is basically a row of tables along the edge of the roof facing the Acropolis. It’s very elegant, with soft lighting and very romantic with the view of the city. No jeans or t-shirts allowed here. Slacks and a collared shirt are required. The food here was terrific and they have a very nice wine list.

Check out was fast and easy, as was checking in. The hotel is close to many attractions, and the National Museum of Art is right across the street. We will definitely stay, and eat here again the next time we come to Athens.

As a loyal Hilton customer, I would like to express my dissatisfaction of my recent stay at the Athens, Greece location. My husband and I checked-in at the hotel on Friday afternoon on May, 8th 2009. As we headed out to dinner later on that evening, we checked with the hotel front desk to see whether breakfast will be included in our room rate. The shift leader (don’t remember his name) checked the computer and told us breakfast is included with our room reservation. He even pointed us to the Byzantine dining room, where the buffet breakfast will be served.

So, the next 3 mornings (May 9, 10 and 11), we went to Byzantine restaurant to have breakfast. My husband even checked the hotel bill, via the computer system in our room, several times during our stay to make sure there is no unexpected charge. And, we didn’t see anything. However, on our check-out day (May, 11th 2009), the waitress at the restaurant handed us a bill of $65 euro after our breakfast. We asked her why we were being charged. She showed us the roster which indicates breakfast is not included with our reservation. The waitress directed us to the front desk to resolve the issue. We spoke with Curtis, the shift supervisor on duty. He checked our reservation again and told us our room rate does not include breakfast. He tried to reach the supervisor whom we spoke with on Friday evening. But, he was not available at that time. Curtis agreed to keep our account open until they finish the investigation. He said he will e-mail us with result. It has been 4 days now; we still haven’t heard anything from the hotel. And the worst thing is, they went ahead and charged us breakfast for 3 consecutive days, a total of $195 euro.

Would you think this is a fair treatment to your loyal customer? We were told that breakfast is included by a shift supervisor and it turned out to be a “NO”. This incurred an unexpected $195 euro to our traveling expenses (just for breakfast!!). We would have made other breakfast arrangement if that’s the case.

The Hilton Athens itself is decades old but was refurbished prior to the 2004 Olympics. It is showing signs of wear in the carpeting throughout the hotel but was still maintained with acute cleanliness. The views from the upper floors are extraordinary, especially from the roof-top hotel bar, The Galaxy. One can view an unprecedented visual of the Acropolis, which is particularly beautiful at night. The room service was top-notch which an unrivaled variety available from traditional Greek dishes to an American cheeseburger. The fitness center could use a larger weight room but the locker room facilities were immaculate and well equipped with lockers, sauna, steam room, etc...