Double Tree Hotel by Hilton Syracuse Review

The Syracuse Tourism office invited my family and I to visit Syracuse for a weekend from Friday July 12th to Sunday July 14th. Yes, being a blogger does have its advantages as this was a very sweet package deal!  I am always trying to find the best giveaways for our followers, so I have to say that it was nice for a change to receive free accommodations and attractions for my family.

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We had the pleasure of staying at the Double Tree Hotel by Hilton. Double Tree is located about 10 minutes from Downtown Syracuse in a corporate park just off Interstate 90 and near the 690. There are many restaurants and fast food chains situated near the hotel. The area surrounding the Double Tree actually has lots of greenery and was very quiet. We even saw a hare hiding in the bushes near the front doors!

We arrived at at the hotel around 3 pm on Friday July 12th.  Before we unpacked the van, I went to the reception to see if our room was ready. I was told it would be about 10 minutes before they would be available as the room attendant is preparing the last finishing touch. They… yes, you have 2 connecting rooms. I told the staff, there was a mistake, and she repeated 2 rooms one with a king bed and the other with 2 double beds have been reserved for your family. I guess I missed that one! By the time my husband and kids got our luggage, I was given my cards to our rooms and 4 warm chocolate chip cookies. What a nice way to welcome your guests! Were they ever yummy!

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Amazing Staff

We head out to our rooms when I am greeted in the hallway by the General Manager, Thomas Olsen. He welcomes my family and I to the Double Tree Hotel and mentions that he gave us two rooms because he thought we would have more privacy. If I needed anything else, he told me not to hesitate to get a hold of him or his Manager on duty that weekend. Can you tell that the staff at the hotel are very courteous and take care of their guests? Yes, I am here to review their hotel, but never before has a GM approached me while visiting a site or hotel! Let alone offer me 2 rooms!

We arrive on our floor and, as I am just about to open the door, Stephen, the room attendant, cleaning another room, comes out and says he will be right back with more water bottles and Hershey Chocolate Bars, for he didn’t realize there will be four of us staying in the rooms. Yes, free water bottles and chocolate bars awaits you! He promptly returns with the items and asked if we need anything else. I mention a few more towels would come in handy, and in a flash he comes back with them. Wow, I am speechless! We must go on vacation to the States more often, since no housekeeping personnel has never even said hello to me in any Canadian hotel. If you have been following my blog on #visitsyracuse, this is my first trip in the USA since the mid 1980’s.

Staff have been totally amazing since the first foot I have stepped at the hotel until I left on Sunday. I have seen both Managers on duty, Kevin at the reception desk, and Matt at the Regatta Bar and Grille Restaurant for dinner and during the morning brunch helping out the staff and acknowledging their guests. Unbelievable! Dan, the Reception Clerk, and Bonnie, the waitress and David, the Chef  at the Regatta were also extremely friendly, energetic, pleasant, and respectful. I honestly have to give their staff a rating of 10 out of 10! They really step it up a notch to make you feel welcome!

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Amazing Hotel & Rooms

This smoke free and modern hotel has 250 guest rooms with either one king or two double-sized beds, a 32-inch flat-screen TV, an alarm clock radio with MP3, coffee maker, hair dryer, an iron/ironing board, data ports, two phone lines, high-speed internet access, 900 MGHTZ cordless phones, Herman Miller work chairs, and more. You can enjoy the relaxing courtyard area with seating, plus not 1 but 2 the heated pools, an indoor one with a whirlpool spa and the outdoor pool with a sundeck. You can dine all day at the Regatta Bar & Grille, offering breakfast, cocktails, and light food. They also offer room service, a complimentary 24-hour fitness center, complimentary 24-hour business center and a self-service pantry. The internet speed in our rooms was fast and reliable.

Their rooms feature the Doubletree Sweet Dreams Bed and are really comfortable; not too soft, not too firm just perfect. We did not hear any noise from guests in other rooms nor the shower running from the rooms above or beside us. The air conditioning is beside the window and shouts the cold air in front of your bed and not directly in your face like some hotels. I actually make a call to the hotels prior to reserving to see where the air conditioner is located, and if it’s right beside the bed, I book elsewhere. I am not interested in waking up with a soar neck or catching a cold. There is also a thermostat on the wall that you can regulate by degrees, and not a setting on the machine with low, medium, high or really what it is, loud, louder, and loudest noise! It does make some noise, but it’s minimal and didn’t stop us from falling asleep. The carpet was clean with no stains. The bathroom has a modern look, enough counter space for two girls to share, and the bath had no mildew around the ceramic shower tiles!

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Amazing Food

We ate at the Regatta both mornings and chose the breakfast buffet on Saturday and the Sunday Brunch. They offer a wide selection of bread, muffins, fruits and cereals, as well as scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, pancakes, omelettes, and home made waffles. I am still craving the mouth watering omelette made right in front of me by Chef David! I ordered one cooked with fresh ingredients on both days. Succulent! The waffles were so light and fluffy that they melted in your mouth. To top it off, you could also add chocolate chips, jam, icing sugar, and more! I strongly recommend having breakfast at the hotel, you won’t be disappointed!

You can also order a la carte creations for breakfast or throughout the day; local specialties, steaks, seafood, pasta, comfort foods, and signature salads. They served a Roast Beef Buffet on Saturday evening, though we did not eat there, however my mom did, and she mentioned it was delicious. They offered pasta, chicken, Roast Beef, salads, desserts and more! She even wondered how come we didn’t have dinner at the Regatta! We ordered room service instead after a fun, but exhausting day at DestinyUSA. The kids and hubby wanted a pizza and I ordered a club sandwich, they were both delicious. To my surprise, when we came back to our hotel on Saturday evening, bottles of specialty water and a plate of cheese and crackers were waiting for us! Thank you Kevin, greatly appreciated after a long day of visiting attractions!

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My mother, Christine and her husband, Sylvain paid us a visit on Saturday evening. They arrived earlier in the day to shop at the Waterloo Outlets and Destiny USA, and stayed overnight at the Double Tree Hotel.  It was pleasant to be all together!

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As you can see, we had an amazing stay and will definitely go back again! I would not hesitate to recommend staying at the Double Tree Hotel for both businesses or families visiting Syracuse. Happy Family Travels!

Disclosure: I received free accommodations and breakfasts at the Double Tree Hotel by Hilton by the Syracuse Tourism Organization. However, my opinions are 100% my own , and only recommend products or services I believe will be beneficial to my readers.