Hilton Garden Inn Queens/JFK Airport

Ok, let me preface this with, the front desk staff i worked with online and in person, were AMAZING. Parking is on site and $40 a night. Sadly, it's going to go downhill quick from there. Upon arrival, it's under renovation. A good thing, but it legitimately smells like rotten food throughout the original lobby area and the hallways on the first floor. The office is a few corners away for check in. Getting into my room, it was cold. I used the wall thermostat to adjust the temperature, and it never made a difference. Went down for dinner, and when I got back, still cold. Finally after freezing for hours, I go to the wall unit which was running and blowing cold air. It wasn't connected to the thermostat, so when I turned it on, I finally had heat for my final 2 hours there. The bed felt good, there was food and candy wrappers in the drawers. The water in the shower was never clear, so you're really taking your chances on what you're "cleaning" up with. Lotion, and shower soaps were nearly empty, just overall a sign that nobody took pride in their job. The restaurant. What an absolute horrendous experience. After training and then traveling, it was 6 or 7 by the time I chose not to use doordash. I ordered the chicken parm, because of the 3 items to choose from, it was the least likely they could mess up. I was wrong. The pasta was overcooked, the sauce had less seasoning than a school cafeteria spaghetti, and the chicken was an overcooked previously frozen and prebreaded puck. Hard on the outside edges, and just not appealing whatsoever. I had a lot of hopes, because the people I talked to there made me expect a great property. Sadly, they are just working well below their value. This place is on par with a wyndham brand, and is an embarrassment to the Hilton name.

Terrible Experience – Do Not Recommend The only positive about this hotel is its proximity to the airport, but even that isn’t worth the awful experience I had during my stay. I booked a double room for three people for a two-night stay, expecting a comfortable experience while attending an event out of town. Instead, my stay was a complete nightmare. Upon arriving Friday evening, I discovered that the shower water was black—absolutely filthy. Since we were in a rush, I quickly informed the front desk, only to be told that because I had a service pet, they couldn’t do anything until I returned. After coming back from my event late that night, I was told the engineer had left, and nothing could be done. The front desk attendant offered me a single room instead, which obviously wouldn't accommodate three people. When I asked for another double room, I was told they had no more available and was instead offered a free breakfast—who would want to eat at a hotel under construction with dirty water running through the pipes? To make things worse, the front desk staff was rude and completely incompetent. When I requested to speak to a manager, I was told it was late, and the manager was asleep—and that they wouldn’t be waking her. After calling the hotel’s main guest services, they initially refused to help because my stay was still in progress. Eventually, they convinced the front desk to allow us to stay in our double room while using a single room just for showering—a ridiculous and inconvenient solution. The next day, the water cleared up slightly, but the shower and tub were left covered in dirt and soot, making them unusable. Despite informing the front desk, no one ever came to clean it. The drains in both rooms were slow, making showers impossible. By then, the hotel forced us to give up the single room, leaving us without a functioning shower for the remainder of our stay. On top of all this, the hotel was under construction, with loud work beginning at 8 AM. To make matters worse, housekeeping staff gathered in the hallways talking loudly between 9-11 AM, disturbing any chance of rest. Beyond the awful service and plumbing issues, the hotel itself is in a terrible location. While it’s near the airport, it’s also right next to a waste facility in a dirty, smelly, industrial area. Parking is extremely limited, and they have the nerve to charge $40 a night for a tiny lot. The airport shuttle doesn’t even take you directly to your terminal—instead, it only drops you at the airport train station, adding another layer of inconvenience. This was a horrible experience from start to finish. The staff was rude, unhelpful, and completely unempathetic. I would never stay here again and strongly do not recommend this hotel to anyone.

Stayed one night in transit from London to Hawaii in mid-Feb. Positives: Proximity to JFK (5 min drive). Refurbished room was nice. Front desk personnel were friendly. Negatives: Waited 40 minutes in the snow with my daughter for a shuttle that is supposed to run every 30 minutes. It took three calls before someone answered to verify that the driver was coming. Arrived to a fairly chaotic construction site, greeted by a homeless man in the lobby. Front desk person offered me some bonus Hilton Points as compensation on check out, but never delivered.

The Hilton Garden Inn Queens/JFK Airport is a decent hotel, especially for its proximity to the airport. One major plus is their airport shuttle, which was very convenient since there’s no reliable public transit to the airport in the evening. We stayed here on the first night of our New York trip after arriving at JFK around 11 PM. The room was large and comfortable, though the elevator felt a bit sketchy. Breakfast was okay—5/10. I had pancakes with bacon, but they were out of most items, which was disappointing. That said, I liked that we were the only ones at breakfast, and the waiter was very nice and attentive, which made the experience better. The location, however, isn’t great—it’s convenient for a layover or short stay near JFK, but the surrounding area isn’t ideal. On top of that, they tried to charge my card $20 more than expected, saying it was to remove the $20 breakfast credit from my Hilton Honors Diamond status, which was frustrating. Overall, it’s a convenient option for a quick stay near the airport, with some good features like friendly service at breakfast, but the location and some service issues left room for improvement.

Pros: Close to the airport. Shuttle on time and quick. Comfortable bed with multiple pillow options. Friendly desk staff. Cons: Toilet runs all day and night and is VERY loud Walls are thin so you hear others. They charge you for water bottles in the room regardless of if you use them or not. I had to call to ask about a charge and have it refunded. Overall I would stay again as the price is good.