DoubleTree by Hilton Foz do Iguacu Brazil

Extremely disappointing for a supposedly five-star hotel I am extremely disappointed with our experience at the DoubleTree by Hilton, particularly because we raised our concerns directly with the hotel and gave them the opportunity to resolve them before writing this review. On our first day, the TV in our room was not working. We were initially told that this was an IT/provider issue and that there was nothing the hotel could do. When we later spoke with management, they explained that there had been a problem with the TV provider affecting the hotel. While I understand that technical issues can happen, it is how a five-star hotel responds to them that matters. As compensation, we were offered a complimentary dinner. The problem is that dinner was already included in the package we had booked and paid for. The fact that this was offered to us as compensation without anyone apparently checking our booking only added to our disappointment and showed a real lack of attentiveness. When we pointed this out, we were told that they could not offer us anything else. The spa facilities were another major disappointment. The sauna was only around 50°C, while the steam room was effectively unusable. We sat inside for approximately 15 minutes and there was no steam and barely any heat. When we asked a member of staff about it, we were told that the steam room “sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t.” We specifically raised these issues with management, yet we were not given a clear explanation or solution as to why facilities advertised as part of a five-star hotel were not functioning properly. There have also been smaller issues that reinforce the overall impression. Guests are given wristbands that are used to access their rooms, yet in less than 24 hours my wristband had already stopped working, meaning I had to have the issue dealt with. My dad’s room also had sockets that fell out of the wall, in my opinion this is not the standard that should be upheld in a 5 star hotel. Any hotel can experience an occasional technical problem. What separates a genuine five-star hotel is the standard of service and how those problems are handled. Unfortunately, our experience has been a non-functioning TV, spa facilities that were not operating to an acceptable standard, a room-access wristband failing within a day, and management offering us something as compensation that we had already paid for. We deliberately spoke to the hotel and gave them the opportunity to put things right before leaving a review. Unfortunately, the response has left us even more disappointed. For the price, reputation and five-star rating associated with the DoubleTree by Hilton name, I expected considerably better. Based on our experience so far, the service and facilities simply have not reflected a five-star standard.

Our room smelled like a sewage and the toilet was not cleaned properly, I told the reception 3 times and nothing happened. I will spare you the picture of the toilet. Also a scarf was missing after room service. We checked the whole room and baggage multiple times, but reading some reviews it seems common that some stuff is taken. Good we used the save for our valuables. At breakfast there are Almosen no vegan/dairy free options. I would recommend to and at least hummus, more flavours of jam, vegan joghurt and milk. We had dinner at the Tape restaurant once and I chose a dish that was without milk according to the menu, told them about my food intolerance and then it came with dairy after waiting for a really long time. Really concerning how they deal with food allergies. We even told them in portuguese. Of course the meal that I could not eat showed up on the bill in the end. Overall definitely not a 5 Star experience, although rooms are sized well and the pool area is nice.