Hotel Hilton Garden Inn di Sacramento

We made a stop over at Sacramento on our drive to San Diego on Christmas Eve. The hotel is easy to find, it's clean and full of necessary amenities. There are plenty of restaurants to choose from in the area.

I rarely write a bad review, but this experience needs to be addressed. I have been exclusively staying at the Hilton Garden Inn Natomas since they opened (2019?), whenever I travel through Sacramento. I have only had stellar experiences with the staff, and have given them glowing reviews. Great customer service-which has in turn made me recommended the hotel to others. Unfortunately, there must be a staffing shortage, because today I was met with the most stunningly awful customer service I have experienced in a very long time. It began at check-in.My husband and I combined our Hilton Honors accounts (at the suggestion of a person in Hilton Honors department) a couple of years ago. We decided to use his name on our account, since he travels more. He was not able to join us on this trip. I gave my information to Debbie when I arrived after driving for 7 hours, and she curtly said that if he was not with me, I could not check in to the same room I had booked. I suggested I could call him, and she abruptly said that I was not at the “Diamond Level” so that would not be an option. Huh? I let her know that he has not been with me when we have traveled here most times using our shared account, and nobody ever said it was an issue. She coldly said, “I see you used points and so they will be refunded if you book a new room.” I was still confused. She was so unsympathetic, and seemed to enjoy the “power trip” she was on. Again, I pleaded my case to her as she dug her heels into the “new policy,” while being an example to the young woman she was training (sheesh - why would you put this woman in a role to train terrible customer service?). She (indifferent) said I could book a different room at a HIGHER RATE, if I wanted. Yep. Are you kidding? Her incredible lack of empathy and overreach of power made me think I was at a different hotel. I asked if she was the manager and she said “no.” I asked if he or she was available and she said they would be back on Monday. To recap: My room went from $80+ (after using my points), to $225+, and the more I pleaded, the more she truly enjoyed my distress. Bizarre, to say the least. I don’t remember, in recent memory, such a bad customer service interaction.Here is how I would have handled things: I would have warmly welcomed the person, and after learning the person whose name was listed on the booking was not present, would have explained the new policy. Then I would have kindly said that because the person was a long-standing Hilton Honors member and FREQUENT guest, we will make an exception and call the person to verify the booking. I am pretty certain ANYONE would do that in the same situation. Hilton management, are you going to let your stellar reputation slip because of poor customer service like this? It’s a shame, because everyone here has always been wonderful, especially Housekeeping, as the rooms are kept very clean, and I appreciated the familiarity of the experience. Too bad.