Long Beach Hilton Hotel

What a great stay I had at The Long Beach Hilton Hotel. My grand and I had a great room, great food, and having the Hilton Aspire card helped make this stay possible. For my first time really staying at a Hilton hotel, I truly fell that I made right chose. I just saw my grandpa and he bragged about how much he really liked this hotel.

Hilton Long Beach 

Knowing that Grandpa and I wanted to do something after our Mexican cruise, we talked about doing something in Long Beach, CA since that was where we were getting on and off the ship. Grandpa said that he thought it would be fun going to the Aquarium of the Pacific and the Queen Mary. Since I knew that I had a free weekend night with my Hilton Aspire American Express card, I thought I would fun to treat us to a nice hotel after spending a week on the ship. I was looking forward to seeing how easy it would be to book the room, to hotel itself, and how things would post to my Hilton Aspire card.

After spending most of the day at the Aquarium of the Pacific and having a late lunch, we were ready to hang out for the night. Getting into the hotel parking garage was a little tricky because of the interchange of W Ocean Blvd, Shoreline Dr, Golden Ave, and the ramps to and from Interstate 710 (Long Beach Fwy).  Once parked, it was easy to get to the lobby and get checked in. Checking in and getting to our room was kind of interesting. They guy who checked in seemed really tired and kind of out of it. It did not help that it looked like he had a black eye. Also, his explanation on how to get up to our room was not helpful. When we got into the elevator, we could only get to the third floor before getting stuck. I finally was able to find someone to help my grandpa and me. The trick was that we had to use our room card to get to the 10th floor where our room was at.  After that is was no problem going up and down in the elevator.

Walking into our room

When we made it to our room, I was really amazed how well the room looked. Everything looked new, it was bright, and had great bathroom.  Even though the sun was setting, it seemed so welcoming. The room itself was also big for having two queen beds, an extra sitting chair, and a good size desk with a desk chair. You could easily get four people in this room comfortably. Later-on night, I found out how comfortable the beds were. It was almost like sleeping on a cloud and the pillows were just right. I did sleep well that night. The bathroom was very big too. While the sink was in the middle of the counter, two adults could be getting ready without feeling like they were on top of each other. One thing that impressed me, was the soaps and such were from Crabtree & Evelyn. I knew this was going to be a classily place to stay. After getting our luggage up to our room, Grandpa wanted to watch the news and rest before going to dinner. I took the opportunity to walk around and see more of the hotel and take pictures. It was not too busy that night and I was able to see a lot. I did notice that the hotel pool area was closed. To find out why, I went to back down to the lobby and asked one of the ladies at the front desk. They explained that there was damage from a recent earthquake and that they were shuttling guest to and from the Hotel Maya to use their pool or shuttling guest down to the beach. I thought this was a good gesture on the hotel’s part. My grandpa on the other hand was kind of disappointed but was not a big deal for him.

Main Entrance 

Lobby

Enclave Lobby Bar and Kitchen

It was starting to get late and we thought that we should eat something. Not wanting a whole lot, we both said we wanted to check out the bar in the lobby. We made our way down to the Enclave Lobby Bar and Kitchen. After looking at the menu, we got a pizza and split it. I think if I was not so full from lunch, I could have had a pizza on my own. I loved the atmosphere of the place. It has a very modern look and feel and fit it well with the rest of the lobby. I also liked how open it was. I did not feel like so closed off like some hotel restaurants and bars can be. I also liked that the tables were big and had power outlets for people to work there as well. The staff was friendly and let us take our time order and was quick to get our pizza out to us once we ordered. When it came to take care of the check, I liked that I was able to charge the check to the room. This made me happy since I knew this would mean points for when I check out. When we were done, I should have known how good the food was going to be when we went for breakfast the next day. I remember when I called the hotel before booking the room, they told me that the continental breakfast was going to be complimentary and that for a small charge we could upgrade to the hot breakfast since I am a Hilton Diamond member.

After making our way to The Loft the next morning for breakfast, Grandpa and I were warmly greeted as we walked in and asked if we were there for the buffet breakfast. They asked friendly if we were diamond or gold members and explained that we could do the complimentary continental breakfast and showed us what was included or if we wanted to upgrade to the hot breakfast for a small charge. I told them I wanted to the upgrade to the hot breakfast. We were shown to a table and we were off to explore what they had to offer. The continental breakfast had a lot to offer but the real treat was the hot breakfast. I really liked having two kinds of eggs and two kind of breakfast potatoes. Everything was really good. By the time I was done, I felt like I needed to be rolled out because I was so full. Grandpa also really liked the coffee there too. I also liked that the upgraded breakfast could be charged to the room.

The Loft

The Loft

After having such a great breakfast, it was time for us to check out and leave. After getting the car all loaded it was time to check out. Once again, I was greeted by a friendly young lady and was happy to get me checked out. She let me know what the bill was and what everything that was on it asked if I wanted it charged to the card on file, and I said yes. She also asked if wanted a receipt and how. It was quick getting both the printed and email copies. In all, I don’t think it was even five minutes. After getting back to the car, it was real quick getting out of the garage and on our way to the Queen Mary.

After having a great stay, I feel much better getting the American Express Hilton Aspire credit card. I just want to say that with this card, you get a free weekend night at any non-resort hotel in the Hilton portfolio. I also really liked that I could charge both meals and the parking fees to the room so that when I checked out so that I could get the 14 points per every dollar spent on this stay.  While it was a bit of a rough start, I feel I got a lot out of this stay using my free night here. Even before the trip, the Hilton agent who helped me book the room was really friendly and seem like she was happy to help me get this set up. This stay made me feel good about getting the American Express Aspire card and that I felt lucky that I could have in my collection of credit cards.

Overall this was a great place to stay. Other than the person who checked us in, everyone was very friendly and seemed happy that we were staying at their hotel. I loved the modern look and feel of the hotel. From the lobby to the bar and restaurant, to the room we had, it just seemed very warm and open. The colors added a lot of interest to the hotel. And the food was amazing. I would like to try more food at the Enclave and would have high hopes to have another great breakfast at The Loft. I do hope the next time I am there; the pool area is open. Not being able to go swimming or to check out the hot tub was kind of disappointing, but I feel like the alternatives were very generous. Also, I would like to see some of the event rooms. While I would love to check out the Hotel Maya just across the Los Angeles River, I would make a point to spend another night at the Long Beach Hilton. I had such a great stay there, it’s a hotel that I would like to stay at again.  And of course, I would make sure use my American Express Hilton Aspire card to maximize my point earnings.

Until next time…

Hilton Long Beach Hotel
Click Here to learn more about the American Express Hilton Aspire Card - This is a referral link.