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Crystal and I both used to live in Pensacola, Florida and it was our first home away from home after moving from Japan. We still have several close friends and family, including my in-laws, residing in Pensacola, so we booked a stay this holiday season at the Hilton Garden Inn Pensacola Downtown.

In the past, we found that the options for pet-friendly hotels in downtown Pensacola were quite limited, which made our travels more challenging. Fortunately, last year marked the opening of a brand new, pet-friendly Hilton hotel in downtown Pensacola. We were thrilled to book a stay for five days and four nights between December 20 and 25.

LOCATION

The hotel is conveniently situated in the heart of downtown Pensacola, right next to a gorgeous, vibrant neighborhood that adds charm to the location. Directly across the street stands a beautiful Veteran’s Memorial Park.

Additionally, we were fortunate to be within a short walking distance to several popular eateries, including the famous McGuire’s Irish Pub, Whattaburger, and Waffle House, among others, providing a variety of dining options.

Archway of trees — Beautiful Neighborhood for dog walks

PARKING

There is a daily self-parking fee of $10.00 (plus tax), which we found to be a very reasonable price, especially when considering the prime location of the hotel. We were pleased that we never encountered any issues with finding a parking space during our stay, making the overall experience quite convenient.

CHECK IN

Check-in was 3 PM, and we were genuinely pleased with the exceptionally friendly staff. Omayra was incredibly welcoming, expressing her gratitude for both bringing Kuma (Crystal’s Corgi) along and for Crystal’s status as a Gold member. She took the time to explain all the various amenities available on-site, ensuring that we had a comprehensive understanding of everything the hotel had to offer during our stay.

2 QUEEN BEDS

We booked the 2 Queen beds option, and our room was located on the third floor. The design of the room was not only spacious but also modern, which gave it a fresh and appealing look. We absolutely loved that the room had a ton of natural light streaming in through the large windows, creating a bright atmosphere.

The room included many convenient amenities such as a large desk, a dedicated luggage bench, a 55” flat panel TV, an iron and ironing board, and even a mini walk-in closet for organizing our belongings efficiently.

I especially appreciated the mini walk-in closet because there were multiple exposed shelves along with drawers that were cleverly stacked vertically, making it easy to store and organize our items. On the opposite side, there was a coat rack equipped with plenty of hangers.

To complete the overall functionality of the closet, there was a large floor-length mirror strategically placed in the middle. The design is so practical and thoughtful that I genuinely wish all hotels would consider making their guest room closets like this.

Next to the closet, the room featured a handy mini fridge, a compact microwave, and a convenient Keurig coffee maker. It is always nice to have a microwave readily available just in case you have restaurant leftovers that you want to reheat and enjoy later. The Keurig coffee maker came stocked with plenty of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf branded pods, which we thoroughly enjoyed in the mornings.

Hotel Room Mini Refrigerator — Mini Refrigerator

Hilton is well-known for their comfy mattresses, and during our stay, we both slept quite comfortably. Even though we were located within close proximity to the elevator, we were pleasantly surprised to find that we did not hear any loud noises throughout our time there. This was especially much appreciated, considering that Kuma has a tendency to bark at any little sound she hears echoing in the hallways.

The bathroom was notably spacious, and we particularly loved the large, illuminating mirrors which truly brightened up the entire space. There was plenty of counter space available to neatly place our toiletries, making our routines more convenient.

However, the only drawback we noticed was the lack of wall hooks for hanging items. There was merely one hook, which made it quite a challenge when trying to find a suitable place to hang multiple bath towels.

The shower was also quite spacious and was thoughtfully complete with large, refillable bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and body soap. On our very first night, we were a bit disappointed to discover that the shampoo bottle was empty; however, we were fortunate that room service the following day promptly replenished it as soon as we brought the issue to their attention. Additionally, they consistently replenished our towels on a daily basis and took care of emptying out our trash cans for us.

The toiletries provided in our room were quite minimal, but it’s really not something we expect much of these days. We’ve noticed a growing trend among many hotels, as they are starting to offer fewer amenities in general. We usually bring our own toiletries when we travel, so it’s quite rare that we actually need the hotel to provide these items for us during our stay.

A bunch of towels — Plenty of towels were provided

Refillable bottles in shower — Body wash, Shampoo, and conditioner were provided

Wall shelf with toiletries — Our own toiletries placed on convenient shelves

FACILITIES AND AMENITIES

Across from the lobby on the first floor of the hotel is their inviting restaurant, Garden Grille. Although we didn’t dine here during our stay, we did order drinks from their bar on a couple of evenings. We’re not entirely sure if the limited selection was influenced by the holidays, but we found that the bar was not fully stocked, which was somewhat disappointing.

Hilton Garden Inn Pensacola Hotel Lobby — Lobby

The bartenders were friendly and accommodating, but they lacked a bit of expertise when it came to opening wine bottles or crafting cocktails with flair. It feels like a missed opportunity, especially since it’s such a beautiful space that would be perfect for enjoying some relaxing drinks.

Garden Grille Dining Pensacola — Garden Grille Dining

The hotel also features a fitness center and an outdoor pool for guests to enjoy. While we didn’t partake in these amenities ourselves, our friend, who was staying with us, took full advantage of their complimentary bike rental service. Given that the area we were staying in is so charming and inviting, it truly is a wonderful place for a leisurely stroll around the neighborhood.

Hilton Complimentary Bike Rentals — Complimentary Bike Rentals

PET-FRIENDLINESS

The fee for bringing pets is set at $50 per pet, and they welcome up to two pets per room. We initially thought that the pet fee was a one-time charge of $50 for the entire stay; however, upon checkout, we discovered that it was actually $50 per night. This misunderstanding ended up resulting in a total cost that was significantly higher than we had anticipated.

Corgi lying on a bed — Kuma loves the bed

The hotel did provide dedicated pet relief areas equipped with dog waste stations, and there were numerous lovely spots nearby to take Kuma for a pleasant walk. Although we did not receive any special amenities specifically for Kuma, Crystal always packs a dog travel bag for Kuma so she has everything she needs for her stay.

Hotel Pet Waste Station — Pet Waste Station

Corgi and Christmas Tree — Christmas Family Pic

FINAL THOUGHTS

We enjoyed our stay here and couldn’t have asked for a more lovely, inviting, and convenient location. The rooms were clean, quiet, comfortable, and surprisingly spacious, providing ample room to relax.

Everything in the room worked perfectly, and for the most part, the staff were friendly and accommodating, always ready to assist us with any inquiries. We were especially grateful for the daily complimentary bottles of water, which added a nice touch to our experience.

We really loved dining at the nearby restaurants like McGuire’s Irish Pub, Waffle House, and Whattaburger. The main part of downtown Pensacola was just a lovely twenty-minute walk away, featuring an array of charming cafes, diverse restaurants, and inviting boutique shops to explore and enjoy.

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