This is my second review on the Daytona Beach Hilton, and not a lot has changed in a year. Outstanding lodging is hard to find in this area; unfortunately, the Hilton is probably the best to be found here.

I had an oceanfront room this time, which did have a very lovely view of the ocean and beach. On Saturday nights, fireworks are launched from the pier that is located to the south of the Hilton. I was able to watch the display from my room. As others have indicated, the "balconies" are not balconies. You can slide open the doors and lean on a railing. There aren't enough inches to actually step out of the doors.

The room itself was fine--not luxorious but fine. I had a small, rather beat up loveseat; coffee table; desk with chair; king size bed with nightstands; and armoire that housed older tv and included 3 dresser drawers. The bed was amazingly comfortable and provided a good night's sleep.

The bathroom includes a separate sink and vanity in dressing area, with additional sink in actual bathroom. The sinks had new countertops, but the rest of the bathroom was in need of an update.

Rooms are quiet and hallway noise is muted.

In room internet access is $10 a day (although free WI-FI is available in the lobby). Parking also incurs a fee ($8 a day for self-park in a lot that is about one block away).

The majority of staff were friendly enough. None were outstanding enough to make a big impression, but none were so terrible to make an impression either.

I had several modest complaints about my visit:
1. Excessive mildew coated the interior of the armoire. I could wipe it with a tissue and blacken the tissue with one swipe.
2. Mildew also stained the window sheers.
3. There were several days that housekeeping didn't replace toiletries, washclothes, or bath mats. Two other days, housekeeping didn't bother to empty rather full trash cans in the room nor did they take away and replace dirty glasses. By the appearance of the bathroom tile and carpeting in room, there were many days that housekeeping didn't vacuum either.
4. During my entire stay (one week), my room was never supplied with pen or paper.

Complaints may seem trivial, but the rates charged by this property warrant much better service and attention to detail.

One word of caution: the Hilton is located right on the beach, but it is not a private beach. Many unsavory characters hang out in Daytona Beach, and these same characters lurk around the Hilton looking for vulnerable tourists. DON'T leave personal belongings on the beach while you go for a swim, and always be aware of your surroundings (whether night or day) while walking around.

The Hilton has two "towers" - North and South. I stayed in the South Tower which is the older portion which showed it's wear and tear after years of spring breaks and bike weeks. The elevaters were aged (one of the buttons on my floor to call the elevator was broken, the button panel in the elevator was loose), the hallways were hot and stuffy, some lights were loosely attached - one was even dangling from the wires, and the "balcony" was about 12". WIth that being said - the view from the room was awesome, the staff was nice and responsive, and the location was great. Typical with Hiltons - everything in the hotel was overpriced, but there is plenty within walking distance to satisfy whatever you need. With the hotel being right on the boardwalk in-between the pier and oceanwalk "mall" (restaurants, movies, stores), walking was a pleasure. Caution for families with small children: the rooms have sliders that can be opened to the "balcony" which is really only a railing. The fitness center was welcoming and very well equipped with limited free weights, diverse machines, and advanced cardio equipment. By the way - if attending a conference in the hotel- the conference rooms are FREEZING!!! Even if in August - take a long sleeve shirt - seriously......

I stayed here with my family over the Memorial Day Weekend, arriving on Friday and departing Monday. We had two rooms and paid $209 per night for each of them. We chose this hotel due to its proximity to the airport and to relatives.
It also seemed the best choice among the other properties we studied in this geography.
The view of the ocean from the room was very nice and I was impressed with how much the closed door muffled the sound of the waves. When you open the balcony door the AC cuts off so we did not leave the door open much. Unfortunately, as others have noted it is impossible to step outside to hear and see the ocean and close the door. The balconies really are little more than a narrow stoop making it impossible to comfortably stand outside the room with the door closed. The door did not muffle the sound of the concert that took place in the bandshell next door on Saturday night. And many times during our visit I heard noises from the rooms next door and from people walking in the hallway.
The hotel was very busy with a wedding and graduation parties on top of a holiday weekend, but we experienced a similar experience with the waitstaff as that described by a previous reviewer. There were long waits and overworked staff. One waiter did come back and apologize to us multiple times for his inability to properly wait on us. He said he already had more customers than he could handle. While he seemed distressed and I appreciated his honesty, I also was annoyed with the hotel that they were not prepared to handle the crowds and by the time we left the excuses rang hollow. The lady who waited on me at the gift shop was very friendly and efficient. Likewise, the valet staff delivered our car promptly, so my staff problems mainly centered on the staff in the eating establishments. It was not uncommon to be told that we would have a 30 minute wait to be seated, but it was more frustrating when we were told a wait time and then it not to be accurate--as happened to us at restaurant and with room service. We did not eat at the Hyde Park restaurant. It has a clubby look to it and we were looking primarily for casual beachwear welcoming places for our meals so we frequented the other places. I don;t know if that experience would have been the same or different. The hotel is huge with multiple restaurants. The food court on the beach side isn't exactly a court at this time of year and I can only assume that it is more active at other times of the year with more selections--we did not eat there, but we tried the others.
On top of the waits and the lack of customer service, we were greatly disappointed in the quality of the food we had at the hotel. The lunch we had at the Pelican Bar mostly went uneaten. I was the last to be served and the waitress said it was because she had sent my sandwich back as it was "too small". It wasn't the size of the sandwich I found disappointing--it was the taste. My daughter and her husband had what they described as an awful breakfast at Doc's Grill at an overpriced fee. I ordered two meals from room service--one that was passable and a breakfast that was swimming in grease and not very warm.
All in all, this hotel did not live up to our expectations.
The rooms were okay--tastefully decorated and clean. The television was an old-style television with HBO. The bathroom was fine but nothing special--it could have passed for any chain hotel I have frequented in the past year--not very large room. When I compare this to other resort hotels it lacks the feel of what I usually think of as a resort with extra perks and amenities. And when I compare what I paid per night with other hotels not claiming to be resorts I find this property lacking. Part of it comes from the setting. Daytona is just a crowded, busy beach town with more than its share of tattoo parlors, bikers, and party-goers. It isn't exactly a serene setting.
I did not visit the spa.
We walked several blocks to the North of the hotel. We made purchases at a Starbucks and an ice cream store but did not find much of interest in the immediate area. My daughter and son-in-law had a dismal meal at a nearby Mexican Restaurant. We saw a lot of younger people who were quite inebriated and my overall impression was that this was a prime party area, but not the best place for a family vacation. I doubt that we will choose this destination again and as we drove away we all agreed that we were quite happy to be leaving.
I can understand that this hotel might be among the best of the choices as some of the hotels in the area did not look very good--some with individual AC units in the windows, etc. Just be prepared for mediocre food and service with a high price tag.

This hotel has the absolute best location if you are looking to stay on the boardwalk, right near Ocean Walk and a very quick ride from the airport.

The front desk staff was extremely outgoing and helpful, upon check in and the two other times I stopped to ask them a question. This is unusual, so I want to make a point that I think they were exceptional.

That being said, the bartenders and waiters who make up the staff at both indoor bars (sports bar and lobby lounge), as well as the waitstaff and greeters at the indoor restaurant - leave alot to be desired. I was there for six nights, so I think I came into contact with most everyone. Bartenders were blase and indifferent - they would walk past you 3 times without acknowledging and kept giving excuses as to why they had to come back to take your order. And don't even ask to change a channel on one of the 10 tv's in the sports pub - will take about a 1/2 hour for them to even try. The hostess for breakfast each morning cannot handle the line of people waiting, and even if there is not a line, its an effort for them to seat you and they are not friendly at all. Same goes for the staff in the coffee shop - indifferent and completely unfriendly.

The service at Hyde Park Steakhouse was exceptional - sure you are paying for it as this is an upscale restaurant, but it is well worth it.

The rooms are clean but nothing special - small tv's - no balconies, but the ocean view I had erased anything bad.

Disappointing pool area - and because the beach is not private/run by the hotel, there is no food service and/or beverages available on the beach (making you feel that you are not in a "resort" hotel). We had to haggle for chairs and umbrellas with the public beach employees - who charge $25 per day for two chairs and an umbrella. Last complaint about the hotel is that the towels they give out for pool/beach are a joke - my 10 year old dish towels are bigger than the beach towels they hand out to guests (i'm not exaggerating).