My Wife and I stayed at the Hilton in Atlanta Downtown for 4 nights as part of a 8 night trip to Georgia (the other 4 nights were in Savannah). As this was not our main holiday of the year we opted to get our hotels through Hotwire and try and save some money that way. In the end we opted for a Downtown location and managed to get the Hilton for $59 a night.

I find it hard to believe people are criticising this hotel especially having paid so little. Ok, it could do with some updating, but the lobby area is very nice and I found the staff to be extremely friendly, which was something I found to be the norm throughout the state of Georgia.

Whether we were given the dreaded "Hotwire" room or not, we found it to be extremely spacious with a to die for bed. The TV was old but functionable and the bathroom was on the small size, but had the best shower in the world ever. We were disappointed not to get a king bed room, but as we checked in at the same time as a number of Volleyball girls teams in town for a tournament we didn't mind too much. Our room was on the 5th floor (the girls got all the upper levels) but did have a nice view of the pool and tennis courts and some of Downtown.

When you see the likes of budget hotels in York England charging £103 ($200) a night or London hotels @ £200+ ($400) you realise that $59 to stay in a hotel in a major city in the USA is exceptional value. I would suggest all those reviewers finding fault with the Hilton having paid $59 through Hotwire get on the next plane to England and then see what value you get for a similar outlay....pretty much a special rate Travelodge on a motorway if you are lucky!!!!

Location was good but Downtown is a stange place in Atlanta. A number of forum posters warned me that it pretty much shuts down in the evening and I must admit that was true. All we tended to see out and about were tourists (Volleyball girls) and a few homeless, but I never felt unsafe in any area around the Hilton. The MARTA station at the Peachtree Center is about 5mins walk away either on the street or via walkway through the parking garage on the left of the main Hilton entrance. There are a sprinkling of restaurants in close proximity to the hotel including Hard Rock and Hooters. For breakfast try the Corner Cafe Bakery a few blocks away but bear in mind it doesn't open on Sundays.

During the day however the Downtown area is a hive of activity with workers and of course tourists going to the attractions. It is a reasonable 10-15mins walk to Centennial Park, and from there you are next door to the World of Coca Cola (excellent), Georgia Aquarium (excellent but soooooo busy) and the CNN Center (unfortunately closed during our trip due to the tornado). Also with easy access to the MARTA system you can get upto Midtown and Buckhead very easily. In Midtown try the Flying Biscuit, a truly outstanding eatery and then walk it off over in Piedmont Park.

As other reviews have stated the downtown area was quite badly affected by the tornado which hit just prior to our trip. Centennial Park was out of bounds (and still is I believe), CNN Center tours were postponed and a number of roads around Downtown were blocked by police. Falling glass is still a problem around the whole of Downtown so just bear that in mind if you have a trip approaching. I'm sure it will all be back to normal soon.

Atlanta was a nice city although very much a car city. We used MARTA to get around and it did the job, although there was a fair amount of walking involved as well. There is plenty to keep tourists busy for 3 or 4 days, maybe even longer if you decide to head out to the likes of Stone Mountain Park (we did, it was awesome). I wouldn't say it is my favourite city in the USA but one thing I would say is that the Georgia people really do know how to welcome people. Some of the nicest people I have come across in all my trips around the world.

Back to the hotel and it is hard to fault the Hilton at the price we paid. If it was full rate I would consider somewhere else but if you can get it on Hotwire it is a bargain. I would say it is closer to a 3 star than a 4 star but Hotwire rates it at 3.5*, which is about right in my opinion.

I would certainly consider the hotel again if we decide to return to Atlanta in the future.