Hilton Garden Inn Charlotte/Ayrsley — Charlotte, NC · $$ · Originally reviewed 2017

It gets the job done. That’s about as excited as I can get.

QUICK TAKE: SKIP — UNLESS ALL YOU NEED IS A BED.

Nothing to write home about. Generic, adequate and clean enough — but I wouldn’t choose it again.

For a basic hotel I have three immediate tests: impeccably clean, nice pillows — for fuck’s sake, they’re cheap enough to replace — and good coffee. If you can’t do the coffee yourself, make a deal with a nearby local shop or roaster.

It got the job done. It offered the expected amenities and could work for a traveler watching the budget.

There was nothing inviting enough to make the stay memorable: generic feel, limited sense of space and no reason for me to choose this particular property over the alternatives.

For the traveler who only needs functional and inexpensive, perhaps. For me, no.

Would I give an adequate Hilton Garden Inn a shot when there is no better offer? Sure. This one? No way, José.

If you need to get in and get out with no muss, little fuss, don’t give a shit about amenities and are on a tight budget — knock yourself out.

I’d shop around first. Cleanliness, pillows and coffee are not luxury requests. They’re basics.

THE VERDICT

SKIP — UNLESS ALL YOU NEED IS A BED.

Hilton Garden Inn Charlotte/Ayrsley
Charlotte, NC
I am not looking for reasons to destroy somebody. I’m looking for reasons to recommend them. They just have to earn it.