Hilton has become synonymous with partying and revelry. First there was Conrad Hilton, who famously married Elizabeth Taylor in her heyday, and now of course there are Paris and Nicky Hilton, as well as all the Hilton wannabes on this summer’s I Want to Be a Hilton with Kathy Hilton.
The new Hilton Garden Inn in the Ithaca Commons espouses none of these ideals. It is not flashy and it is not ostentatious. In fact, it’s kind of the opposite. Located on East Seneca Street, the new Hilton is combined with an office building and is anything but wild. However, if you are looking for a good time in the “I’m-so-tired-from-prelims-I-just-need-a-break” sense, then come on down. After staying in the hotel for a night I came back to campus refreshed, on time (thanks to my 10 a.m. wake up call) and ready for more of what Cornell is sure to throw my way.
The Rooms
It’s no secret that Ithaca needed a new hotel. Over the summer, while trying to plan my fall move-in, I found that the closest opening was in Elmira, which, I’m not sure if you were aware, is the hip-hop capital of northern New York. A welcomed addition to the hospitality scene, the Hilton houses 104 guestrooms and eight suites. Hopefully this will help during those weekends (ahem, Homecoming weekend) when Ithaca just seems about ready to burst and you end up having to house three people on your floor alone.
My favorite part of a hotel room stay is usually the TV. From my experience on family trips, it was not only the best way to get my mother mad but also a much nicer alternative to vegging out in the boring surroundings of my own home. After all, there are movies on demand (all the blockbuster flops! Yay!) and all the channels you could ever want.
Each room has HBO and – get this – complimentary high-speed Internet. While taking advantage of said connection on AIM, I received several messages:
Anon123: How’s chillen at the Holiday Inn-
Me: I’m at the Hilton dumbass.
Anon123: On. Well how’s that? Where’s paris?
After this I just went on away.
As for workspace, since I know you all never stop thinking about work, there are large desks in each room and an “ergonomic Mirra chair by Herman Miller.” I dunno, it was pretty comfortable. The rooms also come with a microwave and coffee maker to make sure you are able to reach peak productivity. It seems like a great place for finals lock down if you have the means and are sick of the Olin/Uris parade.
Another bonus? My room also came with a particularly nice view of campus, which seemed deceptively nice looking from afar.
Room Service
The mini-bar was not stocked; maybe because they knew I was from Cornell, but there was a soda machine as well as a 24-hour convenience store for all your hotel-staying needs. Yes, I’m pretty sure they have condoms. I starved myself all day so that I could enjoy some good ‘ole room service. Two burgers ended up being almost as much as the room. But they were good.
Staff
The staff was friendly but sparse, although that might not be such a bad thing. The same person that brought the skeevy men their alcohol showed up a half hour later with my room service and the guy from the valet brought me the Internet cord and some extra pillows.
Parking
Beware of valet parking. The attendant on duty informed me that they charge 15 dollars to park the car for you in the same lot that you can park it in yourself, which is across the street from the hotel. This is not rocket science. Hang three lights and you will have saved yourself some cash.
Pool Party!
The gym is open from 5 a.m. to 12 p.m. for all you fitness whores. There is also a pool, but don’t get too excited. At it’s deepest the pool is five feet. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the public jacuzzi next to the pool. It was great, until a group of three middle-aged men who were apparently late to a bachelor party jumped in. I jumped out. It felt more Paris Hilton than Hilton Garden Inn. Apparently, you can even get the staff to find you some gin and high quality vodka to spice up your jacuzzi-ing.
Around 3 a.m. I finally fell asleep in my king-sized bed. I spent the entire night freezing from the central air and keeping my face away from the polar fleece beige blanket that every hotel seems to have – and I loved it.
Archived article by Logan Bromer
Sun Associate Arts & Entertainment Editor