Index:
Introduction
Delta Business Elite ECP-ATL-SCL
Four Points by Sheraton Santiago
W Santiago
Exploring Santiago
KLM World Business Class SCL-EZE
Hilton Buenos Aires
Exploring Buenos Aires
Aerolíneas Argentinas Club Economy AEP-USH
Alto Andino Hotel Ushuaia
Exploring Ushuaia
Aerolíneas Argentinas Economy USH-AEP
Sheraton Libertador Hotel Buenos Aires
Aerolíneas Argentinas Club Economy AEP-GRU + Delta Business Elite GRU-ATL-ECP
Conclusion
Introduction
My time in Buenos Aires would be interrupted by a side trip (or some might say, my real destination in Argentina) to Ushuaia. That meant that I would need to find a place to stay for one night on both ends of that part of my journey in Buenos Aires. Basically, it came down to the Hilton Buenos Aires and the Sheraton Libertador Buenos Aires and I just had to pick which one for which night.
I opted to stay at the Hilton for the first night, opting to use 50,000 points to get me a room. This wold get me at least a Queen Bed Deluxe Room, and quite honestly any hotel room would do the trick for a one night stay. The primary reason I chose this hotel for my first night was the location – Puerto Madero. Puerto Madero is a former docklands area right next to the central business district that has been transformed, like many former docklands areas around the world into a modern shopping, business, and living space. With good open space, and plenty of restaurants, I figured it would be good for sticking close to the hotel that night so that I didn’t stay out too late.
Hilton Buenos Aires
Arrival
The car I had grabbed from the airport deposited me outside the large glass facade of the hotel that opens into the atrium. Walking inside, I made my way to the HHonors desk where I was quickly handled by an agent. I was put on a high floor, however, I was not upgraded to a suite. In fact, I don’t even think I was upgraded to the Executive Floor; I was placed in a room on the top floor that faces the atrium however there are still a couple of floors above that as well. Honestly, for the purposes of my stay, that wouldn’t matter to me that much. They did tell me that I had been upgraded to a King bed, however there only rooms that say that have King beds on their website are suites…
The Atrium of the hotel is definitely a nice, open area, but does like any atrium, have the potential to get a little loud. There was also the hotel restaurant and bar located off the atrium, however given the short stay I had tried neither. It almost had a certain Embassy Suites feel in the public spaces…
Hotel Atrium
The Room
My room faced North and was thus looking out towards the front of the hotel. This gave me a half decent view of Puerto Madero at an angle and surprisingly I did not get much noise in the room from the atrium.
Walking in to the room, you go past the decently sized bathroom featuring a separate shower and tub and plenty of counter space to spread out, if that matters to you. It felt a little dated, but then to me most Hilton’s do.
In the main area of the room, was the bed (which was decently comfy), and separate desk and sitting areas – all pretty standard hotel features. The TV was quite possibly the smallest main TV I have seen in hotel room in quite some time, especially for a hotel like a Hilton. But then again, for what I was using this room for, that didn’t matter as I was not going to be sitting here watching TV when I only had so much time to explore Buenos Aires.
Hilton Buenos Aires Guest Room
See How Small That TV Is?
Amenities
Admittedly, I had not used a single amenity at the hotel during my stay. I never made it to the Executive Lounge, didn’t eat at the restaurant or enjoy a drink at the bar, or even get a massage at the spa (which I totally should have). That’s a little unusual for me, but given that I got to the hotel around 3:30pm or so and I was leaving the hotel at 4:00am the next morning, there just was not time in the day.
I did however, reserve the hotel’s car through the concierge to take me to Aeroparque Jorge Newbery (the downtown airport) to catch my early morning flight to Ushuaia. At $40 USD, it was easily the least hassle method, although there did appear to be a few waiting taxis outside the hotel even at those hours. Certainly a regular taxi would have been less, however given my lack of Spanish-speaking abilities, this seemed like my best option for four in the morning. I’ll add in that driver was professional and the car was certainly clean, getting me to the airport much faster than I had anticipated.
Conclusion
The Hilton Buenos Aires did exactly what I needed it for: a crash pad. Other than the building itself with the atrium and glass front there wasn’t anything that differentiated this hotel or made it stand out. There wasn’t any exceptionally awesome service for this Diamond member, but then did I really need it for this stay? No, not really, but it would have been nice. I came into this stay expecting nothing and therefore my expectation level was not in jeopardy of falling short. Would I stay here again? Sure – this isn’t a terrible hotel by any means and could be a great place for the “average” American traveler to stay as the Puerto Madero area feels more like home than other areas of Buenos Aires (I mean there is a TGI Fridays nearby, afterall).
