We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn in Salina KS. Shortly after plugging into a ChargePoint L2 charger I got a message that I am going to be charged $2.31 per hour for the first four hours, and then the rate would go to $5.00 per hour. When I looked at the full charge schedule, they were also going to charge $0.25 per kWh for the first 4 hours and then it would increase to $0.35 per kWh. My experience with Hilton properties has been that L2 charging is generally free, so you could see why I was so surprised. I unplugged and drove to an EA L3 charger and then came back to my room. Knowing full well that the price on the charging was above his pay grade, I complained to the manager that this was excessive since based on the 6 kWh put out by these chargers, it would normally take all night to reach 80% charge. He was full of misinformation. The first thing he said was that all Hilton Gardens charge the same rate. So, I did a little research. The Hilton Garden in Hays KS has 4 Blink L2 chargers and they charge $0.39 per kWh, and no parking fee. The $0.39 is a reasonable rate and I wouldn’t have any problem with it, although the Hampton Inn in Hays is totally free. I also, just for grins, checked in Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Colorado Springs. The downtown hotel charges all guests for parking, but charging is free. His second bit of misinformation was that the reason the rate goes up after 4 hours was that vehicles should be able to fully charge in 4 hours. At a charge rate of 6 kWh, this would never be the case if the battery is down at all. And even if it were two, you check in a 9:00 pm and then need to get up a 1:00 am and unplug the car? His final bit of misinformation was that the rate goes up after 4 hours because it puts more stress on the charger. Well, I am not an electrical engineer, but I have been following charging technologies for several years, and I have never come across any indication that extended charging on a L2 charger stresses it. Could be the case on extended charging on a L3 charger, but it would also be hard on the car’s battery. In any case, I won’t be staying at this hotel again. There is a Marriott Courtyard a couple blocks away that has free charging. But I will be sure to check the price on charging before booking hotels in the future.
I had an amazing stay here during the holiday season! The breakfasts were yummy and the front desk staff was very kind.
I hope the pool, as well as the washers and dryers could be cleaned regularly. They were quite dirty.
Overall, I recommend!
I won’t lie- given the low price and the location, I was skeptical. However, our stay was excellent! My boyfriend and I had a clinical rotation at Salina Regional, and had to be out the door very early in the mornings. The room was clean, comfortable, quiet, and had everything we needed to get a good night’s sleep between shifts. The “mini fridge” is extra large and has a freezer, so it was convenient to keep snacks and lunches to bring to the hospital. The TV is large and looks very new. The room was IMMACULATELY clean. When we got back to the room in the evenings, the bed was freshly made and there were even fresh vacuum lines in the carpet. My only complaints are that we had to go buy hangers (there are none in the room), there was no iron, and the towels are pretty thin and undersized. But given the price and the cleanliness, those things are easily forgiven. If you’re looking for an affordable, clean, no-frills place to get a solid night’s sleep, I highly recommend this place.
Excellent staff. Clean, comfy, quiet, best nights rest in a long time. Good breakfast. I am traveling on a motorcycle. Doing 4,000× miles. Stayed many places. This one was first rate! Recommend this place to everyone. Especially if you enjoy good hosts, comfy and clean roo.s and a good night's rest.