Hilton University of Florida Hotel & Conference Center

The hotel is right on the edge of UF campus, as far as conference hotels go it’s large, but it’s nothing special. The breakfast buffet was great and exceeded my expectations for a hotel buffet. They had someone making fresh omelettes and had a large spread of pastures and fruit. I had a king suite on the 7^th floor which had a spectacular view of the parking lot and faced the morning sun. We arrived on Valentine’s Day and they gave us a small box of chocolates which I thought was a nice personal touch.

In the last fifteen or so years, it has become common for universities to have their own — and nice — hotels on or very near campus. At Ohio State, there is the Blackwell, which was one of the first and remains one of the nicest. Similar establishments can be found at Texas (the AT&T Center), Urbana (the «I hotel»), Madison (the renovated «Union Hotel», etc. This seems to be Florida’s contribution to the genre.
And it has the name — Hilton — and look of a nice hotel. The staff are professional, well-​dressed, and clean. There is a nice-​looking restaurant/​bar area off the main lobby, and a great deal of UF periphenalia on the walls, for sale in a jewelry case of sorts, and a pleasant lobby.
But this hotel just doesn’t do the little things. For example, the internet is a disaster. Come on. This is 2015, and there is simply no excuse for a hotel internet for which ping fails to be received about 30% of the time. While it is free, so too is it complicated. There are three networks: Hilton Honors, «Free Guest Access» (or somesuch) and the evil empire known as AT&T. I have tried all three, and all three are spotty. The annoying thing is that you type in your credentials, work for a bit, and then get redirected to do it all over again. Ultimately, on this trip, I have just used my cell phone internet. It is loads better than the hotel internet.
The restaurant has good food, and a mixed staff. I have eaten there four or five times, and most of the time all the servers are professional and do a good job. They are also friendly. Last night was different, though. The two people behind the bar were a professional woman and a slacker dude guy. She was, somewhat visibly, alternately amused with and annoyed by her «co-​worker». Not someone that Conrad Hilton would have smiled upon, I fear.
The rooms are very comfortable, and the beds are great. There is not a room fridge, which I would have liked, especially since there is a convenient little «convenience store» in the lobby, but I suppose I can do with out it. All was good, except perhaps the walls are a little thin, but the people next to me had a young baby and I guess some sound coming through was inevitable.
A nice hotel, but not a great hotel.

Nice stay here, not walking distance to the university but the rooms were clean and the service was friendly. More high end then some of the motels and inns around. Reasonable spot to stay if your visiting gaines

I wish I had read the reviews. Where to start… Let just tell you about the «valet». I ask the manager Norman (I think) how far in advance should I call down for the car, I have an appt, I need to leave by 7am” he says oh just call we’ll get your car. In the morning I call down at 6:45 a female answers the phone (I think Brenda) she says «they don’t open valet until 8». I’m shocked when she seriously rolling with that stupidity. Repeating it several times. When I get upset and say I need my car, in an octave or two higher– she hangs up on me. When I get downstairs, the manager from last night is standing there allowing her to argue her reasoning on why she hung up on me. After I explain how you never treat a guest that way and that she really need to exit from the hospitality industry and if they don’t know how to do valet — they shouldn’t do it! They find my keys and my car. Yeah … Doubt I ever stay here again — not to mention they over charged me for the dog. I just haven’t called back to straighten that out cause I’m just not up for dealing with it. Awful staff. Awful experience.

It’s the best in Gainesville but that doesn’t mean it’s anything special. I stay here at least once a year.
The rooms are fine, try to get a deluxe room, they are a little nicer. The beds are clean and comfortable and the restroom is spacious enough for one. However water stains, workout furnishings, and an average staff detract from the hotel.
The staff on this trip were better than my last few visits here.
The bar is full service and the food is passable if you need to eat.

NPS = 7
Your best bet for a hotel in Gainesville.
The service is always great here. Rooms are always clean and Internet works perfectly fine for me. And the people that work here always seem genuine.
I love that they have Gator memorabilia all over the hotel. You can purchase anything from jewelry, to photos, to even a giant framed picture signed by Tebow. They pack quite the price tag though.
Even though the hotel feels a bit antiquated, it gets the job done. Plus, how much more do you need than a restaurant inside the hotel honoring the Gators?
Every time I forget a toiletry, the hotel has me covered as well. And not to mention it is located very close to campus for whatever you may need.
Definitely the place to book for your next Gainesville adventure. Go Gators!

Being Hilton Honors gold status members, we were very disappointed in our recent visit here. The first room that we had smelled of mold. We realized why later (see pic). We upgraded to a suite bec of our gold status. The room was not much better. Even though it was not moldy, the fridge was not clean. The place is tired.
In terms of service, we stayed 3 nights and every night that we came back, the little shampoo bottle which was barely enough for a single use for two people was not refilled or changed. We had to ask for new ones as we were out after each use. The towels were not changed even though we placed them on the floor. We are pretty sure they just re-​rolled them up.
The breakfast buffet was ok. Not particularly good or bad. The staff was friendly in the restaurant and in the front desk.
We will not be back here for our next visit.

location: perfect if your touring the campus but not central to the downtown area you need a car.
service: everyone was great!
amenities: I mentioned a car earlier thats not really necessary when you have a FREE shuttle service provided by the Hilton Hotel.
bar: connected to the pool –a tad pricy
dog friendly: i loved this place
The hotel room was recently upgraded and i was in heaven.
WiFi — Free if you’re a Hilton Honors Member

The hotel is very well located. Lit spacious parking lot. Very nice staff, but the rooms and the hallways are kind of oldish

Room was very nice. Down side, internet is 9.95 for 24 hours; No microwave in suite room; No refrigerator in room; Took hot water forever to get to 6^th floor; Water pressure was low and fluctuated; Pool and hot tub was dirty with leaves and other debris; No breakfast;

The biggest recommendation — the friendly, responsive staff. Not only did I stay at the hotel for two nights but attended a banquet and a wedding reception here and the staff members were excellent.
Other pros: Decent sized, well appointed, clean rooms, attractive lobby and comfortable beds. The bathroom was also large. No long dark scary hallways, like I’ve seen in some hotels.
Biggest gripe — the bed pillows are TINY! I don’t mean thin; their dimensions are not much larger than a throw pillow, making it extremely difficult to get a good night’s sleep. Why any hotel, much less a Hilton would provide mini-​pillows is beyond me. Also, you can hear every single person talking in the hallway. Luckily, people weren’t out there late.
The bathroom was clean but pretty ragged looking. The paint on the legs and shelf of the vanity was chipped and the surface below the tub looked like huge pieces of paint and chipped off. The wire basket/​shelf in the shower was completely rusted. Ick. I told myself that maybe the rooms are the site of parties thrown by UF students so maybe that’s why the bathroom looked so beat up but the rest of the unit was fine.
I was surprised to find that there was no fridge in the room but shocked to find that in-​room Wi-​Fi costs extra. Don’t most motels supply Wi-​Fi for free these days? With my family having already spent a good amount on several rooms, including a banquet, and ballroom plus food for two events, being asked to shell out more money for in-​room internet access seemed insulting. Oh, and there are no bell-​hops at this hotel, which seemed strange to me, but there are carts for your use. On the plus side, you don’t have to tip!
My recommendation — bring your own pillows!

I have been trying to get in Internet for over an hour! This is getting frustrating.
update: the internet issue was a hotel-​wide issue and it resolved after about 1.5 hours.
It’s 10:40pm and a dog next door has been parking for hours. I’ve called the front desk twice. I am a huge dog lover but this is a business trip and I need to be up early.
I take it back! I don’t like it here! Oh yeah, and the tomato basil soup I got from rs was worse than a can.
1am– dog still barking and hotel won’t help

One of Gainesville’s best hotels great location great bar and a great restaurant. The Sunday brunch is a must that you should try even if you’re not staying here.

Stay 1÷25÷2015
We wanted to stay somewhere close to the university but not too close to get stuck in campus traffic… This place was perfect.
Pros: Friendly front desk staff. We enjoyed the bed, soft pillows and soft towels. Free parking. Pretty big hotel sports bar (we didn’t try it out) and nice/​simple décor. They have a nice gym with great equipment. Very clean!
Cons: we heard all the conversations/​noises from the hallway. You could hear doors slam shut and people converse as they walked by and from the surrounding areas. I’m not sure if this is common in hotels in Florida but people put their clothes in the hallways… Yes hallways. I thought it looked a little dirty but maybe there’s a story behind it I just don’t know of.
Overall we had a good time staying here for the night.

The only complaint I have is the beds SUCK! other than that. It’s a nice room they have a great little gift shop. It’s close to fown & the college. The staff is friendly. But really the beds are like sleeping on a trampoline! It’s so bouncy and uncomfortable!

This is among my favorite hotels to stay at in Gainesville. The location is very convenient to campus but not bogged down in the disaster that has become Archer Road. The rooms are comfortable and modern.
Hilton Golds enjoy either points or breakfast at Albert’s. We love the breakfast buffet so we usually opt for that. It is well appointed with fruit, eggs, breakfast meats, oatmeal, several kinds of breads, juices, and bottled water to-​go. Easy to please everyone.
The pool area is also nice with lots of seating options and set far enough off of 34^th Street that it isn’t overwhelmingly noisy.

Beautiful hotel facility right across from the SW side of campus. The hotel is amazing and the restaurant inside is top notch! The staff are very friendly and it was a pleasure dealing with everyone there. There is a large visitor parking lot available so no need to valet your car.

I have spent a lot of time here lately. Here are the pros and cons I have witnessed over the past week :
^^^^^ Pros:
*They have FX, which is somewhat rare in a hotel (but very nice, especially when you basically live here).
*Parking is free.
*Hotel campus, bar and rooms are very clean.
*The lobby bar is a sports bar.
*Some of the front desk staff (Mathew) goes WAY out of their way to help. Check in was above and beyond helpful and friendly.
*They will deliver a fridge if you ask for one.
*The desks in the rooms have plenty of outlets (I count 6 without having to go under the table or to the wall). Enough for your phone, laptop, iPad, MiFi (and two more) so you don’t have to scatter your stuff all over the room to keep it charged.
*They have iMac computers (and Windows PCs) in the lobby.
*They have Lodgenet (Pay Per View movies).
xxxxx Cons:
*No Happy Hour whatsoever. Not even 2 for 1 drinks in the afternoon. Very rare for a Hilton or equivalent.
*Some people at the front desk don’t care what you want and are not afraid to dismiss your issue rapidly without taking the time to understand your problem.
*The rooms do not have refrigerators. Only the Presidential Suite comes with one.
*TV is okay, but definitely on the small size (32 inch).
*The gift shop doesn’t sell wine OR beer. Weird!
*No laundry machines.
*No minibar.
*The bathrooms are small. The real problem with this is not a lack of room, it is a safety thing. I almost broke my neck in the shower here.
*They bumped me (Diamond Member) out of my reserved king bedroom to a two double bedroom because a basketball team was going to be checking in later in the week and they were more important.

I found this hotel to exceed my expectations, especially after reading others’ reviews. The hotel was clean, very comfortable, had friendly staff, and was themed with «burnt orange and blue» colors to create a less gaudy orange and blue presence. Let’s face it, Gator orange and blue are not sophisticated looking colors. So I really like what they’ve done with this hotel. I stayed in a king room for $ 127 with tax… a very competitive rate!
A few years back, my family had Thanksgiving dinner in a private room. The food was delicious!

Unsurprising, faceless hotel bordering campus (although not the happening end of campus).
Free WiFi, but a $ 15 charge for a dorm fridge. Best place for provisions is the new Trader Joe’s to the south.
The ballroom attracts lots of graduation /​reunion type events — there was a different group of prom– or cocktail-​dressed kids promenading through the lobby each night.
In a word: Unobjectionable.