I visit Albuquerque a few times a year for both business and family reasons. One of my consistent frustrations has been the (previously) lack of good Hilton properties. I’ve stayed at the Convention Center Doubletree a few times, and it’s fine, but it’s definitely a convention center property. The Embassy Suites looks nice but always seems to be sold out when I’m visiting. I was extremely excited when a property I had dined at – the Hotel Andaluz – rejoined Hilton as a Curio Collection. The Hotel Andaluz is interesting because it was the fourth hotel Conrad Hilton ever built, so it was sad it had (previously) been out of the portfolio. Now that it’s back, the question was – would it slake my thirst for an awesome Hilton property in Albuquerque? Read my Hotel Andaluz review and find out!
Details
Dates: 12/11/19 – 12/12/19
Room Type: King Suite
Price: $204 cash per night
Room – 3/3
I booked a regular room and was upgraded to a king suite – upgrades always brighten your day. The room was nice – it was not huge, but had a separate living area, bedroom, and bathroom. I actually would say it was smaller than the Conrad Midtown as far as square footage, but it was nothing to sneeze at. I liked the art and the lighting, and the overall vibe. The room was also in good shape, and power outlets were acceptably accessible.
Bathroom – 3/3
The bathroom was great – it was spacious, in that it had a separate commode/shower room, double vanity sink area, and then closet/storage area. I like when there’s a lot of room to work with and the different bathroom “activity” areas are separate. The shower itself was… a dreaded half shower like one finds in England. However, it was more like a two-thirds shower and didn’t seem to get water everywhere. No fancy rain shower, but good water pressure. Still, screw you, half shower door.
Breakfast – 2/3
Breakfast was just a $10 credit per person, and it didn’t cover a ton on the menu. I went with the breakfast bowl, however, which was perfect – a good amount of protein and a reasonable price. The picture above was after I had taken a fork to it, forgetting (at 6 AM) that I needed to take pictures. Whoops. Anyway, it was delicious, I just hate when hotels cheap out on the breakfast benefit. FEED ME!
Status – 3/3
I was really happy with the status program at the hotel, and this was not just because of the upgrade (hooray!), and not because of the poor breakfast coupons (boo). I liked that they did two things. First, they had Hilton Honors member “Plinko” where you won something no matter what. One of the prizes was parking related, and I didn’t have a car, but when I mentioned this to the front desk clerk, he said if I got that, I could pick whatever I wanted instead. I ended up winning a free dessert at the hotel restaurant, which was great since I was dining there later with a family member.
The second is having spend attached to the hotel amenities for bonus Hilton Honors points – i.e., spend $100 at the restaurant and get 2,000 points. I ended up falling short by like $15 because I wasn’t paying attention to my bill (should have had one more drink…drat!) – but I like when there’s actually some effort put into integrating the hotel’s amenities into the Hilton Honors program.
Facilities – 3/3
The hotel has both a restaurant and a terrace lounge, as well as a beautiful sitting area that has live music some nights. While there is not a gym, access is provided at a local gym across the street. While I didn’t have time to check it out, in general I find these setups have better machines and equipment. For a downtown hotel, this is pretty good.
Location – 3/3
The location was right in the heart of downtown Albuquerque, next to the convention center and multiple bars and restaurants. Downtown Albuquerque is not exactly Downtown NYC, but if you’re doing business at the convention center, university, airport or military base, this is about as good as it gets. Obviously, there’s a lot more to New Mexico than just downtown Albuquerque!
Service – 3/3
Everyone was really nice – from the bellhops, to front desk clerks, to bartenders at the restaurant. I was impressed with the friendliness and pleasant attitudes.
Hotel Andaluz Review Bottom Line – 3/3
If it hasn’t been made clear by my Hotel Andaluz review – my prayers to the hotel gods have been answered, and Hilton now has a great property in Albuquerque. Great service, rooms, amenities and location make this an ideal place to stay if you’re traveling to the downtown Albuquerque area. It will be my go-to for future visits without a doubt.
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