Hilton should really be embarrassed about that place. It's not worthy of the Hilton brand. Where to start? Check in--The room I booked (king) was not available. Keep in mind the king room was not a request, it was what I booked and paid extra for. What I have discovered is this hotel moves people around from their original assigned room. My room key card had 2 different room numbers marked out on it. Gold members are to receive 2 bottles of water in their room..no water for me. My guess--the water was in one of the other rooms they had me booked in. Never got the water. Paint is peeling in the bathroom ceiling. Stains on the wallpaper. Very disappointed in this property.

This particular Hilton makes me think of Paris Hilton -- worn out. The people at the front desk and doormen, shuttle drivers were all very helpful and pleasant. The location was especially difficult, as the staff said they would not recommend walking to the downtown area. There were plenty of shuttles to take you to dinner, etc.

We took shelter from the storm here over the weekend of November 2. I plumped for a pricier Executive Room, only to be told on arrival that the executive lounge would be closed over the weekend. The hotel gave us breakfast vouchers for the main area, as I am a Hilton Gold member, but I felt that I had wasted my money on the Executive Room. After I complained to the front desk staff, Kendall did offer coupons for two glasses of wine at the bar. Said wine was very good. I also saw Kendall deal graciously with another upset guest, so a shout out to him for a job well done.
There is an express elevator to the executive floors (9 and 10) however, card access is required only for 10, where the elevator opens directly into the lounge, so there is no extra security for floor 9. The room itself was nothing special, although I thought some of the furniture was of good quality, albeit dated. It was barely larger than our recent room at a Hampton Inn. The bathroom was actually smaller and not as nice as the Hampton Inn bathroom. The Peter Thomas Roth amenities included the shower gel (which is great) but not the mouthwash (disappointing at the price level). There was an empty space in the living area where a piece of furniture had obviously been removed and not replaced. No minibar or refrigerator. In all, not very "executive" and no better than an HGI.
The hotel pool is 6'2'' deep at the max which is very nice, but there are limited seating options. The gym seems small for a hotel of this size. No one was on duty at the gym or pool.
Breakfast was a bit disappointing. No omelet bar or fresh pancakes or waffles. There were pancakes in a chafing dish one day, and what looked like Eggo waffles the next. A nice selection of fruit made up for that in part, but the pastries were also a let down. Breakfast potatoes were warm and well seasoned. Overall, the dining room was noisy and crowded and the servers were inattentive. The hostess did a good job getting everyone seated.
When we changed from valet parking to self parking (because there was a bit of wait for our car) we learned that self parking was free with Hilton Gold which no one bothered to tell us the first day. The gift shop charged $3.50 for a Snapple.
On the plus side, the hotel has a free shuttle as it's not that easy to walk to downtown Stamford, and the driver was nice.
On the minus side, the front desk staff often seemed to be engaged in other repetitive tasks or on the phone, even when a line of guests built up. I am not the only guest who was annoyed by this.
Overall this was a disappointing experience. I think that the hotel failed to bring in enough staff to accommodate the surge of weekend guests due to the storm. That would be acceptable, if they discounted the rates, or even kept them the same, but I have a feeling we paid a higher rate due to the high occupancy. Some of the hotel's faults were not due to the surge of weekend guests - the dingy space near the elevator on the Executive Floor, the lack of an attendant at the pool, the mediocre breakfast, the tired decor.
If you have business at First Stamford Place, this is a no-brainer. The convenience outweighs the minor nuisances and disappointments. But I would look elsewhere if my business was downtown.

The location of this hotel is great - right on the train line at Stamford, CT. The hotel offers a free shuttle to and from the station which makes it really convenient (express trains to Grand Central and Penn Station).

The reception has been renovated and is open, inviting and spacious. Unfortunately, the rest of the hotel is old and tired. Rooms have been slapped with new paint and that's it. Thankfully in true Hilton style the beds are comfy and luxurious so the sleep is wonderful.

Note: Parking is available but comes at a cost.

Next visit I'll be back at the RyeTown Hilton (which is now the Westchester Hilton) - particularly as it is $100 cheaper.