Top 10 Shalimar Gardens Hotels

My husband and I recently stayed at the Hilton Sandestin for a conference/ vacation, and after this experience, will never return. The first night we stayed they put us in a room that looked like it had been vacant for a while, and not recently cleaned-- food crumbs on the floor and noticeable dust on the furniture. There was also a roach on the wall. We figured, this is Florida, there will be an occasional roach. I did, however, mention it to the front desk and ask that someone come clean our room as it appeared dirty. No one came. Flash forward two nights later-- after killing 10 roaches, we asked for a new room. It was late in the day because we had been waiting for the manager to call us back. They couldn't accommodate us for several reasons. The next morning, I got a text from the front desk saying they had a new room available BUT I had 1 hour to move into the room or it would be given away. Thankfully, my husband stayed close by the room that day and was able to move us. On top of all this, we mentioned the incident to hotel waitstaff later that day and he said it didn't surprise him at all. They know there is a roach problem in the Spa Tower. The new room was an upgrade for the final night we were there, which was nice, but no real restitution was made for our 2 nights previous. For our trouble, they gave us a credit at the beach bar. This was the worst hotel experience.

First I will start with I am extremely picky & OCD! I do too much research before I stay anywhere. This hotel was WONDERFUL! The staff seems to love their job, especially Terri and Shauna. I felt like I was staying at a four star hotel. The room was spotless, the food was wonderful, the pools were great and the beach service was perfect!

Great room on the bottom floor, beach access is insanely close, literally 25 steps away. Hot breakfast bar every morning, with great variety of options. Good communication and parking pass from hotel staff. Very family friendly. We will definitely be staying at this location again. Room was simple, but clean and comfortable with an EXCELLENT air conditioning unit. This is a super important feature after a hot beach day. Always love staying with Hampton Inn!

My wife and I found this place back in July on the Marriott app and decided to give it a try. We enjoyed it and came back for a 4 day weekend to get away from kids and spend some much needed time together. We love this place because it is away from the crowded beach towns and we can unwind. All the staff are laid back, welcoming and care about what they do. It is obvious that this hotel focuses on training and retaining staff which is lacking in many businesses these days. Giovanni checked us in over the phone after I checked in online since we were arriving very late and upgraded us (Marriott platinum) and Arianna greeted us when we arrived and finished everything up. We have seen “Gio” numerous times since we have been here with a smile on his face. Love the ice cream bar and breakfast staff are always the same and great as well.

Do not stay here. The worst Marriott property in North America. Outdated, dirty, unsafe and their staff is unfriendly. As a Platinum Marriott loyal customer for over 25 years, we have never experienced such a lack of customer service level from the front desk team. We got the worst rooms at the hotel, overlooking the construction site at $450 per night. When we checked in the beds looked like someone slept on them. We told the front desk but there was no reaction. Dirty carpets. Trash in hallways. Empty hair conditioner dispenser. Broken hairdryer. Missing light bulbs. No enhanced room available, as the front desk team simply does not care to recognize their Platinum members and make arrangements in advance. It was a struggle to get two rooms near each other despite calling the hotel in advance and being put on hold twice for about 30 minutes. They were trying to put us and our kids in two separate buildings. Basic things like: “good morning” , “welcome to Four Points”, “thank you for being the Marriott Bonvoy member”, “Welcome back”, “Can we help with anything else?” do not exist. However, they mastered saying “no, we do not have, sorry” (Lucy and the male Assistant Manager were consistently unpleasant and unaccommodating). They even suggested that we check out after trying to figure out our room arrangements. WOW! We would if the hotels were not sold out that weekend. Here are our suggestions for travelers: right next door there are two great hotels, Holiday Inn and Hilton. Both of these hotels are newer, have a lazy river, a Tiki bar, a vibrant resort like atmosphere and friendly staff who showed us their facility for our next stay. My family did not feel welcomed at Four Points by Sheraton in Fort Walton. We asked to speak to the GM three time and the team refuses to connect us with him or her. I think that the GM should look into hiring the right team that is customer service oriented and provide training on Marriott loyalty programs. The facility is also not safe. Both of our guest room doors were not locking properly. The person who delivered fresh towels to our room left the door unlocked for hours on Saturday (room 283). We asked for someone to come and check on it, but it was never taken care of. The beach access board walk has worn out slip preventing strips and we saw several guests slipping. It is uneven and one may trip easily. For a property that has a direct beach access they have no recreational activities. We went to the Hilton next door and enjoyed their vibrant guest program, meals, and drinks. Again, we will not be back and it used to be a decent hotel. How is this property able to maintain the Marriott license is hard to understand. We have already notified Marriott about our subpar experience at this facility. Marriott’s values: “To enhance the lives of our customers by creating and enabling unsurpassed vacation and leisure experiences” are not followed here.

Stayed here their very first night open and everything was wonderful. The Remedy restaurant/ bar is also very good!