Earlier this year we decided it was time to plan a trip to Augusta, Georgia to visit family. We planned a 4-day itinerary to maximize family time and the time we would be taking off of work and school for our five-year-old daughter. We set our travel dates near the end of October. Hotel selections are slim in Augusta, but we were so happy to come across The Partridge Inn and decided to book our stay with them. We’re big fans of Hilton hotels and knew that we could rely on our Diamond status and Hilton Honors benefits to elevate our experience. The Partridge Inn is known for its rich history and Southern charm, this inn offered us a perfect blend of comfort and elegance.
Our Very First Domestic Red-Eye Flight
While we have done transatlantic red-eye flights, this was our very first domestic red-eye flight. Our child had a school event that Friday which we didn’t want to see her miss, so we elected a 9pm flight from our local John Wayne Airport (SNA). We flew with Delta Airlines and opted for an upgrade to Comfort Plus from our economy seats just a couple of weeks before our flight. Boy, were we glad! The service was slightly improved offering premium liquor and a wider variety of snacks. I will say the few inches of leg room made a huge difference for all three of us. Our daughter slept the entire flight and we had ample room to get some rest.
Flying out of a smaller airport than say LAX does have its own cost.
We had a connecting flight in Atlanta (ATL) which meant we’d have to change planes really early in the morning and wait a few hours for our next flight. Before my daughter fell asleep on the first leg of the flight I explained to her that I would have to wake her up as the plane would descend as she’d have to sit up and walk out of the plane with us. When I gently woke her up, she was completely fine and told me she knew I was going to wake her up because I had already explained it to her.
After our plane landed, all was fine except for the fact that by the time we got to our gate, set our things down and convinced and successfully got our daughter to fall back asleep – they changed the gate on us an hour later! ughh! Fortunately, we met family at the gate that was also flying into Augusta, and we were all taking the same connecting flight. They helped us carry some of our items as we walked to our gate change, so that my husband could carry my daughter while she continued to sleep.
While we were able to upgrade to Comfort Plus on our trip there, there was no upgrade available on the flight back home. Overall, we enjoyed everything about flying with Delta and would gladly fly with them again.
We Continue to Travel Carry-On Only
With a connecting flight and a 4-day itinerary we knew that we could handle travelling carry-on only. The only issue was that for this trip we would be booking a car rental and that required us to take along our daughter’s booster seat. We packed that in a backpack and each of us carried on a carry-on luggage with a backpack as a personal item. It worked out perfectly. It was definitely nice to not have to wait for our luggage upon arrival at our destination.
One of the perks to carry-on travel is that you can often get perks at the gate when a flight is full or they need volunteers to check bags at the gate to carry-on capacity. On our return flight home with Delta, they made an announcement that solicited volunteers to check bags, and those customers would be offered priority boarding. We jumped on this because we knew we would already run a chance at being asked to check at least one of our bags upon boarding. It was nice to get to board our flight early and get the bags that we still chose to carry on situated.
Hilton Honors Aspire American Express Benefits
I love having Hilton Honors Diamond Status with my HH Aspire American Express card. I’ll provide a quick rundown on benefits I received as a result.
- $50 Airline Credit – Each quarter, American Express provides their HH Aspire cardholders with a $200 airline credit. As mentioned earlier, we chose to upgrade our seats (3 of us) a couple of weeks before our trip. When we processed the upgrade we paid with my credit card and I received a $50 credit back on my card due to my card and status benefits. That was a sweet little surprise in savings!
- $30 Daily food and beverage credit at Hotel – Each day we received a $30 credit towards food or beverage costs incurred at the hotel. This was great since we were really out most days spending time with family, we only spent time at the hotel to rest, relax and recharge. The sundries shop in the lobby made it easy to buy beer/wine and snacks for our room and it pretty much covered the daily cost. Great way to save money. The beer/wine purchase option was great since we were travelling with our five-year-old, we really didn’t spend time at the bar or restaurant.
I had anticipated being able to have at least one dinner at the hotel since they had a really trendy restaurant and bar. Because this was a trip dedicated to spending time visiting family we didn’t get to. I didn’t mind that at all, but the downside was that I left about a $200 food/hotel credit unused this year through Amex’s HH aspire card benefits. The same happened during our Paris trip this year, but it’s an area where we just need to plan better.
Day 1 Check-In Experience
We took a red-eye flight and arrived by 9am local time (EST). After waiting about 40 minutes for our car rental, we were on our way to meet family for a surprise luncheon. The Augusta airport is so charming and small, making it very easy to navigate through. After lunch, we headed to our hotel which was a little after 1:00pm. We checked into the hotel and while our room was not ready, they did have another one ready. Our room had been a superior queen room with a rollaway bed request for our daughter. We were told at check in that a rollaway was not available due to the size of the room and that it would be against fire code. I asked if an upgrade was available as I was a Diamond member, and the lady mentioned they were sold out for the night and the earliest a room change could occur would be the next day. I agreed to the queen room only because we had a family dinner planned for 5pm and I really wanted us to shower and get settled in. I did ask to be considered for an upgrade the next day due to the whole room booking miscommunication. The lady at the counter mentioned asked me how I booked my reservation, and I mentioned that I did so directly with Hilton, and I wasn’t sure how this was overlooked otherwise I would have booked another room. She mentioned that The Partridge Inn is separate from Hilton so the Hilton representatives are entirely aware of the room configurations. I mentioned that although this could be true, the Partridge Inn did receive the reservation confirmation along with the notes regarding the rollaway and so they should have reached out. I had reached out to The Partridge Inn directly a week before we travelled as Hurricane Helene had just hit and the area had been devastated by the effects of the storm. The person I spoke to then could have taken the time to read my reservation notes and notify me of the room size.
We made it into our room and were truly shocked by the size of the room. It resembled the size of a NY hotel room. It would have been perfect for a single traveler or maybe a young couple. While we were unloading our luggage, I thought I heard someone pulling at the door handle. I thought, great they’re coming to tell us we’re moving rooms. I was disappointed to open the door to find a sweet, young couple confused and startled when I opened the door. They were given our room number, and I confirmed we were in fact lodging in the room. Luckily my husband was in the room, but kind of an unsettling situation to have to deal with.
We attended our family event that evening and returned to our hotel exhausted. We all logged in a great night of rest. While the room was small the bed was reasonable, just not ideal for our family.
Day 2 Room Upgrade
Due to the time-zone change, pacific to eastern, we didn’t wake up until 10am the next morning. I headed downstairs to check in with reception where I found the same lady that checked us in the afternoon before. I asked if we’d be able to move rooms and she said we would, and they were working on an upgrade as well, but we would have to wait until 4pm that afternoon. I just found that so absurd. After such a mishap, I would have expected them to ask for my number to call me upon a room being clean and available.
We headed out for brunch, and it was interesting to see that some restaurants were still offering limited menus due to the impact of Helene. Needless to say we were fed and satisfied.
It wasn’t until 3pm that afternoon that we got access to our new room. It was such a delight. A suite with two queen size beds. A much larger bathroom. The room had a table and chairs with a desk. So much more room for our family of three. It also had a dedicated corner to a closet and coffee/wet bar area. We finally felt like we could settle in and enjoy our hotel stay.
We had a Mila’s cousin’s birthday party to attend at Sky Zone followed by another family barbeque which led to a jam-packed rest of the evening. As we retreated back to our hotel, we were just so happy that we had our larger space to relax in.
Day 3 Family Day
On day 3 we were able to hit some of the more popular things on our list. For starters, we got to eat at Waffle House which was just so comforting. Definitely recommend eating there at least once when in Georgia.
We visited a local coffee shop, Trellis Coffee, and the coffee was just spectacular!
For lunch, I had to check out Publix for their deli-menu sandwiches and they did not disappoint. We even bought some pre-cut fruit for Mila and took that back to our hotel for later.
We ended the evening by attending another family celebration and made our way back to the hotel. We essentially left all of our bags packed and ready to go since our flight departed at 6am EST the next morning.
Day 4 Check Out
I would like to say that check out was seamless, but it wasn’t. I asked if mobile express check out was available and reception confirmed that it was. It took about 6 hours for me to get a copy of my confirmed check out, much slower than what I’ve experienced with other Hilton Hotels. Of course, I had requested a printed copy of my itemized billing before departing the hotel so billing wasn’t an issue but a quick confirmation via the mobile app or email would have been appreciated. I think the longest I’ve ever had to wait is maybe an hour or two.
Our flights back home were smooth, and Delta once again made it a pleasant experience. Would I stay at The Partridge Inn again, I think so. I think there was a lot left to be discovered and experienced in the hotel. Hilton has always been a great hotel chain, so I’d like to give the hotel another go.
xoxo,
The Sun Queen