Holiday Inn Express Hotels SUCK

For the past few days, I have had the displeasure of staying at the Minneapolis Holiday Inn Express Hotel.  This has been the WORST experience in a hotel that I have ever had.  At check-in, which when we called we were told it was at 3:00pm, our room was not ready and we were told to come back an hour later.  We come back at 4:45pm and our room was STILL dirty.  When we asked why it was not ready yet, we were told:

“Well we’ve had a lot of conventions staying here…we are backed up”

This is a hotel that services conventions.  They are RIGHT next to the huge convention center in Minneapolis.  They are used to having a lot of conventions book with them, or at least they should be.  So rather than wait even longer for our room, which was supposed to be next to the rest of our party, we were forced to take another room that just so happened to be clean because we had to get ready for that evenings event.  Sitting around, waiting for the hotel to get their act together was not an option any longer.

At check-in time, the hotel asked us if we wanted the bill to be split between the 4 of us staying in our room.  That was very convienant and we of course replied with yes.  We explained to the hotel desk clerk that we needed to know exactly what we were being charged.  We were on a budget this weekend and did not want to overdraw our accounts.  The clerk told us that we would ONLY be charged $95.34.  We get back to our room and I pull up my bank account to just doublecheck what was in my account so I could adjust my budget and imagine my surprise when I find out that I have been charged $155.34!  Everyone else checked their accounts and they too were charged the much higher amount.  We immediately called down to question that and we were told:

“There is an incidental charge that is held on every room for each day.  That charge is $20.”

So correct me if I am wrong here, but if I am sharing a room with three other people and the hotel has an incidental charge for the ROOM, why would we all be have the $60 held?  So that means the hotel had $240 held for a room when any other room in the hotel was only getting charged $60.  That is completely uncalled for and if their computers are able to split a bill between the 4 people, then the computer should be able (or programmed) to split the incidental charge between the 4 people.

And don’t even get me started on how rude the staff in this hotel was.  Any time we asked a question, we were met with a tone and rudeness that was completely uncalled for.  We were supposed to have wi-fi in our room.  We did not.  Or at least it did not work.  When we called down to ask about it, I was told:

“Well m’am if you would like, you could call Comcast and ask them what the issue is.”

Excuse me?  I could call Comcast?  I don’t think so.  They are not my provider.  They are the hotel’s provider.  I am the GUEST.  I was floored when I was told to call Comcast.  I wouldn’t dream of having someone stay at my house and then ask them to call to find out why something didn’t work.  I didn’t dare call down to let the hotel staff no that their tub didn’t drain.  They’d probably ask me to call the plumber to come look at it.

This hotel stay was by far the worst for me.  I will NEVER stay in a Holiday Inn Express again.  I don’t care if it is the only hotel and I have to drive another 50 miles to another hotel.  This stay ruined their name for me.