Holiday Inn Express & Suites - Gatineau - Ottawa by IHG

I travel often and spend tens of thousands of dollars a year on hotels, but after this experience I won’t use Holiday Inn or IHG again. I’ve never had such a complete lack of customer service from a brand that says it puts guests first. The hotel lost nothing, yet it was quick to make money from someone else’s difficult situation. I booked through IHG for someone locked out of their home. Less than a minute later, they found their keys. I understand that policies exist, but I expected some basic decency and effort when I immediately tried to cancel. I spent over an hour trying to reach someone and called the front desk more than eight times without an answer. IHG customer service couldn’t get through at first either. When they finally did, I was told no manager was available and only a manager could override anything. Then I dealt with IHG rep Claire, whose service was the worst I’ve ever experienced: rude, dismissive, and unwilling to help. Her response was basically that the policy had already been explained, with no attempt to find a solution even though the reservation was only a minute old. Holiday Inn Express showed no care for people, only profit. Hiding behind policies while not answering the phone or showing basic understanding is not a company I want to support. They had a chance to show compassion and integrity and showed me who they are instead. Do better.

We stayed Thursday through Sunday for a hockey tournament with our M18 and M15 teams, then left early. The rooms were clean, but otherwise this was one of the worst hotel stays we’ve had. The young front desk manager was rude and unprofessional, acting like they were on a power trip all weekend. The gym equipment was broken, and the pool, which was supposed to be included, was deliberately closed. A maintenance worker confirmed it wasn’t broken, management just didn’t want to clean it after our stay. At 10 PM, we were quietly watching a baseball game in the reception room when the manager came in, turned off the TV, took the remote, and threatened to call the police. No guests had complained. Other reviews make it clear that poor management and disrespect for guests are this hotel’s biggest problems. I’d strongly recommend booking somewhere else. This place is a disgrace to hospitality.

The room was clean and nicely designed, and the central spot put museums and shopping close by. But most of the hot breakfast choices were pork. Our door also wouldn't latch unless we pulled it hard, and a noisy drinking party next door meant calling the front desk. Security could use some work.

For the price, I guess you might expect to put up with things, but the place was gross. There were stains on the pillowcases, dried liquid on the bedside table, and the bathroom floor in our room hadn't been cleaned. The lobby restroom stalls had stains down the walls, and almost none of the gym equipment worked.