Holiday Inn Express & Suites Halifax-Bedford

What still shocks me is how casually the mouse problem was handled. We’d just spent two nights there, and the room had mice running around all night. We had to put our belongings on the desk and couch, which had droppings on it, and there was urine and feces around too. The hotel was full, so changing rooms wasn’t possible. We understand mice and bugs can get in when doors are constantly opening, but there were no apologies or signs anyone was concerned. The front desk man put down sticky traps, which felt inhumane. Management didn’t seem to be around, and repeated messages and calls brought no response. Eventually they sent a maintenance worker, and I felt bad trying to communicate with him through a translation app because he didn’t understand English. They could have called around to find us another room somewhere. We got home feeling like our things, and even we ourselves, might be contaminated. Since we booked through a third party, we have to contact Super.com on Monday about a refund and have them call the hotel. I’m still astounded this happened. I would never stay there again.

The bathrooms were nice and kept clean, and the rooms had plenty of space. But the sheets were so thin I was shivering even with the heat on. The heating also sometimes smelled like burning leather and cigarettes, switched on randomly and woke my roommates and me, and left parts of the room cold.

Free parking was plentiful, with easy highway access, though it’s quite a way from downtown and the airport. Breakfast was okay and the morning coffee was good. We couldn’t use the pool because swimming lessons were underway, with kids and parents filling the hallways. Then mice started running across the floor, and the couch was covered in droppings so we couldn’t use it. The hotel was full, so we couldn’t switch rooms and they put out more traps. They did comp the room in the end, which was very nice of them.

The pool and fresh breakfast were both nice, and the room was clean, spacious, and had a really comfortable bed. We travelled with our six-month-old, and the housekeeper was especially sweet and attentive. The hotel has plenty of amenities, but it’s not so big that we ever had to wait for an elevator. The location is hard to beat, and there were pretty holiday decorations up too. Before arriving, I’d read reviews mentioning rodents and got very worried because I have an extreme fear of mice. My husband called the hotel, and they explained that a mouse had gotten in during carpet cleaning but had been dealt with. Brock was kind and guaranteed there were no mice on the property then. He even offered to move us to the top floor to help put my mind at ease. We didn’t see any sign of pests, and we truly enjoyed our two-night stay. We’ll be back. If you have concerns, call them, they were understanding.