Holiday Inn Express & Suites Banjarmasin by IHG

The staff were friendly and seemed to really want to help with the issues we brought up, but that wasn't enough to meet what I'd expect from a Holiday Inn Express. The hotel still feels unfinished, with incomplete surfaces in various places, especially the stairwells and areas connected to the attached mall. Calling it a mall is a stretch: in January 2026, only time zone, a play area for small children, a movie theater, and one Cafe were open, and the Cafe often seemed empty. Our room smelled of sewage, and there was no way to air it out because the bathroom had no exhaust fan and the windows wouldn't open. There were also small omissions, like no bars of soap at the sink. We looked for somewhere else to work, but the business center didn't really exist. The pool was there, but with nowhere to sit beside it, it was hard to enjoy. Even the small prayer room near the pool was clearly unfinished, without the direction, proper carpets, or really anything else.

The staff were helpful and friendly, and the room was clean. Room service was limited: food orders came without a fork or knife, breakfast was poor, and it was difficult to reach reception to ask for service.

This is a good new hotel, but it's quite far from BJM city unless you're driving. There's not much to explore nearby, and even the Mall is empty. What stood out was the staff: Ms Santi, En Zainur and the rest of the FO team, Rizky at Javabica, the Maintenance staff who fixed the AC, and the Housekeeping team. Jr Trainee Haikal, Rizky, Aria and the others kept the room clean. And a big applause to the chef, because I finally found Bubur Sum Sum at breakfast 😋

Very few amenities, no laundry bag or hand towels, and the service was the worst, with slow responses.