Holiday Inn Express Chennai OMR Thoraipakkam by IHG

My stay at Holiday Inn Express Chennai OMR Thoraipakkam was disappointing. The café experience started badly: when we tried to order à la carte lunch, staff kept steering us toward the buffet and forcefully took the menu away from my friend while she was still looking at it. It felt rude and uncomfortable. The room AC was too warm and couldn't be adjusted, which affected our comfort. Friends in other rooms had the same issue. We also initially received just one key card for a twin-sharing room. Staff said the system was down when we asked for a second, and gave the same explanation when we checked again in the evening. Before going out, we asked once more; after consulting a manager, they issued it immediately. That was confusing and inconvenient. Friends in other rooms were also not given a second card during their 3-day stay, which caused a lot of trouble and suggested inconsistent procedures. For a 3-day event, we booked three Innovas through the concierge for 15 pax at 900 rupee per car per trip for 5 pax, an exorbitant cost. Two cars didn't arrive for our return pickup after the event because they had been assigned to other passengers, leaving us waiting in vain. We only found this out much later. The hotel sent a sedan that could take 4 passengers and charged 700 rupee. We couldn't reach the staff member who had handled the booking, so we had to make last-minute arrangements with Uber. We later found that Uber was only 250 rupee per car per trip for 4 pax. We felt overcharged by the hotel. After that, we stopped using its transport and took Uber instead, which cost between 130 - 200 per auto/car per trip. Checkout was inefficient too. We'd wanted to pay upfront for breakfast for our 3 nights, but hotel staff advised us to settle the bill at checkout and just give the restaurant our room number each day. At checkout, there were no proper records of our breakfast use, so staff had to check manually with the manager, causing a long delay. The stay was let down by inconsistent service, poor communication, and inefficient processes. I hope management addresses these problems and improves the guest experience.

The room was comfortable enough, especially the bed, and the hot shower worked well. Space is tight, though, and breakfast is very basic with few choices. For the price, it did the job for a short stay, as long as you’re after essentials and not expecting a luxury experience.

For a quick night’s sleep, the value is good, and the staff are decent and clearly trying to provide good service. Parking was adequate too. But this is really a capsule style hotel with very little room beyond the bed, and the photos make the rooms look bigger than they are. I wouldn’t book it for a family, especially with kids. It seems suited to solo work trips, with a cold breakfast and slow housekeeping. I chose it because I expected the HIE brand to have the larger rooms and classier feel I’ve seen in other countries. Here, the setup is very economical, with minimal comforts and high footfall that seems to limit what the staff can do.

The compact gym and laundry areas were well equipped, and I felt secure with the 24/7 advanced CCTV monitoring. Parking was hassle-free as well. The complimentary breakfast was a highlight, and there was a good range on the restaurant menu. I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express for 3 nights and 4 days. The room made smart use of its compact space, the air conditioning was excellent, and the bed was super comfortable. Everything was spotless, thanks to the room service and housekeeping. Check-in and check-out were quick and professional, and the lobby was beautiful. Thanks to the whole team for a seamless stay. I’ll definitely visit again soon.