Holiday Inn Express & Suites Aberdeen by IHG

The location is handy, near the center of town and a couple of miles from the airport, and the rooms initially looked clean and up to standard. But someone on our team found a bug in his bed. We told the front desk right away, and staff dismissed it as “just a stink bug.” The photos look very different to us. No apology, inspection of other rooms, or sense of urgency came from management. We’re moving our whole team elsewhere. So far, nobody else in our group has found anything, though the photos show this involved two separate rooms. We’ve stayed at the Holiday Inn Express Aberdeen with a large team for a while, but after this, anyone who cares about cleanliness and accountability may want to think twice.

The rooms are clean and good quality, and the amenities are great. The WiFi, though, has been awful. I’ve stayed three times in the last six months and couldn’t work across multiple devices because the connection was weak or dropped right after I logged in through the portal.

The gym was roomy and nice, though one more treadmill would help. It’s a good spot for families or business trips, with a water slide and a restaurant next door. My only surprise was needing to park next door, but the walk is about what you’d have at most places. No real complaints.

The bathroom had decent grab bars, but the toilet seemed like a regular height instead of the higher one I’d expect in an accessible room. I’d reserved an accessible room, and at check-in found out it wasn’t available. We were put in an accessible room with one king and a sofa bed instead of the accessible two-queen room. The toilet and bed setup were already a disappointment, and the furniture made things worse: the sofa sagged in the middle, its pull-out bed was very uncomfortable with a bar pressing through the mattress, and the king mattress was so soft I sank into it like a taco whenever I sat down. A piece of bed support stuck out from the side. I spotted it before it could cut my leg, but couldn’t push it back in. The table wobbled and turned when touched, and the chair seats sank under us. The fridge door caught on the wall and wouldn’t close unless pushed, so we made sure to check it. Housekeeping was friendly. They did the towels and trash as requested, except for one day when they left the main-room trash. Breakfast had plenty of decent choices, though the cinnamon rolls were gone Monday morning. The hallway carpets looked like they hadn’t been vacuumed along the walls or in corners for a long time, with dust in the spots the vacuum couldn’t reach. In places the carpet was fraying, and the tile by the elevators was broken. We’ve stayed here several times and it used to be a nice hotel, but it’s showing wear and needs work.