Holiday Inn Express & Suites Alice by IHG

The staff were absolutely lovely, and the rooms were clean and very modern. There’s almost no soundproofing between rooms that can be joined by a locked door, so we had to knock on the neighboring door at midnight. It’s perfectly placed for the Harry Potter tour bus.

We were thankful to find the last room available at Alice IHG after being bumped from a three-night reservation at the Kingsville Holiday Inn Express, which we’d booked six months ahead, to make room for the Blue Angels crew. I know that wasn’t Alice IHG’s fault, but the room cost $250 a night. During our stay nobody cleaned it, the mirrors and TV were greasy, the trash wasn’t emptied, and a cockroach came out of the second-floor stock room. The fitted sheet was very worn, paint was peeling above the tub, and the bathroom floor was dirty, as I could see from the towel I used to wipe up water. My guess is the staff know the place isn’t well maintained or managed. At checkout they wouldn’t even look us in the eye, as if embarrassed. Sigh.

I booked eight nights for work because I wanted the hot tub, and I’ve been cold the whole time. The room drops to 68 degrees when there’s no movement, even though I set it to 78. It takes forever to warm up, and a space heater and electric blanket were the only ways I could get warm. In the first room, cold air kept blowing from the vent even when I switched the thermostat off. I thought the heat was actually cooling the room back down to 68 when it reached temperature. Staff said they could override the motion-sensitive thermostat, but I’d fall asleep under the blanket and miss them knocking. I’ve been short on sleep before an important work test that affects whether I keep my job. I have a sore throat and heavy chest from being cold, and our class has been cold too. The outside temperature was 18 degrees. I was moved to a bigger room and given 5,000 points, thank you, but that room still never got above 74. I’ve seen the sensors on the thermostats. Even when I was there pressing the up arrow, it wouldn’t reach 78. My husband joked about tying a balloon in front of the sensor. The hot tub was only lukewarm when I booked two weeks ago, and now it’s closed for maintenance. I suspect that’s why they took it down. The pool was closed when I reserved, but I was told it might be running by the time I arrived if everything went right. They were working on it and apparently needed more time. I tried the hotel next door, but they also have motion sensors. I don’t know if their thermostat has the same temperature limit. I’m ready to go home and just hope I pass Wednesday’s test so I can keep my job. I’d move if I could find another hotel. Thanks for replying, but please speak with your staff or visit the hotel to see what I mean. I’d like you to be here at 5 and see my room at 68 degrees while the setting says 78. I called the property and spoke with at least two people, who said the thermostats were motion-sensitive. When I fell asleep at 2 and woke at 5, I didn’t know whether anyone had come to fix it. They were gone, and they didn’t answer when I called for them to return. That’s when I was moved to the new room. It was still cold, though 74 was better than 68.

We managed to keep the original rate after the hotel tried to raise the price because of a regional track meet. You can hear everything throughout the building. Even after it was cleaned, our bathroom smelled like urine.