Holiday Inn Express & Suites Alpine Southeast by IHG

The hotel wouldn’t refund me after I couldn’t use my paid reservation, leaving me with a financial loss and a major disruption to my travel. Expedia later gave me a courtesy credit, but that doesn’t change that the property refused accommodation for a room I’d paid for. The booking showed a 3:00 PM check-in and an 11:00 AM checkout the next day. I understood that paying for that night meant I could arrive later. Before traveling, I called to ask the latest check-in time and spoke with Iliana at about 3:06 PM. She said I had to arrive by 2:00 AM because their system “resets,” and they’d refuse check-in after that. I had not said I would arrive at 3:00 AM; I was referring to the listed 3:00 PM start of the stay. That cutoff wasn’t clearly disclosed when I booked. A hotel’s internal system reset shouldn’t put the burden on a guest who has paid for the reserved night. I was traveling from Houston to Alpine because of a last-minute situation, and I couldn’t safely drive 8-10 hours overnight to meet an unexpected cutoff. That left me without a reasonable or safe option.

The room had enough space for a week or longer without feeling cramped, and the large desk worked well for setting up a computer and second display. The window was a nice size, too. It was clean, though the walls could use a wipe-down and the furniture a steam clean. The lobby was bright and tidy, breakfast was good, and the stay was comfortable, much like the Hamptons I’ve stayed in. I liked being on the edge of town.

The rooms were roomy and clean, and breakfast was a highlight. I had the egg white omelet with turkey sausage, both healthy and tasty. The cinnamon rolls are good too if you’re in the mood to indulge. The renovation made the entrance look rough.

We arrived after a long trip with the sun going down, so even though they offered to let us cancel, we just wanted to get the trip started. No one had warned us beforehand that the hotel was under construction. Walking in to see a folding table and building work was such a surprise that I wondered if I was being punked and there was a hidden camera. There was a soaked, unexplained wet patch between the beds in our room, and no other rooms were available. We put five towels over it and tried to stay clear of that area. I felt like the hotel could have done a lot more, but they didn’t.