Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Richmond North Ashland by IHG

The place could use some basic maintenance and upgrades. The room walls were nasty, and a cockroach ran across the pool floor. The ice also looked clearly unsafe when we arrived. Breakfast was minimal, and not everyone drinks coffee. The coffee area was always messy. The welcome wasn’t very pleasant either, though nobody was rude; they just didn’t seem to like their jobs. The whole level of ick was disturbing.

Room 207 had a comfortable bed and what looked like newer carpet, but the hotel needs a significant amount of maintenance. The bath fan, which comes on with the light switch, sounds like a freight train. There’s mismatched ceiling paint where a repair seems unfinished, and the cabinets have a raw, unfinished look between the walls and shelves. The room lock was finicky, and I had to insert the key multiple times. Breakfast might keep you from starving, but better quality would improve the stay. The forks were set tines up in their holder, and the biscuits were too tough for the flimsy plastic flatware.

Nicole at the front desk was so friendly and knowledgeable, and she helped my family with all my requests. She was wonderfully welcoming, and I’m grateful I got to meet her. Whatever they’re paying her, it isn’t enough. Just ask for Nicole.

The bed was comfortable, but the rest of this stay was awful. We had requested early check-in through booking.com and it had been approved, yet the front desk woman said the room wasn’t ready and reminded me that check-in wasn’t until 3. We left and came back, then waited another ten minutes while she was on the phone helping someone with a reservation for May next year. The hot tub was cold, exactly like the pool. Then at 9:30 a.m. on checkout day, my husband and I went out for coffee and returned to finish packing. Our room had been cleaned out, the door was wide open, and some of my things were missing. We hadn’t checked out, and checkout wasn’t until 11. Nobody should have entered before I checked out or checkout time arrived, whichever came first. Don’t do business with this hotel.