Holiday Inn Express Augusta Downtown by IHG

I’d like a direct reply from the General Manager explaining the late-night check-in rule, and I’ll also ask IHG for clarification. This raised serious concerns for me about transparency, what guests are led to expect, and the hotel’s duty of care. The night auditor said General Manager Boatwright had instructed staff not to check guests in after a certain hour. My friend arrived shortly after 2:00 a.m. and was told the original reservation had been canceled and marked as a no-show. We understood that decision and didn’t dispute it. They were willing to pay for a new reservation, not asking to reinstate the old one, but were still told nobody could check in after the cutoff, whatever the circumstances. I’d never heard of this policy. If it’s official, it’s concerning that it isn’t on the IHG property website. The restriction should at least be disclosed clearly, and late-night check-in shouldn’t be offered in a way that misleads future guests. They could have gone elsewhere, but snowy weather and dangerous road conditions made driving on unsafe. We had booked the hotel specifically to avoid a long, hazardous trip home in the middle of the night as conditions worsened. Turning away a paying guest in that situation was more than inconvenient. It left them vulnerable and potentially in danger. Hospitality calls for judgment, care, and consideration, especially when someone’s safety is involved. Policy enforcement alone isn’t enough.

A nice surprise. The place has had a decent renovation, with the major work done, though they missed the trim and it isn’t immaculate. The rooms are huge and clean. Most of the bathroom is updated and looked great, but the bathtub and toilet are old and not very appealing. Parking is free and gated. Breakfast was good, with cheese eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy, potatoes, cereal, a pancake station, cinnamon rolls, bread, yogurt, juice, tea, and coffee. Shoutout to Ms Kim, who was hosting. They only have Coffee-mate creamer now, but there’s milk too. The staff were friendly.

The breakfast was the real draw for me. The cook absolutely nailed it, especially the French toast, which tasted like it came from a gourmet restaurant. I’ve had continental breakfasts before, but this felt more like a restaurant spread. Great flavor, and I’m very impressed and satisfied. Service was great too. I’d come back just for that breakfast!

On our 10-day trip through Georgia, somewhere we’d never visited before, this was clearly the best of the many places we stayed. We felt so well looked after, and I can’t say enough about the customer service. Dora checked us in and recommended a wonderful place to eat. The room was spotless and the bed was comfortable. Mona and Kay kept the breakfast hotplates filled, and breakfast was superb. At the front desk, Kaylin found scissors so we could trim moleskin for my husband’s toe blister. The next night I realized I’d left my Bluetooth eye mask behind. I think Dora came to the rescue again: housekeeping had saved it, and Dora set it aside to be shipped. I sent a prepaid bubble mailer, and Dora just called to say it’s on its way. I really appreciate all their help.