Holiday Inn Express & Suites Houston East - Baytown by IHG

I paid extra for the option to cancel and get a refund, but after spending only about 15 minutes in the room, I was out $250. It was supposed to be a relaxing, happy trip, and it nearly got ruined. Thankfully, the Staybridge across the street was understanding and let us book a suitable room. The manager never called or tried to make things right, and that felt deeply unprofessional. I’d booked two nights in a suite with two beds, a sofa bed, and a kitchen, based on the pictures on the site. At check-in they just said to enjoy the stay and handed us extra pillows. The room wasn’t what I’d requested. It was musty, warm, and smelled like mold, and the bathroom water was brown. When I called the front desk, the clerk said to let it run and the color would go away. I also told her about the smell and wrong room, but she said it had been cleaned and was the room in her system. I hung up, frustrated, and called Staybridge to explain what I needed and what had happened. Their clerk suggested I contact IHG to ask about a transfer or refund. I called IHG, and a helpful young man contacted the front desk. While I was downstairs, I heard the clerk say, word for word, “they don’t do refunds ever.” When I asked what could be done, he said to book the other room and that IHG would escalate the issue with the manager, who wasn’t available and wouldn’t be in until 7 a.m. the next day, Saturday. He said IHG would contact the manager then. I heard nothing, so I called IHG Sunday. Nothing had been done, and they said they’d try the manager again Monday. The clerk said no other rooms were available, though there were rooms. I understand she may not have been able to refund me herself, but her lack of compassion was astonishing. She just said there was nothing she could do.

We stayed one night on January 18. Check-in was quick, and the desk staff were polite and welcoming, but the condition of the building and room put me off. Everything felt old. The elevator scraped loudly as it ran, and its control was oddly held on with clear tape. The fourth-floor hall was dirty along the edges, and the room needed a better cleaning. I stepped on a toenail clipping left by a previous guest, and there was lots of dirt behind the bathroom toilet. The pillows were old and saggy. The shower pressure was very weak and there was no hot water, so we skipped showering. The sink pressure was low too, and its water only got slightly warm. I won’t stay again since there are other choices around. We like HIEs and are staying at a better one tonight.

Check-in was easy, the breakfast attendant was helpful, and they were able to switch our room. We still wouldn’t recommend this location. The toilet wouldn’t flush unless I took the lid off and pulled the chain. During a shower, the water stopped after about five minutes. I turned off the faucet and waited, but it didn’t come back. After another four or five minutes I dried off and tried once more, only to get spurting water that was brown. I gave up. The pool was green and brown, like a swamp, and the elevator smelled of mildew. My mother repeatedly got a busy signal when she called the front desk about the water. She went down to complain, and the clerk moved us right away. When Mom mentioned the phone line, the clerk stopped making eye contact and ignored her. I assumed they’d taken the receiver off the line to avoid calls. That evening, I heard the night clerk speaking loudly and rudely in the back.

The hotel smelled like water damage, and the room door frame had gouges from what looked like an earlier attempted break-in. I needed an ironing board, but there wasn’t one in the room. Since the room phone was broken, I went to the desk to ask for one. The little girl brought out one without a cover. I nearly busted a gut laughing.