Holiday Inn Resort The Lodge At Big Bear Lake by IHG

The bed was comfortable and the location was good, but the way the hotel handled problems made this a bad stay. When we checked in, the front desk clerk was barely cordial. The TV wasn't working, and the clerk said snow on the receiver was probably to blame and that they were working on it. We left for a couple of hours, but there was still no TV when we came back. Another guest told us it had been out for two days. Later, we overheard the clerk say on the phone that a technician had been working on it “all day,” even though guests had already been without TV for two days. When we got back to the room again, the TV still didn't work. We also found that everything except one lamp and the TV was unplugged, so I had to crawl under the furniture to plug in the lamps and clock. I asked about compensation for the TV outage and was told, “Nothing, because it was out of our control.” There was no apology or offer to show any concern. Who chooses the TV service provider? The guests are the ones who didn't get what they paid for because of the hotel's choice. The restaurant wasn't open at dinner time either. I don't expect or want a response from the hotel. Its responses to earlier reviews gave me the impression the owner doesn't care about customer service, and I'm writing to warn future guests. If you can tolerate very rude treatment and poor service, this may be the place for you. Otherwise, stay clear. Update to hotel's response: The claim that guests “are and were compensated” is another lie. I received nothing. It only reinforces my view that the hotel lies to guests and doesn't care about customer service.

The room and location were the best parts of our stay. Our room was clean, well maintained, and very nice, with thoughtful amenities including good-quality shampoo, body wash, and other toiletries. The bed was comfortable, and the bedding and pillows were especially nice. The hotel is close to town, within walking distance of restaurants, and right by the bowling alley, which was handy with kids. There's a pool, I believe a hot tub, and self-serve laundry. Detergent isn't sold in the laundry area, so you have to buy it in the lobby. The hallways to the rooms felt old and outdated, with very dim lighting. We did have a complete loss of running water for most of the night. We couldn't use toilets, sinks, or showers. Management later said it had been fixed at 10 p.m., but guests didn't actually have water until about 3-4 a.m. This was more than a minor inconvenience; it affected basic accommodations. Over the following week I tried repeatedly to reach management by phone and email, but got no response and was told they were “unavailable.” Chat support and replies on Google reviews said affected guests would be compensated, but no one contacted us and no compensation was issued at that point. The lack of communication and follow-through was extremely disappointing. Update 1/29/26: We were ultimately compensated for the water issue, thank you. But management never contacted us during the whole ordeal, and there was still a complete lack of communication. We'd consider staying again, as long as the water is flowing next time.

I was shocked by the hotel's response. They called my request to check in at 3:10, ten minutes after the official 3 p.m. check-in time, “unreasonable.” Expecting the room to be ready at the advertised time is basic, not a special favor. Their response about the door was patronizing too. I know what a “peep hole” is. This fixture was broken and missing its lens, leaving a literal hole through which anyone in the hallway could see directly into my private room. Calling that a “safety feature” ignores a serious privacy and voyeurism risk. Instead of addressing a maintenance and security failure, management was condescending and dismissive. If you raise a safety concern here, you may be insulted instead of helped. I'd stayed here twice a few years ago and it was good, but the place has completely fallen apart. Don't be fooled by the IHG name. For $350 a night, it was 1-star motel quality. There was a hole drilled through my door, and the hotel's fix was to send someone to cover it with a sticker. A sticker isn't a repair. Debora and Manager Mahaila were shockingly rude. At 3:10, the response at check-in was a flat “no,” with no apology. Mahalia said an “upgraded” room was ready but demanded extra payment to move me into it, essentially charging me to get out of a room with a hole in the door. No apology, flexibility, or hospitality. Anthony at the front desk was the one positive: professional, kind, and the only person who seemed to understand basic service. Avoid this place. The manager's defensive and rude replies to other guests' reviews tell you what you need to know about how they run the business.

I've only been in the room an hour and so much has already gone wrong. I was told the water was off when I checked in, and the front desk woman was rude. The room is filthy, and when I turned on the sink to wash my hands, the handle came right off. The dresser drawers won't stay closed and we keep tripping over them, so we had to move the corner table to block them. There's a huge hole in the hallway ceiling right outside our room, with fiberglass and wires hanging out. I paid over $300 a night. Even $90 would have been too much. I'll never stay here again.