Holiday Inn Express Branford-New Haven by IHG

The only thing that took this stay just outside perfect was a 60-second interruption to my nap. I was asleep after work and the gym, with a do-not-enter/busy, come back later hanger on the door. Someone must have knocked, then the door suddenly opened and a person said they needed to fix the TV. Luckily the door guard was on. I was naked under the sheet and half asleep, so I yelled that I was sleeping and the TV was fine. They left. I called the front desk to complain, then had a hard time getting back to sleep, though I rested a bit. I don't think one brief incident that caused no harm should undo an otherwise great stay. The check-in was easy and friendly, with rooms and keys ready; we just had to verify and sign. The lady was funny, caring, and welcoming. The rooms are spacious, the bathrooms a good size, and the furnishings updated. I liked the little lounge seat with a table for food or drinks. The TV was a bit small but fine. Breakfast was great, though the chef was incredibly busy. She deserved a tip. The seating area is much too small for the number of people eating, but it didn't hurt my stay. The gym is basic, with two treadmills, two other cardio machines, free weights up to 50 lbs, and a bench. The pool is beautiful. Staff were very nice, and it's close to New Haven, where I was working. I'd definitely stay again.

We were flying out of New Haven and stayed here to avoid driving once snow arrived overnight. It's within a 10-minute drive of HVN, and our stay was exceptional. The room was large and clean, the bed comfortable, and the staff friendly. Breakfast on the morning we left was decent. I'd stay here again.

After a long workday on the first of my two business-trip nights, I got to my room and saw a cockroach run from the bathroom toward the fridge and coffee machine. It was around 11:20 p.m., so I went to the front desk and got moved to another room. No one even apologized. I shook out my luggage to make sure the roach hadn't gotten into my clothes, then went to bed in the new room. The next morning there was black mold in the bathroom. I gathered my things, checked out, and told the staff right away. They first offered money off the stay, then changed that to an offer to sign me up for membership points, which wouldn't be useful since I don't travel much. It felt like the staff didn't care about the trouble or the health issues caused by the black mold.

My 88-year-old disabled mother needed two nights instead of the one in our room block. She called three times on different occasions to ask not to be moved because she needed a handicap-accessible shower. On check-in day, staff said she'd have to switch rooms and even check out and back in because one room was in the block and the other wasn't. She was ultimately allowed to stay in the same room, but it didn't have the handicap shower I'd requested back in May. It had a regular tub with grab bars that she couldn't use. Terrible. I also had a bad experience dealing with the event planners, especially Samantha. The week before my daughter's wedding, I left her messages on three different days asking her to call so we could confirm the guests, make sure we had enough rooms, and clarify how to get my $199 deposit back after the wedding. I left another message the following Monday and got no call back. Someone else emailed saying she was "OOO," but I knew she was at the hotel. When I called him, he answered "hello"; I asked if this was the Holiday Inn, and he said no, even though he'd just emailed me. Then he said yes, Holiday Inn. I spoke with Samantha briefly, and she said she had eight rooms, though I'd booked ten. I got the manager's direct number, and the manager helped confirm the guests and sort out why our numbers differed. Samantha later emailed an apology but said she'd only missed one call from me that day, which wasn't true because I'd left several messages the prior week. I wouldn't recommend this hotel for events or room blocks. I've never had an issue at other Holiday Inn Express hotels, but the poor service from two event planners was my main complaint.