Holiday Inn Budd Lake - Rockaway Area by IHG

Finding a used condom between the bed and nightstand was horrifying. I was alone at the hotel at 11 PM, and once again the phone wouldn’t connect me to the front desk, so I had to walk down in tears. I didn’t want to stay, but I needed sleep before the wedding the next morning, so I accepted a different room for the night. They comped that night, but this was a two night stay and the whole first day had been miserable, with all the problems and almost no sleep. Other people in the wedding party were also unimpressed by the cleanliness. The hotel is a bit old and run down, and I’d choose somewhere else for a wedding block if possible. The bathroom sink was leaking when I arrived in September for a wedding. I walked to the lobby because the phone wouldn’t ring, and they asked for 15 minutes to fix it or said they’d move me. They told me it was fixed, so I rushed to get ready and went to the rehearsal dinner. When I returned and washed my face, it was still leaking, though less than before. I couldn’t reach the desk by phone again and had to go down. Nobody was available to fix it at that hour, but they offered towels, which was fine because I was exhausted. When I contacted corporate, they offered 2,000 points, not even enough for a crappy room in a crappy location. After all that, I’ll NEVER be back.

The room was nice and checking in went smoothly. When we passed the pool, there was white residue on the water. I called the desk, and the staff member said concrete was rising from the bottom. They got it cleaned by the end of the next day. The staff were friendly, especially the older man tending the bar. Breakfast was good, though the potatoes were bland and the sausage a little pale. We’d most likely stay again.

We were in town for my niece’s wedding, and she had booked a block of rooms. Our room was decent, though the staff weren’t the friendliest. She had arranged two shuttles for guests, but only one showed up and it left earlier than expected. The other drove slowly past the hotel without stopping, leaving wedding guests stranded. It wouldn’t come back, so they had to Uber to Crossed Keys Estates for the wedding. There was also a power outage in the area around 2:00 AM, which wasn’t the hotel’s fault, but the way it was handled was unpleasant. In the morning, the power still hadn’t returned, and guests had to pack and use the stairs, including some from the fifth floor. We were told we’d be charged extra if we didn’t check out by noon. They charged us for bottled water too. Given all the inconvenience, they could have provided the water for free.

I left my debit card at check-in, but nobody let me know, even though they could have read my name and called my room. I didn’t realize it was gone for about a week because I use Apple Pay. I called when I figured out where it was, and they confirmed they had it. The manager was supposed to call about sending it back, but never did. When I followed up a few days later, they said they’d ask the manager, then told me I had to use a third party website. In the end I paid at least $40 to get the card sent home by UPS. They couldn’t just put it in an envelope with a stamp. That was the final straw. I don’t recommend the place, and I won’t stay at a Holiday Inn anywhere again. My client stayed elsewhere, and if you need to be in the area, look around. I was here for work in early December, and my employer chose the hotel. I know roughly what to expect from places like this, but they’re usually pretty good. Most staff were friendly, apart from the man who checked me in. He wasn’t welcoming and seemed like he didn’t want to be there. “Prissy” is the best way I can describe him. The lobby and hallways were cold, even though it was cold outside, like they either couldn’t heat them or wouldn’t. My room was clean and a decent size, but the bed may have been the worst hotel bed I’ve slept on. I woke up every hour and couldn’t get restorative sleep. The beds don’t seem to get changed often enough. The whole place was very outdated and needs a facelift. I skipped breakfast, but dinner was mid. It was corporate kit food, nothing made in house, with the same menu as the other locations. If you have a car, Google places nearby and go elsewhere. It has potential, but maybe a regional manager needs to come in and fix things. Otherwise it’s just a glorified truck stop. At the end of the day, this is a corporate chain that should be consistent, but it isn’t. Their policies have turned me off the company. It’s no better than a Motel 6, though at least with Motel 6 you know what you’re getting, and they’ve actually been improving.