Holiday Inn Express & Suites Boston - Cambridge by IHG

The lobby feels good to be in even when it’s busy, and the space is nice. Breakfast was really great, especially the espresso machines and freshly made pancakes. The hotel is close to all the schools. The rooms were clean, the bathroom was nice, and everything felt perfect.

It was clean, handy to our son’s home, and had a nice breakfast. Our room was very small. One elevator was out of service, but that didn’t affect us much. What bothered us was seeing three housekeeping carts and a linen cart constantly in the hallway, even during off hours. We appreciated the delicious coffee available around the clock.

The breakfast was the highlight, with different food each day and pretty good quality. The hotel is old, but not too bad, and our stay was quite good overall. Our room looked a little odd, with unexplained spots on the window curtain and couch. The T green line is not too far away, so getting to the city center was easy.

Room 813 should never be considered acceptable for guests. I’d ask the hotel manager to spend one night there, including opening the refrigerator, and then consider whether they’d host their parents, children, or friends in that room. If the answer is yes, I’ll apologize for this review, though I doubt it will be. There are serious issues with both the building and its service. I don’t understand how this hotel got to use the Holiday Inn Express name under the IHG brand. Since any hotel can have problems, I usually choose a brand-operated property to avoid or reduce them. Most guests are somewhere they’ve never visited, so a brand’s reputation matters a lot. Future guests may have trouble sleeping in this room. The building fan and the bathroom fan, which ran constantly and seemed never to have been cleaned, were extremely noisy. Light came through the door, and the curtain didn’t fit properly, adding to the discomfort. The sound was worse than an overnight bus, like sleeping beside an outdoor AC unit with an annoying metal rattle. This wasn’t just my impression. I wear a smart ring all the time, and my heart rate stayed elevated overnight. It normally graphs as flat while I sleep, but that night it fluctuated a lot, suggesting my body kept waking even when I didn’t fully notice. The next morning, the app flagged a bad readiness score and suggested rest mode for the day. The front desk didn’t help me. When I arrived, the employee wasn’t there. I made a sound, and someone came out looking as if I’d interrupted his Netflix or YouTube time. He didn’t acknowledge my membership tier or even say hello. I said hello first and he ignored me with the same expression. After checking in, I called the front desk to report the room condition, but he didn’t answer. I went downstairs, and again he wasn’t at the desk. When he finally came out, he had the same look and said he could send a technician if I wanted, but “nothing will change.” He said there were no other rooms. The attitude I got was basically, “What will you do? Find another hotel at this hour?” He could at least have offered earplugs. I seriously wondered if he was officially employed by the hotel. He didn’t give me extra water and said I had to buy it, although welcome drinks or similar are part of Platinum member benefits. He seemed unaware of that. He also said I had to ask for late checkout the next morning. I did ask another staff member in the morning, but I don’t know what changed between check-in and then. Maybe the first employee lacked authority, or maybe he was too lazy to check availability. I don’t need special elite recognition, but the hotel should at least hire someone who can be at the desk and say hello. I want the manager to confirm whether this person is actually hotel staff or an unofficial fill-in. When I asked his name, he said Noah. He is African American and wore a rainbow-flag badge on his coat.