Holiday Inn Chantilly-Dulles Expo Center by IHG

There's a restaurant here, though it's being renovated at the moment. The hotel also runs a shuttle to Dulles Airport and the Air and Space Museum. Several restaurants and shops are within walking distance. A very nice hotel.

As a solo female traveler and healthcare professional, I put safety first. In room 259, the windows wouldn't lock properly, and a noisy maintenance unit sat directly outside on the landing. It made the room feel easy to access from outside. I reported it right away, but the front desk dismissed my concern and said the hotel was sold out. The TV didn't work either, and staff wouldn't come help or suggest a solution. When I asked to escalate the matter, he wouldn't give me the general manager's information, saying it wasn't a safety concern that required a call. The lack of concern, professionalism, and basic customer service, especially around safety, was unacceptable. I wouldn't stay at Holiday Inn Chantilly-Dulles Expo again.

The bed and bedding were the one good part. Everything else made for an underwhelming stay, and we're unlikely to return. Renovation work seemed shoddy: a bathroom ceiling light was coming loose, the bathroom door was cumbersome, and the shower swung from very hot one day to barely warm the next. The room door had a huge gap letting in light and cold air, and the thermostat didn't work well, so we were constantly cold. The chair was terribly uncomfortable, and there was no microwave. The old, small TV had a channel guide that didn't match what was on. There was no ice machine on our floor, and the exterior doors were hard to open with the hotel key. Cigarette butts littered those entrances.

Rachel was a real bright spot. She was sincere, efficient, and professional, and clearly cared about how guests were treated. She discreetly went out of her way to find rooms I liked and help with things. The lady in the black hijab and Cyndi made things easier too, as did Mr. Ben, Sohail, and Marissa in housekeeping. Several staff members left a genuinely good impression, which made it disappointing that someone disrupted an otherwise harmonious situation. At first my stay was generally positive, but shockingly unprofessional and intrusive behavior from at least one person in a supervisory role changed that. I no longer felt comfortable there, and it ruined the stay. Management also seemed to show little respect for loyalty or repeat business. Cleaning was poor and incomplete, amenities weren't always replenished, and basic safety and hygiene protocols weren't followed. There was a persistent marijuana smell, inadequate security, frequent door slamming, and parking that felt insecure and was often congested. I'd consider the hotel again if these problems were taken seriously. No budget hotel is perfect, but service is what defines a stay.