Holiday Inn Express & Suites Charlotte North by IHG

Housekeeping made my bed every day and left fresh towels, and the front desk clerk, Crystal, helped with my early check-in without hesitation. She was polite and courteous the whole time, and knew the area well when I asked about places to go. There's a club within walking distance. Breakfast was decent, nothing to write home to Mom about, but the serving area was very clean and the food was enough to get me through the morning. I'd rate my stay 9.5 out of 10.

I really hoped for a good stay, but it wasn't. Holiday travel is stressful enough without hotel check-in adding to it. I reported problems, and the AGM told me she'd make sure everything was handled, but it wasn't. Carmen, the GM, was no help, so I had to contact corporate. Everything was still nasty, and I couldn't tell what had supposedly been deep cleaned.

The location is handy, close to the interstate with easy access, but the hotel was disappointing. The lobby furniture is dated, and the room furniture looked old and soiled. The mini fridge is very, very small, and there weren't many TV channels. The hotel smelled of weed, and smokers standing by the doors let cigarette smells into the halls. The corridor carpets could use a good cleaning too. I stay at several IHG properties and am a loyal customer, but if you're looking for a higher-end IHG hotel, this isn't the one.

We were in room 213, right above the main entrance, and I heard the door sliding open and shut all night. It was the worst night ever. The bathroom sink also wouldn't drain. There were hardly any guests in the hotel, so they could have put us in a decent room.