Holiday Inn Express & Suites Charlotte Southwest by IHG

We booked this for Valentine's night as my fiancé and I were winding down a road trip, thinking it would be nice, tucked away and right next to Topgolf. I didn't think about how busy hotels get on Valentine's weekend. The couple next door was so loud that they were louder than the TV. We couldn't even turn the TV on at first because there was no remote, then had to wait for someone to find one. I'm not trying to bash anyone for having a good time, but that was too loud, especially in what should be a family-friendly place. Then we found blood or some kind of mystery stain on the sheets. We'd been there less than three hours, between checking in, going to dinner, and coming back to that mess. It was already 10:40 p.m., so we left and drove the remaining six hours home. I thought they might compensate us somehow, especially since I hadn't made a scene, but they charged the full amount even though we checked out before 11 p.m., according to the radio timestamp. They offered another room, but with all the activity going on, I didn't know what other stains might be there after seeing those very obvious ones. Of all weekends, Valentine's. I'm done with IHG. Airbnb, here I come.

I was asleep in my room when staff let someone else enter without my permission. That was a serious violation of my privacy and safety. As a veteran with PTSD, I found it deeply traumatizing and unacceptable. Guests should feel secure in their rooms, and I didn't. I've been retraumatized, and I don't feel safe staying alone again. I've stayed at Holiday Inn Express hotels and on base before without feeling unsafe. In three decades of staying at chains across America, nobody had ever entered my room while I was asleep. I don't know whether the stranger was a guest or a staff member trying to assault me. I expected better from Holiday Inn and hope they act so this doesn't happen to anyone else. Thanks for terrorizing me again. I do not recommend this Holiday Inn to anyone who wants to feel safe while sleeping. If you're a woman alone, a veteran with PTSD, or a European who wants to feel safe in America, don't stay here. If safety matters to you, don't stay here. One star.

I drove 11 and a half hours to Charolette for a surprise birthday party and booked three days and two nights. My truck was fine in the lot Friday morning, 10/03/25, and again when I checked Friday around 8:30 p.m. On Saturday morning, 10/04/25, I found it broken into. Six other vehicles in the lot had also been broken into and rifled through. I told the man at the front desk, who said he was the manager on duty, that I needed the police called and the security camera footage for insurance. He was barely willing to call the police and wasn't helpful about what the hotel would do, saying it was a police matter. He said he couldn't access the footage and only the GM could. When I asked him to contact her and have her come to the hotel, he said she was managing another property and couldn't handle it. He also wouldn't give me her contact details and told me to contact corporate. He didn't seem to care that hotel guests' property had been broken into. After the police report and insurance calls, I spoke to someone else at the front desk, “lyric” (I'm not sure how to spell her name lol). She was incredibly sweet, compassionate, and considerate. Even though she didn't know about the six break-ins overnight, she went out of her way to help us. She gave me the GM's contact information and corporate's phone number. Honestly, “lyric” should be the GM; she handled things so well and was helpful hours after it happened. I was told Carmen Bryson would be at the hotel at 10 a.m. Monday, 10/06/25. I've called four times and left three voicemails but haven't reached her or had a call back. I'll contact corporate to seek compensation for the damage, since there were no signs posted saying the hotel wasn't responsible. I won't stay here or at any IHG hotel again. They don't seem to know how to run a business.

The room was clean, housekeeping was good, and breakfast was decent. Still, my last visit disappointed me, especially since I'd chosen this hotel after good stays there before. The room safe didn't work. I asked for it to be fixed on four consecutive days, and nothing was done. On day three I raised it at the front desk, and the woman there, who said she usually works nights, was no help and had a really bad attitude, as if I was wrong to complain. The bathroom sink drained very slowly too, and repeated requests didn't get it fixed. Staff should have to wear name tags so guests can identify who gave such poor service.