Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Chattanooga Downtown by IHG

The hotel's location is fabulous, the pool was decent and reasonably warm, and the staff were nice people who seemed to mean well. I think I'd stay again because Chattanooga is a great place, and the employees were trying hard. But at $279 a night, I expected a lot more. The breakfast was mediocre and repeatedly burnt, though the breakfast worker was genuinely working hard for a big crowd. We ordered food that never arrived, then got only half of the replacement order, despite being charged $105. Parking normally costs extra, though they waived the fee for us. At $89 a night, I would have called this a great value. If you expect a clean, functioning Holiday Inn, you might not be satisfied. Check-in was a mess because the card system was having trouble, and the two front desk employees seemed overwhelmed and unsure how to handle it. I use a cane and stood for what felt like 20 minutes on one good leg. They waited on four other people while I was there, even though one of the two computers was working. I finally asked whether the other employee sorting pens worked there, and then they checked me in. I felt bad for the two young workers, but they could at least have acknowledged me and explained the wait. The room was nice, but the tub wouldn't drain, which made showering on one leg extremely slippery. The shower curtains weren't mounted properly, so water ran onto the floor and out into the hallway. We had no dry towels left.

The warm breakfast cinnamon rolls were the only real highlight. The hotel felt grungy and unlike a normal Holiday Inn, with very dated rooms and halls and an old, noisy elevator that scared my daughter because she thought we'd get stuck. Parking on site was ridiculously expensive, and I've never had to pay for parking at a Holiday Inn before. During our two night stay, a notice said maintenance would shut off the water for a few hours. We got back from downtown and still had no water, then the next morning it was back but cold. I didn't wash my hair because it was too cold to stand under. At checkout I hadn't planned to mention the water, but when asked how things went, I brought it up. The clerk apologized and refunded one night. It was kind of her, though my boss had paid for the stay, so he got the deal. I'm loyal to this chain and usually book it for work or vacations. This was a rare bad experience, and it won't erase all the good stays I've had or my appreciation for the staff I've met over the years. I'm staying at a Holiday Inn in Asheville now, one of the nicest hotels I've been in. I love Holiday Inn and will find it hard to stay elsewhere.

I stayed five nights for the IBMA Bluegrass Festival and walked to it from the hotel each day. Downtown is walkable too, using the crosswalks at the traffic lights. My room was comfortable, with good lighting and temperature controls that let me get it down to 65 degrees. The bed was firm without being hard, and the sheets were thicker than at some other hotels. The shower had good pressure and lots of hot water. The hotel was clean.

During the ice storm, the staff went above and beyond for our whole crew. The rooms were clean and the service was top notch. Anthony, who serves breakfast, opened early so our guys could have a hearty meal before heading out into the storm to restore power for people in Chattanooga. We appreciate how the hotel accommodated us. The employees deserve recognition, maybe even a raise. Thank you, Holiday Inn Express. Signed, Davey Tree Experts.