Holiday Inn Express & Suites Columbia-I-26 @ Harbison Blvd by IHG

Breakfast was the dealbreaker for me. The pancake and waffle machine was broken, and after a busy weekend they were out of the famous cinnamon rolls. Was a well stocked breakfast on Monday too much to expect? It changed my mind about coming back. The room was a good size and basically clean, with comfortable beds, plenty of towels, a coffee maker, microwave, and small fridge. The large screen TV was nice, though it only had basic channels. The front desk staff were friendly and accommodating, and the price was reasonable. It’s an older HI Express, so it’s a little rough around the edges.

We stay at IHG hotels a lot, but we won’t be anymore. I was already asleep when my partner woke me after killing a bug on the bed and asking if it could be a bed bug. I thought those were tiny, but we checked an image online and found it looked like an adult bed bug. I lifted the corner of the sheet and saw another one. That was enough for us. We packed up, went to the desk at 10:30, showed them the pictures, and offered to take them upstairs to see. They declined. They couldn’t refund us there and said it had to go through a manager, so we left and paid for a room at a different hotel. It’s now been five days and they still haven’t refunded us. They say they don’t see bugs there, but we killed one right on the bed, and there was a blood stain. We’re still grossed out. We had to pay for another room at a Hampton down the street, which was much nicer.

We were on a long drive from Florida to Michigan with our family when our van had a scary mechanical problem. The Holiday Inn Express staff gave us a generous late checkout so we could get it repaired without being stranded or rushed. Their kindness made a high stress situation manageable, and we can’t thank the team enough. The rooms were great, but the staff’s care and empathy were what stood out. Highly recommend!

I stay at IHG hotels around the world, and David is one of the best front desk clerks I’ve met. He’s professional, knowledgeable, and polite, and you can tell he loves his job. I’ll come back to this location just to see him again. He’s a great representative of Holiday Day inn.