Holiday Inn Express & Suites Columbia Downtown - The Vista by IHG

The complimentary breakfast was a pleasant surprise, with plenty of variety, including cinnamon rolls, several kinds of sausage, bacon, and eggs. The pool was also nice for swimming or cooling off, and once we got the right room, it was clean and well put together, with fresh sheets, a clean bathroom, soap, shampoo, and air conditioning. The downtown location was handy for the convention center and other attractions, and being next to a police station made the area feel safe. There isn't a bar on-site, so you can't get drinks there. Check-in was frustrating. We'd booked a two-bedroom room, but the first key took us to a room with one bed. We went back to the desk, explained, and were reassigned, but the second room also had one bed. It took three attempts to get the two-bed room. The desk associate stayed polite, but the repeated mix-ups wasted time and were inconvenient. Parking was difficult on some days because the lot got very full. With a larger vehicle, like a truck or one towing a trailer, I'd arrive early to find a decent spot. On our last night the lot was full, so we asked a hotel associate whether it was okay to park on the street in front. They said it was fine, but the next morning a police officer was behind our vehicle when we came down for breakfast. It was uncomfortable to find ourselves in that situation after following staff guidance. Apart from the room assignment and parking issues, the stay was decent. If those problems are fixed, this could be a solid place to stay, but while they continue I'd hesitate to recommend it.

A year ago I had a long stay here, and I still think back on it fondly. Brian, Alexa, the big-bearded man whose name I can't recall, and the housekeeping crew, especially the manager and her daughter, made the experience enjoyable. I don't know whether any of them still work there. The sunset view behind the hotel was beautiful, the wifi worked well for internet and streaming, and breakfast was great. It was also convenient to be near the culture district and just about everything else. Hope all those folks are doing well.

A stranger tried to open my door at 11:15 at night and only the safety lock kept them from getting in. When I raised it with the front desk, they acted as though it wasn't a big deal. They said I wasn't listed on the paperwork for the room, so they had made a key and tried to enter. The AC panel in the room didn't work either, and there was no shower curtain, so water went everywhere when I showered. Don't stay here.

The room was nice and breakfast was decent, but the hotel seemed unprepared for how busy it was. They kept running out of breakfast food. Staff would refill a tray, then people who'd been waiting would empty it again. The parking lot is small, parking costs extra, and it isn't included in the room price, so you may have to use an overflow lot. The location is convenient for downtown, and they let us leave the car in the lot past checkout.