Holiday Inn Express Columbus Airport - Easton by IHG

There was no hotel shuttle, and getting to and from the airport was a mess. Staff called a Lyft for me on arrival, but it took three tries to get someone to show up. For the return, I was told the shuttle was available on demand from 4:30 AM. I came to the lobby at 4:17 AM, and staff waited until 4:30 to say it wasn't working and they'd call a Lyft. That car was 12 minutes away, so I got a late start. The hotel was a serious letdown for a Holiday Inn Express. It seemed like a property bought from another chain and in the middle of being “renovated.” In my opinion, guests should be told that when booking. I was there for a large event, when hotels were certainly in high demand. The beds were uncomfortable, the halls noisy, and the shower sprayed me when I turned it on from outside, because the controls were on the inside wall instead of by the shower door. Breakfast was missing the usual IHG fridge items, like yogurt and hard boiled eggs. Do better, IHG.

I was so relieved I gave Muhammad a hug. I had left my vehicle with the key in it, and he turned it off, locked it, and left the key at the front desk. I had a job s reduced for 8 am, and without Muhammad from hotel security I wouldn't have made it on time because my battery would've died. Most hotels don't have this kind of security. Thank you, Muhammad. You're a good man.

The room was clean and had a desk and chair directly across from the wall mounted TV, which takes HDMI on the right side. There was an iron and ironing board in the closet. In the bathroom, shampoo, body wash, and rinse were in wall dispensers, with liquid soap and hand lotion by the faucet. No hard soap, though, so I went to a store to get some. I was there alone for four nights for business meetings nearby. I'd read about cars being vandalized and was a bit concerned, but there was a van with lights on top at the parking lot entrance, apparently from midnight until dawn. I saw no break-ins and felt safe. It was set to 72 degrees when I arrived and felt warm and comfortable. I lowered it to 68 at night, which was perfect for me. The mattress and pillow seemed a bit squishy, but I slept fine. The free breakfast wasn't very exciting, though I liked the two lobby coffee machines. They grind the beans right before brewing, and the water gets very hot. I think they run 24 hours. I came down several times for hot water while I had a stomach ache and kept drinking tea. Everyone I spoke with on staff was courteous and attentive. A very positive stay.

Guests with EVs should know about the charging problem ahead of time so they can plan. The hotel's advertised chargers wouldn't work with our Tesla, even using our dedicated adaptors. We reported it, and the front desk said it had already been reported, despite the chargers being brand new. I've run into the same issue at IHG hotels in Cincinnati, Georgia, North Carolina, and now here. Different third party charging stations don't necessarily work the same way with every vehicle and adaptor, Tesla or otherwise. I wish IHG had researched the units before installing them. Our room's air wasn't working and it got very hot. We were moved to another room, but its beds were very dated and uncomfortable. After I reported the problems to IHG member services, they said the hotel front desk was responsible for handling them. That concerns me when the young woman at the desk was wearing a sticker on her face, a hoodie, and jeans. I think I'll stop using the IHG rewards program and use a different hotel service for our family trips.