Holiday Inn Denver East by IHG

We’ve stayed at this Holiday Inn several times, as well as the other nearby hotels, but this three-night business stay was a letdown. The neighborhood is busier than ever and has more homeless people than before. Sirens woke us every night. We also woke up cold because the heater kept resetting to 62 degrees during both the day and night. Housekeeping never came to our room, not even to take out the trash or replace the coffee. The shower never got beyond lukewarm, even with the faucet turned fully to hot. The hallway and room carpets were badly stained, and the bathroom tile needed a proper scrub. We’re fine with older, dated hotels, but this one didn’t seem to put guests’ comfort at the center of its decisions. The problems feel like policies from higher up, rather than a failure by the onsite staff. We expect better from Holiday Inn.

The balcony view was a highlight, and I slept well in the very comfortable bed. But the shower never got properly hot, and the faulty heat and AC made it hard to keep the room at a comfortable temperature. A few maintenance fixes could have made this a much better stay at the Holiday Inn.

The gentleman who eventually checked us out and refunded us was wonderful to deal with. The rest of the experience was awful, and I’d tell people not to stay here. We arrived to check in around 2 p.m., an hour before the stated time, and were told the room wasn’t ready. When we came back around 5, Ashton said it still wasn’t ready, and we waited nearly another hour. We overheard her on a video call with a manager saying the room had been rented by the hour for a few hours and they needed to check if it was clean. Ashton told me check-in was at 4, but my email showed 3, and I asked for compensation. She said the room had been refreshed, so we finally went up around 6. It smelled strongly of freshly smoked marijuana. Ashton had someone else use our room for a couple of hours during the time we were supposed to have it. I have a severe allergy to marijuana, and when I called Ashton about the smell, she got nasty. She also claimed she couldn’t comp us because I’d booked through a third party, even though we were three hours past check-in. I’ve used IHG many times and was once a diamond elite member, but I’ve never had such poor service. When we asked for another room, she snapped at me. No thanks. Her attitude is hurting the hotel.

The stay was quiet and incredibly affordable, and the hotel was easy to get around. The front desk attendant was friendly and professional. Our comfortable room was on the eighth floor, though the bathroom was cramped and had a shower/tub combo. The water only got lukewarm, and the tub began leaking from the wall onto the floor, so I couldn’t use it.