Holiday Inn Dover Downtown

The beds and sheets seemed clean, which is why I gave two stars, but I won't stay here again. The whole place felt unclean: hallways smelled of smoke and looked as if they hadn't been vacuumed, the bathroom was dirty, there were marks inside the toilet, and the shower walls clearly hadn't been washed. I can accept an outdated hotel, but I usually expect Holiday Inns to be clean. We booked unexpectedly around 9 p.m. with kids; if we hadn't, I'd rather have slept in my car.

The staff were polite, but I wish I'd read the reviews before booking. The hotel needs updating, and our room was only mostly clean: mold in the shower, a nasty stain on the seat, some unknown substance in the bathroom, and a crooked toilet. They should have told us breakfast was a grab-and-go bag. I wouldn't have paid extra for that.

The staff were professional and courteous, and the hotel was clean, but it leaves a lot to be desired. The hallways are dark, the rooms have an old musty smell, and the place needs a major refresh. Breakfast costs extra, and I got no housekeeping at all during my three-day stay. I'd recommend the Holiday Inn Express one to two miles away. It's much nicer for just a little more money.

The lobby was fine and check-in was easy enough, but service was lacking. They said there were no extra blankets. The hotel had only one luggage cart, so we carried four days' worth of luggage ourselves. The coffee pot in the lobby stayed empty for our entire four-day visit. The pool was out of service, all three ice machines were broken, and the side door to the first-floor parking lot had tape over the locks. Toiletries were never refilled, so each night I had to go down and ask for another one-ounce bottle of shampoo.