Holiday Inn Express Durham by IHG

My room's toilet and phone were broken during the stay. The one exception in dealing with the hotel was Angel, who was fantastic. The bigger issue was having my car towed despite it being registered with the hotel, including its make, model, and license plate. Parking is limited, and they towed it without warning because I forgot to put the flimsy pass on the dashboard, or it may have fallen off when the door opened or closed. No one called to warn me, and the staff showed no remorse or sympathy. I paid hundreds to stay there, then hundreds more to get the car back from Smitty’s towing service across the street. It feels like the hotel takes advantage of guests, and I've never heard of one with a worse reputation.

The car was gone less than 12 hours after we checked in, and getting it back cost $250. The same front desk man who gave my husband the flimsy paper “parking pass” shrugged and said we were towed for parking “in the wrong spot.” That was the only spot available. The lot is very poorly lit, and we'd spent over 10 minutes in the rain trying to find a space. We put the pass on the dashboard as instructed. If guests are supposed to follow the signs in the lot, surely the hotel should make it easy to see them at night, especially in the rain. How can there not be enough parking for the guests the hotel can accommodate? There are “no parking” signs around other spaces and, conveniently, a tow yard right across the street. Scam much? The front desk agent was very unpleasant and seemed annoyed to have to do his job. We checked in around 9pm last weekend. I agree with Brian Moynihan’s review from two weeks ago: don't stay here if you don't want your car towed. This looks like an ongoing problem, based on other reviews below. We'll never come back. After seeing the hotel's responses to negative reviews, we expect passive aggressive quotations and gaslighting. Hopefully other people will choose somewhere else after reading this and the reviews below.

The room was clean and the staff were friendly. I could walk to nearby shops and restaurants, which was convenient. My TV didn't work, though the storm may have caused it.

Angel Reardon at the front desk was a gem. I had a car full of flowers and balloons, and she kindly let me keep them in her office until check-in. She went out of her way to arrange an early check-in, even though that meant switching my room. She also cheerfully brought coffee refills to the breakfast bar twice. Thanks, Angel, for such great service!