Holiday Inn Express Ellensburg by IHG

Several families on our baseball team ended up without rooms during a packed tournament weekend, even though we'd all called the day before. We had booked rooms at the Holiday Inn in Ellensburg, Washington seven months ahead. At first, we reserved two nights, then our plans changed, so we called the day before arrival to ask about dropping the first night. They said no, which we understood, and we confirmed we were still coming the next day. We were told it was fine as long as we checked in by 5 PM. At check-in, the front desk employee seemed irritated from a phone call and said our room had been canceled as a “no-show.” I explained that we'd called, confirmed the reservation, and asked for a note to be added. She kept insisting we were no-shows and said there were no rooms and nothing she could do. When I asked for a manager, she said she was the manager. She then threatened to call police, said she could refuse service to anyone, and told me she wouldn't rent us a room even if one opened up. There was no apology or effort to help us find somewhere else. No one seemed concerned that we had children and a small puppy with us and nowhere to stay. We also weren't clearly told whether we'd get refunds. After scrambling during a sold-out weekend, we found rooms at the Hampton Inn by Hilton for nearly $480, about three times what our original rooms cost. The Hampton Inn staff were kind and understanding, and lowered the rate after hearing what had happened. We'd strongly advise sports teams and traveling families to avoid the Holiday Inn in Ellensburg if possible. The Hampton Inn treated us with professionalism, compassion, and care, which we didn't get at the Holiday Inn. Edit, in response to the hotel's comment: that's not true. I have proof I called the day before and was specifically told my room would be held if I arrived by 5 pm the next day. Nobody said the reservation would be affected, and I knew I was paying for both nights. I never expected to avoid paying or to cancel. I'll get my refund, and if I don't, I'll see you in court and let a judge decide. We'll also contact the head of Little League in our area and tell them not to have teams book here. The lack of attention to this has been unbelievable, and we're extremely disappointed.