Greenville Pelham Inn by IHG

At first I thought the place was pretty good, even with all the remodeling. Then I noticed staff seemed judgmental about people and their reasons for being there. The rooms had a lot of problems. The TV stands leaned forward, so drawers opened by themselves. The beds slid around on the hardwood, and if you leaned against one it could move halfway across the room. Furniture handles were loose, including the cabinets above and below the sink. I pulled one right off because it had been attached with the wrong screws. I ended up fixing much of my room myself. The towel rack fell off because its bracket screws weren't set correctly. The entrance door was loose at the top and wouldn't shut fully unless I lifted it. A maintenance man tried with a weak screw gun but couldn't fix it, so I went to Home Depot and repaired it without telling staff. What kind of person hires maintenance who doesn't want to do the work, then keeps them? When snow hit, they didn't have a way to keep things from freezing or clear the walkways. I spent 3 and 1/2 hours driving my own vehicle in circles to clear their parking lot so the other guests could get out in an emergency. The owners didn't recognize the work or even offer a cup of coffee. It was the worst winter storm South Carolina had seen in a long time. They put down a few cupfuls of salt, not enough to help with the ice. My reservation was in good standing, but when they wanted to sell my room for more, they claimed there was a leak from my room into the one below that was being remodeled. That wasn't the case. I agreed to move to a smaller room with two other people and my pooch, and was made to feel unwelcome. I left the suite cleaner and in better shape than when I got it. I used my own Murphy's oil soap and fabuloso to clean floors and polish furniture, and a Mr clean magic eraser to wash the walls and remove years of dirt. They didn't inspect or acknowledge the work or thank me, and they wouldn't give me a decent discount for my veteran status. The day after they made me move to a double Queen room, they accused me of smoking in it and said the place smelled of smoke. I do smoke, but staff have seen me go outside to my vehicle to do it. The office manager said the owner wanted us to leave for smoking in the room. I asked her to inspect it, and begged for a few hours to speak with the owner and have someone check the room to confirm nobody had smoked in it. The owner wouldn't come inspect it. IHG will know.

Check-in was easy, parking was no problem, and there are restaurants and things to do all around. The price per night reflects that renovations are underway as the property changes from its previous hotel brand. I was happy with my stay and would return. The shower looked great after being remodeled. Other bathroom features were still old, but the work is in progress. The red cushion at the window was the biggest eyesore, and definitely something I didn't want to touch. They're making good upgrades, though.

My room was huge, recently remodeled, and very clean with no bugs. It had plenty of space, a fridge, and a microwave. The hotel was so quiet I couldn't hear neighbors talking or doors slamming in the halls. It honestly felt almost soundproof. Wendy’s is right in front, with other shops and places to eat nearby. The price reflects the recent renovations, and there's a deposit, so I'd call ahead before booking to avoid surprises at check-in. A+ experience, highly recommend.

I only stayed a day and didn't take pictures. The hotel was in the middle of renovation, and we had booked through Bokking.com. The main problem was using a third-party site with no way to communicate with customers. We arrived late and found the property wasn't as advertised. The attendant said he'd accidentally left his master key in the temporary lobby, which was inside a first-floor room, and had no spare. He couldn't call anyone and had no contact information for anyone to call if he had his phone. We waited for hours until he reached a maintenance guy who could get all of us, including him, out of the situation. He handled the OOPS like a champ, kept his cool, and made us feel like we were in it together. I would've been furious in his position. He eventually googled the maintenance guy's name, found a cell number, and after one last wait of about 20 minutes, we all went on with our lives. I commend the employees' eventual effort to make things right, though the renovation left them few ways to fix it. I'm sure the place will be nicer one day. Becoming an IHG hotel from an econo lodge probably isn't an easy transition. For now, as a loyal IHG customer, I'll keep driving through Greenville next time. Thanks IHG.