Holiday Inn Express Ft Bragg by IHG

We stayed here overnight while driving up after recently relocating to the Medford, Oregon area. The hostess kindly stepped away from her office Christmas party to bring us extra linens, a thoughtful extra effort. The staff are friendly and considerate. There's also a cool automated pancake machine in the breakfast nook, and the beautiful drive through the city is a bonus. Thumbs way up!

This Holiday Inn is clean, serves a nice breakfast, and has thoughtful staff who are proud of their town. They can point out places to see, like Glass Beach, though they might overlook how quaint the town itself is. Coming from a big city, I find all the little-town details adorable. Fort Bragg CA is a sweet stop on the way through the far western part of northern CA, though getting to this quiet town isn't easy. Look up the history of Ft Bragg CA, and if you get the chance, stay overnight at the Holiday Inn Express while exploring the tranquil cities along Highway 1.

My kids' Christmas gift trip was such a disappointment. The pool and spa were why we booked, but the indoor pool was closed hours before we arrived because of cloudy water, and it remained untreated during all three nights we stayed. I asked each day for a rate discount and got nowhere. A basketball team came through, and breakfast ran out of food with 45 minutes of service left. The kitchen had no more supplies, not even milk for cereal, and when staff asked the front desk to get more, they were refused and told a delivery would arrive that afternoon. The hotel's only ice machine was broken. It's pet friendly, but there was dog poop behind my car when I went to pack up. I asked the team to make the stay better for us, and they did nothing.

I paid more to book this place through my credit card specifically for the pool, only to find it was closed. They wouldn't offer a better room or a discount. Check ahead if you want to use the pool, since the third-party sites I checked didn't show the closure. The elevator smelled of smoke, and none of the three remotes we tried worked, so we couldn't use the TV. Olivia apologized the next day and even gave me some IHG points to help make up for the disappointing stay.