Hotel Indigo Gainesville-Celebration Pointe by IHG

I came back for NAIA Indoor Track Nationals because my stay here last year had been so good. This time they couldn’t find my reservation, even after I showed it in my IHG account. They said staff would sort it out the next day. I never heard anything, so I assumed it was handled since they had the original reservation number. Instead, I was charged over $1,100 for two nights, though my booking was under $400. I’ve still been charged twice, and management hasn’t contacted me as I requested. On my last day, I also asked about a ring I’d left in the lobby bathroom while washing my hands. The same employee was incredibly rude, gesturing at the front desk and asking, “do you see a ring around here?” I had to specifically ask her to check lost and found, and I’m not sure she did. She never had the manager contact me either, while overcharging me for a stay I’d already paid for. One employee can really ruin a hotel’s reputation.

We used points to book, but after I gave my credit card for incidentals at check-in, I saw the full $239 standard-room charge on it. The employee said they’d correct it in the system. After checkout the charge was still there. The manager told me the person who checked us in had deleted the special code needed to bill the room in points. He didn’t apologize or offer help, and said I’d have to contact my card company to resolve it. I’ve used card points at hotels all over the world without trouble, and this should have been straightforward. We stay in Gainesville once a month and expect to keep coming for appointments indefinitely, but we won’t stay here again. The person apparently doesn’t know how to solve problems and has lost a customer. I’d strongly advise against using points at this hotel.

My family and I were left outside in the cold for five hours after arriving at 1:00 AM, despite a prepaid reservation and confirmed late arrival. The hotel had oversold, but there was no service recovery or alternate accommodation arranged or paid for. The new front desk agent repeatedly called superiors for help, and those calls went unanswered. The next day, Karina Hamilton showed very poor guest relations. She wouldn’t reimburse the extra $150 we had to spend elsewhere and instead said proudly that we weren’t charged a no-show fee because “they were able to rent the room.” To me, that sounds like management deliberately broke a guaranteed hold to take a walk-in premium and raise the Average Daily Rate (ADR), rather than honor a prepaid family booking. The MOD escalation process is broken, and Karina Hamilton’s lack of oversight is a serious concern. This feels like a badly managed 2-star motel. If you’re traveling with family and expect your room to be there, book somewhere else. Avoid this property.

We picked this place for the short drive to Paynes Prairie. It’s on the west edge of Gainesville, but getting around town was easy, and shopping is centrally located if that’s your thing. The room was clean and the service was good. Had a good stay.