Holiday Inn Express & Suites Hayward - Castro Valley by IHG

I needed somewhere to sleep after my other booking fell through, and stayed two nights. Parking made me nervous at first, but the lot cameras helped put my mind at ease. The woman at the desk was really nice, and although there was some confusion about which room I'd get, it looked just like the pictures. It seemed modern inside, and the AC worked so well I got cold. The bed was comfortable, though the pillows were too soft for me. The shower was huge, but the water pressure wasn't great and it kept stopping on checkout morning, which set me back. The TV was nice but had few channels. It felt decently safe, and I'd come back.

This newer hotel is on the main road, and the rooms are spacious with a fridge and microwave. Breakfast was a great free buffet with lots of options. Staff helped sort out the billing mess, including daily security deposit charges and an initial double charge after they got my check-in wrong. They made sure everything was settled by checkout.

Nicole, the front desk manager, was a wonderful person and gave great service. The hotel is new and has great facilities, with plenty of places to eat and shop just around the corner. My wife, son, and I feel lucky and happy to be here.

We won't be back, even though the location was convenient for visiting my daughter and grandkids. The area felt sketchy, with homeless people in the parking lot, and we worried about leaving our car there. The room was basic, the carpet stained despite the hotel being fairly new, and the bathroom floor looked uncleaned. We had to ask for a blow dryer; the housekeeper insisted it was in the room, then checked and brought one herself. Breakfast was a mess both mornings. We arrived at 9:15 after checking the posted hours, 6 to 10, and found no food. Other guests had also been told it ran until 10, and the pancake machine wasn't being used, which especially disappointed my daughter. The server was kind and said she wasn't paid overtime and her hours had been cut. At the desk, I was told, “The times have changed, guess everyone didn't get the memo.” The next day we came at 8:30 and again found no food, with people waiting and empty plates. The server brought out cinnamon rolls that were moldy. After we were out for the day, we returned to find no hot water. Our room phone didn't work, either. The front desk said they'd look into it, but an hour later, when we still had no hot water, the response was “sorry got busy.” It was still out that evening. I spoke with the manager on duty, Heather Townsend, and asked what could be done. She said there was no hot water. My daughter had heard from other guests that they had hot water, and told Heather. I asked if we could at least shower in another room. They said one was available but dirty, and Heather told me I could shower there. I refused. I also mentioned breakfast, the moldy food, and broken showers and asked for compensation. She said no and told me I could leave. I filed a formal complaint through customer service, but when I followed up, they said they had no record of it. I had to file again. The representative then called the hotel and said they were cleaning a room for us to shower in, but the front desk never contacted me about it. We arrived at 3 a.m. and had been told breakfast began at 6. I checked the hours again before bed the next night. This was the worst experience. I'd give zero stars if I could.