Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Independence-Kansas City by IHG

The mattress was great and the coffee was okay. That's all I can say that's good. The pool and hot tub have been out of service for months, the shower had weak pressure and no hot water, and the tub didn't drain. My feet ended up soaking in a bath of soap scum. There were wires sticking out of the wall by the A/C and dead spiders along the carpet edge that hadn't been vacuumed. If you don't mind lots of broken things during your hotel stay and just want a comfy bed and some coffee, this might be the place for you :)

The location may once have been good, but now the area has mostly closed businesses and boarded-up restaurants. The room wasn't in great shape either: curtains were torn, lampshades hadn't been replaced, paint was peeling in the shower, and the cleaning seemed to miss half the room. There wasn't a hair dryer, and housekeeping struggled to find one because apparently most rooms were missing them. Even the TV reception kept cutting out. The front desk staff seemed like they didn't want to be there and were unenthusiastic about helping replace pillows because of a down allergy. I wish I could give a better review, but this was a poor experience.

After 12 hours on the road with small children, we arrived and immediately saw a stinkbug crawling on the pillow where the kids were meant to sleep. There was a marijuana smell in the lobby, elevator, and hallways. The front desk woman seemed unconcerned and said she was alone, couldn't leave the desk, and couldn't help. The bathtub was cracked and broken, and its missing parts and cracks scratched my kids' bottoms. Then, as we were settling down, I noticed the room getting warmer because the air wasn't running. The window unit had no power. I called the desk again, but she said she wasn't allowed in rooms and there was no maintenance person on site, so she couldn't help. I could see mold in the air unit and smell it, and I got a splitting headache almost as soon as I entered the building. At 9:30 p.m. we had to pack everything and leave for a hotel down the street. My headache went away immediately there. We'd been at this hotel for maybe an hour and a half, and I'm still waiting to hear about a refund. I don't recommend it at all. Can I give them zero stars?

I'm a Diamond member and have stayed at many IHG properties. The woman who checked me in was very sweet, but after that the stay went downhill. My room had flies on the windowsill and a loose toilet seat that made me slide around. Three treadmills in the fitness room had out-of-service signs, and so did the ice machine. I usually buy water when I check in, but they had none. When I asked if more would arrive soon, I was told maybe sometime that week. I've never stayed at a property without bottled water. I came by Uber and had no way to get water. I have kidney disease, don't drink soda, and need access to water. The room TVs were very old and outdated. My bill was $177 for one night, and I've stayed in much nicer places for less. IHG should take another look at this business and tell them to clean the place up or just make it a cheap flop house.