Holiday Inn Express And Suites Joplin Southeast by IHG

The room was clean, and the location right off I-44 was convenient, but the service didn't match what Holiday Inn Express charges these days. I'm a gold level member and stay at Holiday Express hotels at least once a month, and prices keep climbing while service slips. After nearly 13 hours on the road, I found out there was no coffee maker in the room because they'd gone green, though I could supposedly request one. They said coffee was available downstairs 24/7, but at 6:05 AM, five minutes after breakfast began, both machines were down for cleaning. The elevators were also out, and they couldn't give me a first-floor room. This was a new low. No wonder more people are getting RVs.

The room was so cramped that an adult had to turn sideways to get into the bathroom, whose opening was narrower than adult shoulders. We've had more space in cruise ship cabins. The hotel looked worn and old outside the clean lobby, and there was a sizeable lip at the entrance that nearly tipped my wife out of her wheelchair. Although the staff thanked us for being rewards members, they put us at the far end of the hall even though the nearly empty parking lot suggested plenty of rooms were open. Maybe that should've been a warning. Ice was only available downstairs in the lobby, and the cleaning crew ignored the do not disturb sign on our door. I've stayed at plenty of Holiday Inns and Holiday Inn Expresses over the years, and this is one of the worst.

I stayed here before IHG bought the property, and they did a great job turning it into a Holiday Inn Express. The renovated rooms are really nice and meet IHG standards. I'd recommend it and would stay again.

The room felt fresh and clean after the hotel's recent remodel. One thing missing was a towel rod in the bathroom for anyone who wants to reuse towels. I've noticed that at the last three IHG hotels we've stayed at. The two speed bumps near the front entrance are pretty tall, but you can go around back to avoid them.