Holiday Inn Kalamazoo West by IHG

The front desk staff have always been incredibly supportive and helpful, and the owner seems genuinely good to both employees and customers. These are welcoming, helpful people. The hotel works well for business, everyday trips, or longer stays. I'd recommend these two hotels over most places in the Kalamazoo area.

We got back from a hockey game and dinner at 11:30 pm, hoping to sleep before an early drive home. Instead, the blinds wouldn't close, the room's hallway lights didn't work, and little pieces of broken glass were stuck in the carpet. At $160 a night, I expected to be able to close the blinds. The night staff couldn't resolve it. First they said there were no other rooms; later they said they might get one cleaned, then said there was no housekeeping staff available. They couldn't comp the room either, and offered food from the lobby mini-store as the best solution. I eventually got some sheets to hang over the window. We'd stayed here before and that visit was as expected, but this latest stay was unacceptable.

The breakfast was warm and tasty, but it was Flo's openness and willingness to chat before sunrise that stood out. She was honest and easy to talk with. The hotel manager was also a wonderful leader: empathetic, focused, funny, and setting a great example for the staff. Thanks for making me feel like family while I was 150 miles from my wife and children.

I've stayed here a few times for work, and each visit seems worse. I wouldn't recommend it. At check-in I was told about a $5 parking fee and a $40 incidental charge per night. I paid, but those charges should have been made clear before or during booking. There was no coffee pot in the room anymore, the bed was rock hard, and the shower was so slippery that both me and the person with me fell. The shower water left us feeling slimy, the wifi was bad, and the tap water wasn't drinkable. At 11pm Thursday I went to the lobby to buy water and they were out. They still had none when I checked out Sunday. Breakfast was burnt biscuits, bruised bananas, rubbery eggs, watery sausage, and stale cereal. Everyone shared and touched the gallons of milk. The coffee machines had decaf in them, while the regular coffee was in a carafe. The pool looked cloudy and uninviting. Noise came right through the room doors, so I could hear kids and people in the hall all night. At checkout, the man at the desk barely spoke English and couldn't print my bill, so I waited for an email. Then I saw a smoking fee charged two days before checkout, with no one telling me about it. I had a bag of flower from a dispensary in my duffle bag, and they said they could smell it. The man couldn't help, and there was no manager on site. After I reached a manager, she said she couldn't do anything about the charge and I would have to dispute it with my credit card company. Awful service. I'll never stay here again and don't recommend it.