Holiday Inn Express Wilmington Porters Neck by IHG

When we come back to Wilmington, we’ll stay here again. My wife and I were at the Holiday Inn Express Wilmington Porters Neck the other day, and Cheri at the front desk was exceptionally pleasant, efficient, and knowledgeable. She suggested some local restaurants after checking us in, and she was right about the one we tried. I’m very grateful to her, and she deserves a raise. Our room was excellent by every measure, and the complimentary breakfast was very good. I highly recommend this place.

The front desk women were very pleasant, and the location is good. But it seemed like the hotel relies on that and neglects the rest. We were put on the infamous fourth floor, which lived up to the bad comments I’d read. The air smelled like a Chinese restaurant the whole time. Though the room had a modern design, it looked like it hadn’t been dusted in months, and the carpet probably hadn’t been vacuumed in weeks. The rest looked okay, but the wrinkled sheets didn’t smell fresh and made me doubt they’d been changed. I asked for a new set and changed them myself. Dear owner, I see you’re reading the comments, so please talk to housekeeping and let some people go if needed. Maybe hire experienced staff who care about doing the job. After a long day of travel, nobody wants to stay somewhere filthy. At $215 per room per night, it doesn’t feel fair.

I’ve stayed here twice for business, and it’ll be my go-to when I’m back later this year. Cherie at the front desk was a joy, with a great personality. Breakfast has a nice variety, and my king room was updated and more spacious, with USB outlets. There’s a Walmart down the road, a Harris Teeter across the highway, restaurants within walking distance, and a church across the parking lot.

My room was spotless, the cleanest hotel room I’ve ever slept in, and I used to travel a lot. I’ve stayed here before because it’s near my mother’s home. On Christmas Eve I wasn’t expecting much service-wise, but check-in took under 30 seconds, and they remembered I prefer a top-floor room near the elevators. I think that preference is saved in my IHG awards profile. For a limited-service hotel, breakfast choices were fine, and there were plenty of items to take on the road. I really can’t say enough nice things about the staff and hotel.