Holiday Inn Express & Suites Lakeland South by IHG

The property looked well kept, but I was really frustrated by how the bicycle rule was handled. After traveling all day, I arrived around 7 p.m. to check in and was told bikes couldn't go in the room, or there'd be a $250 extra charge. That restriction hadn't been mentioned when I booked. I'm a rewards member and have brought my bike into rooms on several stays at Holiday Inn properties without any issue. I even offered to carry it upstairs, but they still said no. I don't object to having a rule; I wish I'd known beforehand and been given an option before arriving, instead of scrambling to find another hotel after a long trip. The offered outdoor bike rack wasn't acceptable for a fairly expensive bicycle. I thought I'd done everything right, so the lack of communication left me upset and with nowhere to sleep.

The front desk staff were really nice and helped with all my questions. My room was comfortable and very clean, and the location worked well for my short trip. I'd recommend staying here and will come back when I'm in Florida again.

The broken toilet was a pretty unpleasant surprise, and with the hotel at full capacity I had to put up with it until the next day. I can understand there weren't rooms to move me to, but a toilet that doesn't work is still no good. I could also hear my neighbor snoring all night. That's never happened to me before, so that was lovely.

I won't book here again. I came from the other side of the country, but they wouldn't let me check in before 3 p.m. even though many rooms were available. There was no option to pay for early check-in and no flexibility. The manager was rude for no reason, wagging her finger in my face and saying she had seven years of experience, as if that had anything to do with it. Nobody had been rude or impolite to her. I know people have bad days, but this must have been her worst.