Holiday Inn Express & Suites Laurel by IHG

I’ve never had a worse hotel stay. My partner and I were at the Holiday Inn Express in Laurel, MS over Thanksgiving. We were told by phone that early check-in would be free, but when we arrived at 4 a.m. they said we’d have to pay for another night. We ended up sleeping on a family member’s couch until morning. At around 9 a.m. we checked in and found visible hair all over the sheets in our first room. The desk moved us to room 307. After sleeping there, I woke up with clusters of large, painful bites on my leg and back. My partner saw more on my back that hadn’t been there the day before. The number and pattern looked consistent with bed bugs, though I can’t say for certain. We reported it when we got back late that night, but no manager was available. They moved us to a third room, which was clean, and I didn’t get any new bites there. I raised it with the front desk again in the morning and left my phone number and email, but nobody called. At checkout, a man who seemed to be a manager brushed off the concern and handed me my receipt. He said nothing could be done without “his” approval, but never explained who “he” was. There were several problems: unclear check-in information, a first room that hadn’t been cleaned properly, a second room that may have had bed bugs (I have photos), no management follow-up, and a dismissive checkout response. I expected much better from a Holiday Inn Express. Guests should be taken seriously and feel safe when reporting possible bed bugs. This was handled unprofessionally.