Holiday Inn Express & Suites Leesburg - Historic District by IHG

I booked and prepaid for the room through a third-party platform, but at check-in they asked for a card for incidentals and then charged my card the room rate within two minutes. I raised it right away. The front desk attendant said only the manager could fix it and that they’d take care of it when I came in the next day. Three weeks later, I’ve called four times, and my credit card company has called and emailed too. Every time, we’re told only the manager can issue a refund and they aren’t in, even when we call at the times they tell us to. Either there’s no manager at this property, they’re completely incompetent, or they’re dragging it out until I give up. I’m incredibly frustrated that they think this is acceptable treatment of customers. If this is how Holiday Inn Express handles things, I have no chance of staying at one again.

The rooms felt almost new after the January 2025 switch from Comfort Suites to Holiday Inn Express, and they even left us a wedding gift in our room after the event. We arranged our wedding block through the Leesburg Holiday Inn Express, booking in August 2024 for May 2025. They guaranteed at least 20 rooms; any beyond that depended on availability, though the rate stayed the same for bookings made under our block. The sales team was great and answered emails promptly, but they keep regular weekday business hours, Monday to Friday, 9 to 5. The front desk, by contrast, is staffed around the clock. We'd happily recommend them.

I paid $563 for a stay I cancelled two weeks before check-in, and I had also paid for insurance so I could make that change. I contacted the hotel several times to make sure they knew the reservation through @Booking.com had been cancelled and that I wouldn't be charged. They insisted Booking.com had to call them, saying emails from the site weren't enough. Now I'm trying to get the money back, and they still won't refund me unless Booking.com calls. I've had no luck getting the hotel and Booking.com to connect. My advice is to avoid Booking.com, since they seem to be there to charge you but not help when there's a problem. Also avoid Holiday Inn Express & Suites Leesburg - Historic District by IHG at all costs. The customer service has been awful.

The location was great, and everything felt clean, comfortable, and welcoming. I took off a star because the shower pressure was a bit weak, which matters a lot to me.