Holiday Inn Express & Suites Lenoir Cty by IHG

The hotel was clean and nice, and Linsey at the front desk was terrific. He was friendly, really helpful, and went out of his way whenever he could. I’ll definitely stay here again.

This was our second time staying here during our yearly trips down I-75, and it’ll probably be the last. We were tired after hours on the road when we arrived around 10 pm. The website listed a Two King Bed Suite, but the desk said that was a website mistake, so we got a Two Queen Bed Suite instead. That part wasn’t a big deal. The first room, 210, was stuffy. Its thermostat had no power and the cover was held on with duct tape. When I went to adjust the AC manually, I found the vinyl blackout shade in a heap beside the unit. I called the desk, and the suggested fix was to send up a blanket for us to hang over the window. I said that wasn’t acceptable. They had no other suites available, and maintenance couldn’t come until morning. There were only three of us, so we didn’t need a suite. The attendant brought keys to another double queen room down the hall. She agreed the damaged shade in 210 shouldn’t have been left that way. In room 221, the thermostat still didn’t work, so I used the window AC. Its blackout shade came down, though the clutch felt odd, and I then saw that the light-filtering part wasn’t intact. We didn’t need that part, but the condition of both rooms made it seem like the property’s upkeep has slipped since our last visit.

We spent one night here while driving from Florida to Indiana. My husband was ready to stop, so I didn’t get time to look for another place through my Expedia account. The first-floor Double Queen room felt overpriced for what we got. It was okay, but could use some upkeep, and it wasn’t very clean, though I’ve stayed in worse. The floors were gross and the walls were thin. Around midnight, someone checked into the room next door and kept slamming doors and toilet lids. When they got into bed, the wall actually shook, and I woke up and didn’t sleep well afterward. Breakfast had a decent selection and was good. The fresh-ground coffee was good too.

The bed seemed clean and was comfortable, the AC worked well, and breakfast was decent. The rest was only okay, which was disappointing for a Holiday Inn. People were lingering outside at night, and I couldn’t tell why or whether it was safe. The room wasn’t filthy, but it wasn’t clean either, and the non-smoking room smelled a bit musty. The main problem was the toilet handle was missing. We had to take off the tank lid and lift the lever to flush. If “good enough” works for you, this place may do, but it wasn’t a great stay.