Holiday Inn Express & Suites Lubbock Central - Univ Area by IHG

The location makes getting around awkward. For most places in town, you have to go about a mile in the wrong direction and make a U-turn. Since it sits right off the freeway, there’s plenty of car noise and it doesn’t feel quite as safe as the photos suggest. We also heard a fair amount of noise through the floor from the room above. The hotel itself was nice.

It was a well-kept, clean hotel with a great breakfast. Our room was the main problem. We’d booked through a third party and didn’t realize until arrival that we’d accidentally reserved a handicap room. We asked to switch to a normal one, but the man at the desk said he couldn’t change third-party reservations. Also, the first-floor exit door beside our room slammed loudly and kept waking us as people went in and out all night.

We paid about $200 a night and had an amazing stay. When I asked at the desk whether there was a shower bench I could call down for, they said there wasn’t one. That was fine, but I called anyway, and a knock came at our door 5 minutes later with a bench. Everything from check-in through breakfast this morning was great. Holiday inn has really stepped up its game!

After my flight was cancelled, I traveled overnight to reach the hotel with two other people. All three of our stays had been cancelled without anyone calling to check whether we were still coming. We rebooked on arrival, but despite my confirmation email showing the right dates, I was woken up two nights in a row. The first “night” was a cleaner waking me, and they charged me for an extra night without telling me, even though it was already included in my stay. The next night, someone called the room phone and hung up as soon as I answered, then did the same on my personal phone. When I called back, they said I had to leave by noon or pay for another night. I paid so I could get a proper night’s sleep, then checked my confirmation again. EVERY NIGHT OF MY STAY SHOULD ALREADY HAVE BEEN COVERED. Somehow they hadn’t checked the reservation emails before any of this. I’ve never seen such pure incompetence at another hotel, regardless of the company. Completely ridiculous.