Holiday Inn Express Cincinnati North - Monroe by IHG

The front desk was efficient, and the hotel is close to Miami Valley Gaming, so those are the two points in its favor. Otherwise, it was a horrible stay for over $200. The beds were awful, the shower was broken, and the hot water was limited. The walls were incredibly thin, doors kept slamming, and kids ran up and down the halls knocking on doors. Definitely not a place for a romantic evening. We almost left and drove home.

The front desk staff were really friendly and helpful, but the rooms were dirty. The beds, carpets, and pretty much everything else in the rooms need a deep clean. Bring sanitizing wipes and Lysol spray for the bed. It’s not the worst hotel, but it definitely needs cleaning. Also, it isn’t American operated. If you’re an IHG rewards member, make sure you get your points for the stay.

It was an average hotel, with friendly staff and an older building that was clean enough. I don’t have any major complaints, but there were cracked tiles, a mediocre breakfast, and a strong fragrance in the halls. I’d give it 3.5 stars if I could, but settled on three.

The location is handy if you’re going to Miami Valley Casino, but our stay was awful. When I used the bathroom, I found someone else’s crap in the toilet, along with a pink mold ring around the tub drain. Gross. I just wanted someone to clean the bathroom, but apparently that couldn’t happen because the front desk person was the only one working on a busy Saturday and couldn’t leave. I understood that housekeeping wasn’t her job, so I asked what could be done. They offered a room change, but it was a downgrade, so I declined. The desk person said she’d ask the manager, then called back with the manager’s first suggestion: we could find another hotel and get refunded. Really, that was management’s first idea? I complained to IHG, whose underwhelming response was that they’d pass it along to the hotel, the same place I’d already complained to without getting help. When I said I hoped they wouldn’t mind the review I planned to write alongside their response, those emails suddenly vanished. The lack of accountability is unbelievable. How bad does a stay have to be before the company steps up for a customer? Finding someone else’s fecal matter in the toilet isn’t trivial to me, though apparently it’s normal here. It’s been over a week since my complaint, with no further response to my email. I won’t stay at another IHG property unless it’s my only option. I made that decision after the company failed to address this properly.