Holiday Inn Express & Suites St. Louis West-O'Fallon

Bino really stood out, always greeting me with a smile and making sure any problems were handled. The rest of the staff were accommodating too, and my room was clean and nice. I can't recommend this hotel enough!

The location suited us well, about 11 minutes from the equestrian center, with the Lewis and Clark trail along the Missouri river only a few minutes away by car. Renovation work was going on, but the hours were limited to 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends, so it likely won't bother most guests unless they're around during the day. The hotel does need the updates. Our bathroom was only partly redone: the shower and counter were new, but the old sink base looked dingy, and paint was peeling badly from the door and frame. The room wasn't filthy, but there were lots of crumbs in the middle fold of the pullout mattress when we opened it for the kids. Breakfast staff were the best of the bunch, attentive and good about keeping everything neat and filled. The pancake station was broken all four days, though, and Holiday Inn Express serves breakfast from 6:30 to 9:30, compared with 6 to 10 at Hampton Inn. The fitness room is tiny, with one treadmill, one elliptical, and another cardio machine, plus only a few mismatched dumbbells and weights. There's barely space to stretch. It is open 24 hours, unlike the Hampton Inn we visited a few weeks ago, whose gym had a universal Smith machine but closed from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Staff in general were fine, nothing special and nothing to complain about. I wouldn't rule this hotel out if the price and location work for you, but with so many other options nearby, I wouldn't go out of my way to stay there.

The woman at check-in was fantastic, so kind and personable. Most of the stay, though, fell short of what I expect from Holiday Inn. Breakfast was just okay, and the cinnamon rolls were cold. Our door's main lock worked, but the extra safety lock was loose. The shower and walls looked grimy, with puddles left in different spots, and the hall hadn't been vacuumed. In the room, there was sticky liquid and a paste-like spill near the entrance and between the beds. Nothing was horrible, but it was disappointing.

The housekeepers were the only good part of this stay. The pool was badly neglected, with yellow-green water that burned when we got in. The floor had sharp, jagged spots, and my daughter cut her foot when she jumped in. It looked like the pool had been in poor shape for years. Breakfast was subpar, and the time to get it was short. It felt like they cared more about getting extra money than about guests enjoying their stay. The pet deposit policy was confusing and made no sense. Online it said a $50 nonrefundable fee per stay, and when I called the Holiday Inn corporate line, they said the same. At the hotel, we were told it was $50 per night for stays under seven days, but $50 total if you stayed seven days. The AC also wouldn't reach the temperature we set: changing it above or below 70 only shifted the temperature by a degree, no more.