Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Oakland-Airport by IHG

It's close to the airport, with affordable shuttle service, and the staff were friendly and accommodating. Our driver, Darius, was great. He communicated clearly, was patient while picking us up, and got us to the airport safely.

The property seemed fine and secure, but I had one bad experience. I realized I'd left medication in my room and called at 3am to ask whether it had been found. I chose the front desk option, which routed me to the night auditor. In a condescending tone, he told me I should check during “normal working hours, when management and housekeeping was in the building rather than at 3am, in case i wasn’t aware of the time!” Apparently I was expected to know how the hotel staffs its phones overnight, and who might answer the front desk line at that hour. They should reconsider routing those calls to employees who can't be helpful or friendly, whatever the time.

Unlike other Holiday Inn hotels, this one doesn't show the parking price on the front of its website until after you've booked. We called repeatedly asking for a supervisor; each time they said they'd call back, but never did. When I requested a credit card dispute, they still couldn't get a supervisor on the phone. Bad experience, and I don't recommend it.

We spent three nights here because a conference in SFO left us with few options. It turned out okay, though not great. The room was clean and had the basics, and the complimentary breakfast was good, which was what caught our eye when booking. The gym, 24-hour coffee bar, and mini shop were useful too. We'd maybe keep it as a second choice. What bothered us was the $150 incidental hold taken at check-in. We hadn't been told about it when booking, and the money wasn't released at checkout either. It seemed strange to us, since the hotel could keep all or part of it by claiming some kind of room damage. It also causes extra bank charges and taxes for customers. They should remove this policy, even four- or five-star hotels don't do this. There's no decent place to eat within walking distance, so each time we needed a ride or Uber Eats.