Holiday Inn Omaha Convention Center

We spent almost the whole day at the water park and had a great time. The slides were a lot of fun, and it was fairly priced. I’d recommend it to anyone with kids of any age. I only took off a star because some of the other listed activities, like mini golf, weren’t working. We didn’t stay at the attached hotel because of its bad reviews, and I’m glad we didn’t. It looked kind of run down.

The beds were comfortable, breakfast was great, and every staff member I saw was smiling and made eye contact. They were very friendly and accommodating even though we booked at the last minute. A few loud guests were the only real bother. I was nervous coming through the doors after reading the reviews, but our room was clean and smelled nice when we arrived. It was a pleasant surprise. The place could use a bit of updating, which is why I didn’t give it five stars.

We had booked a suite weeks earlier, then my husband upgraded it earlier that week. At check-in, they said our reserved room wasn’t available and claimed they had something better. They put us in the tower. The parking lot was very dim and felt sketchy, the building doors were propped open, and the hallway and room were poorly lit. The room was nasty, wasn’t a suite, and had two double beds instead of the king suite we’d reserved. When my husband came up with the luggage, we called the front desk and got no answer, so we went down to complain. They said a reservation and payment didn’t guarantee the room we wanted, and that two beds counted as an upgrade. No apology. They said we wouldn’t be billed, but the charges are still pending on our card, even though we refused to stay. Friends who’d also reserved a suite got the same treatment. Their room had bodily fluids spread around it, and again, there was no apology. We all had to find rooms at 11 pm on a Friday, each with two young kids. I’d never recommend this place. Thankfully the Courtyard Marriott had two wonderful rooms available.

This was hectic and confusing from the start, with so many people around and staff seeming overwhelmed. An anime convention was on, which could certainly have contributed to the crowds. The hotel is huge, and we were told it was the equivalent of four city blocks to walk from our room to the lobby. Driving to the nearby door seemed easier, but I didn’t want to have to get in the car every time I needed something from the lobby. It wasn’t relaxing, and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone looking for peace and quiet or a place to unwind. It might work for a competition or other large group activity. The lobby looked nice, and the room was reasonably presentable and seemed clean, but the buildings with the rooms and their carpets were old. The TV remote didn’t work, so I gave up trying to watch anything. There are much nicer hotels about 1-2 miles away for $10 more. Some updates are needed if this place wants to stay competitive. I’ll warn people about it.