Holiday Inn Denver-Parker-E470/Parker Road by IHG

I called ahead to ask if the hotel had a swimming pool, and the woman said yes, but didn’t mention that it was closed. I then asked about breakfast and learned they weren’t serving that either. Overall, it was a very negative experience. The front desk woman didn’t seem hospitable, and I got the feeling she hates her job.

I slept well enough and felt safe there, which is the one reason I might stay again. But the hotel was dark and dingy, and stepping onto my floor gave me an “ewww” feeling. It’s old and needs renovation, with some love and light to make it appealing again. I travel a lot, and the environment would usually put me off returning. I was also very disappointed there was no Continental breakfast. Holiday Inn should offer that, it’s a nice service.

The smart TVs are basically useless because the hotel’s WiFi firewall keeps them from connecting to the network. We had to plug in a laptop with HDMI to watch anything streaming. The hotel also feels dated: the carpet and furniture are stained, and there are strange scuff marks at eye level all along the hallway walls.

The front desk guy immediately refused when I politely asked to switch rooms because ours smelled strongly of mold or mildew. He said it was because we were over the pool. I understood the location, but still wanted to move. Maybe they didn’t have many rooms available, even though the app showed standard rooms, but I expected more help than a “deal with it” attitude. If they know there’s a mold problem, they shouldn’t rent those rooms. We stay at Holiday Inn because they’re usually clean and consistent, and this stay was really disappointing. IHG brands have been slipping fast. We decided to leave instead of staying. I handed the key to the attendant, and he immediately said I wouldn’t be getting a refund. I hadn’t even asked for one, I’d only said we’d decided to stay somewhere else. If it’s available, Springhill Suites nearby is amazing.