Holiday Inn Express & Suites Port Lavaca by IHG

This has been such a frustrating disappointment. I had to cancel because my mother was sick, and my booking clearly said the cancellation fee would be $0. I also got an email confirming there would be no charge, but at that same moment my card was charged $185. When I called the front desk, they said they had no record of either the reservation or cancellation, even though the hotel name showed on my bank statement. The hotel sent me to Booking.com, and Booking.com sent me back to the hotel. I'm still waiting for the refund. If I could give zero stars, I would.

I asked for a refund so we could take the kids somewhere comfortable, but they refused, leaving us stuck in a hot room. The AC wasn't working properly, and there apparently wasn't any maintenance or housekeeping staff available. After I asked for sheets and blankets about seven hours earlier, I had to go back to the desk around 10 p.m. and carry them up myself. They said the person hadn't known they were supposed to bring them up. None of the outlets worked either, so we couldn't charge our phones. We'd booked a suite with two queen beds and a pullout couch for our children, including our two-year-old. When we got the key shortly after check-in and opened the door, the smell was so strong we almost got sick. There was an ozone machine on the dresser. The front desk man was nice enough to come back with us, but said, “oh yeah, it smells like mold killer”. He moved us to another room that was supposed to be the same size, but wasn't. I said we'd make do and asked for extra bedding. When we returned later, after leaving the AC on all day, the room was still hot. I've never dealt with such poor service. I work in property management and would never treat residents or guests like this.

The pool was packed with kids who weren't being supervised, which was disappointing since I was hoping to get a quick swim. Aside from that, the location was great, with the beach and pier right across the road and fishing available at the hotel. Breakfast was nice, everything looked updated and clean, and there were lots of places to eat nearby.

We paid extra for an ocean-view room, as expected, and really loved our stay. The hotel was very clean, and we didn't run into any issues. Breakfast was a full spread with hot and cold food, fruit, coffee, and juice. The staff were amazing, and the beach was an easy walk away.