Holiday Inn Roanoke Airport – Conference CTR by IHG

The room situation was a mess from the start. I asked for a king with a tub, but the first room had no tub, and neither did the second, which also had no heat or AC and smelled like a dog. The third room had a tub but not a king bed, so I settled for it. There was a blood stain on the comforter and a roach in the bathroom. The heat was set to 64, yet the room stayed at 70 all night. During our two-night stay, my card deactivated each night and I couldn’t get in, so I had to walk all the way around. Housekeeping was making a huge racket next door at 8 a.m. as we were leaving. When I asked to speak to the manager at checkout, I was told they were doing an inspection and had no time for me. I have no money for you again. The front sign is burned out, and the menu online doesn’t match the restaurant’s menu. Never again. Do better or you’ll be out of business.

I drove almost five hours from Norfolk to spend Thanksgiving with my family, but when I arrived around 7 p.m., I was refused check-in because I had a Roanoke ID. I’d booked through a third-party site. Melinda B. was the manager checking people in, and she wasn’t helpful. She came across like she was trying to provoke me. I explained that I don’t live in Roanoke, that I go to school out of town, and that during breaks I couch-hop without a permanent address. I even showed her a letter with my new dorm address and explained my living situation. She still said, “you haven’t had a chance to change your address,” despite what I’d already told her. Then she suggested other locations and said, “that seems more your type,” which I found very offensive. Not being allowed to check in wasn’t even the main issue for me. It was the lack of professionalism and sensitivity. I’d like to be contacted about this.

The rooms were clean and kept at a comfortable temperature, and I’ve had good experiences at newer Holiday Inn Express hotels lately. There’s a Dunkin and a Starbucks right outside, so you can get whichever morning fix you prefer. On road trips I’m a Starbucks person. Brady’s Distillery is also around the corner if you want a nightcap.

We were here for a convention, and around 75 people all lined up to check in at once. Melinda, the manager, could have helped the front desk clerk get through what must have been one of the longest lines she’d seen, but instead she walked away from her computer and left the other woman to handle it. She came back about 30 minutes later and started checking people in. This line could have been avoided if they’d checked people in as they arrived, but the hotel insisted on charging the full amount for another night if you checked in even one minute early. The facilities are alright at best, and the customer service was poor. There are other hotels within walking distance, so I’d advise staying at one of them.