Holiday Inn Express & Suites Rochester – Mayo Clinic Area by IHG

Breakfast was the most objectionable part of my stay. I've liked Holiday Inn Express breakfasts for years, but this visit had a lot of problems: very stale bagels, only two yogurts in the small fridge, and issues with both quality and quantity. The bigger concern was hygiene. I don't know the health department's rules for breakfast buffets, but the attendant had no name badge or other sign he was affiliated with Holiday Inn and stood around giving guests a hard stare. I watched him refill the warmers without gloves, and grab plastic cutlery from a drawer under the buffet with bare hands. Then he mopped tables and buffet surfaces with a dirty, wet rag, using his bare hands. He used that same rag on the coffee machine's electronic control pad, then handled utensils, warming dish handles, and tongs with those same hands. Yuck. That didn't seem remotely sanitary. My room also hadn't been cleaned properly. The carpets looked unvacuumed, and there was someone else's food in the mini fridge. I didn't notice until I had unpacked and settled in, or I would have asked for another room. The worst part was a half-eaten carton of Ben & Jerry's, turned into a gloppy mess because I don't think that fridge has a proper freezer compartment. I used to like this hotel, especially since it's five minutes from Mayo Clinic, where I've been receiving care for eight months. I've stayed here more than six times in the last seven months, but I won't be back. The standards have fallen too far.