Holiday Inn Express & Suites San Antonio NW - Medical Area by IHG

There are only a few good points here: the woman who checked me in was pleasant, the fitness center was decent, the rate was good, and the Wi-Fi let me stream live sports. The rest was hard to recommend. The breakfast was rough. The omelets were burned, the bread was stale, the dining benches were badly stained, and part of the TV picture was blacked out. Around the hotel, only one of the four ice machines worked, every hand sanitizer dispenser was empty, and the lobby men’s room had no paper towels. In my room, the AC and heat worked on and off, and the unit put out a mildew smell. I doubt its filter has been changed in years. There was no alarm clock or desk lamp, so one corner stayed dim, and the toilet seat wouldn’t stay up. These problems should be easy to fix. Management just doesn’t seem to care.

I spent four nights here and never managed to see the manager. I started contacting customer service on the second day, then tried IHG Customer Support as well, but neither got anything resolved. For what I paid, the service and stinginess were unacceptable. The problems started with the basics. The Wi-Fi was so slow I couldn’t work, and the front desk told me it was slow throughout the whole hotel, so they knew about it. The business center printer didn’t work either. When I asked for paper to write something by hand, I got one sheet. I asked for a few more and was reluctantly handed a second, with the staff member questioning what I needed it for. I’ve never seen a hotel be so stingy over paper. They also gave me the wrong breakfast hours. The food was poor, the pancake machine was broken, and I found hair in the bathroom because the room hadn’t been cleaned properly. A terrible stay, and I wouldn’t recommend it.

We were in town for a concert at the Alamo Dome, and Thomas at the front desk made a real difference. He suggested taking the park and ride a mile down the street, which spared us traffic and parking fees. We appreciated the tip enough to ask him about places to eat too. He recommended a few, and two of the restaurants we tried were excellent. We’ll come back to try the third. The hotel is gated, which helped us feel safe. The room was decent and fairly quiet. We’re looking forward to staying again.

The room itself was in bad shape. Its window was broken, upkeep seemed minimal, the refrigerator was extremely loud and sounded close to dying, and the coffee machine didn’t work properly. Fortunately, it was only one night and I was out on business most of the time. Checking in was odd too. I gave the name on my reservation, but he asked for all my information as though there were no booking. When I asked, he said the reservation was there and they just needed the details in case. After we reached the room, someone from reception knocked and asked my name again, then said, “Oh, yeah, you were in the system for a reservation.” I’m not going back.