Holiday Inn Express & Suites Santa Fe by IHG

The hot tub’s jet pump was broken throughout our four-night stay. I’d have thought that was enough time to repair it. Service also lost points because the breakfast fruit selection was mealy apples and green bananas, which didn’t work for my wife, who only eats fruit in the morning. There were some nice touches: an indoor pool and homemade cookies at check-in. The newer building was well kept, and our spacious, clean room had comfortable beds, plenty of counter space and outlets, and Dove products, which I prefer. Breakfast had the yummiest cinnamon rolls.

Worst lodging experience I’ve had. The room smelled strange, housekeeping didn’t make the bed properly, and the front desk was slow and rude. While checking me out, the guy picked up his personal phone and left me waiting for five minutes. Multiple staff members also repeatedly questioned me about my service dog. The treadmill, water machine, and windows didn’t work. We stayed four days and three nights. Housekeeping entered our room each day and never reported any problem. But the day after we left, they charged me another $180, claiming my service animal had damaged the room, without contacting me first. I only found out by checking my bank account. I’ve taken my well-behaved dog to more than 30 hotels and on flights, and have never experienced this level of discrimination or a scam like this. He doesn’t bark, chew, or go potty indoors. We even took out our trash, cleaned the bathroom, and left a tip before leaving. Do not stay here with a service animal. They literally try to scam you.

The hotel was clean and nice, so it’s a good place to get some sleep in a clean environment. We’d been driving all day and just wanted a night’s rest before getting back on the road. But the front desk was rude and didn’t understand our situation. I’d recommend it for the room, not the hospitality.

The beds were very comfortable, the rooms a good size, and the hotel itself was very clean. I also liked the Dove products. Breakfast was decent but nothing special: the pancakes were chewy yet tasty, while the potatoes were still hard and undercooked. Service, though, was absolutely terrible. I arrived a little after 11pm, and the second set of doors wouldn’t open. I waited for the guy to let me in and joked that people could run right into them if they weren’t careful. He didn’t find that funny. He spoke so quietly that I could hardly understand him and had to ask him to repeat everything. He clearly hates his job, or just doesn’t care, and has no people skills. It was a really off-putting first impression. Without that, I’d have given five stars. Not sure why my original rating came through as four.