Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Slidell by IHG

Courtney was great when she checked me in, and Jerry was so nice too. The whole team gave the best customer service and helped with ideas for things to do as tourists. The hotel is nice and clean, and only 20-30 minutes from French Quarter. They really went above and beyond to make the stay comfortable. I wish I could give more stars. Best hands down!

The breakfast station was fresh and well stocked each morning, easily one of the best free breakfasts we’ve had on our travels. Cornell was awesome and made us feel at home. A very pleasant woman whose name I can’t recall also helped us, and her tip to try the French Market Cafe’s muffuletta was spot on. It rivaled the famous Central Grocery, the originator of the muffuletta sandwich. My wife and I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express Slidell at 623 Voters Road for our 36th wedding anniversary and Mardi Gras. Slidell made a good base: close to the parades and the French Quarter, but quieter when we wanted to relax. The staff made us feel welcome, check-in was seamless, and the room was spotless, modern, and well maintained. The bed was very comfortable after long days walking and watching parades. We also found it a much better value than the sky-high French Quarter prices during Carnival, with great amenities and service. Celebrating during Carnival could have been stressful, but the team made things easy. We’ll be back.

The toilet was nasty, and the shower floor was so dirty I stood on a hand towel. It was filthy after my shower too. Doors had been painted over despite being rotten, fixtures were rusty, and some were barely attached. The business center was in bad shape: one computer was frozen, the other eventually worked, but the equipment had three inches of dust. The printer ink was so faint that important paperwork was almost unreadable. When I asked the front desk about it, they said casually that it wasn’t uncommon and offered no replacement ink. I called ahead about my reservation and was put on hold for 15 minutes before being hung up on. On arrival, he wasn’t apologetic. I’ve stayed at a lot of IHG properties, and this is one of the worst. It’s going on my never-stay-again list.

My room was clean, quiet, and comfortable, and the large lot is handy if you have a big truck or a small trailer. I chose this hotel because Holiday Inns generally have a restaurant, but the restaurant wasn’t open for dinner. Also, the young woman at the front desk seemed much more focused on her phone than on checking me in.