Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Swansea by IHG

The whole floor smelled like cigarette smoke from the time we arrived until we left, and sometimes it was strong enough to notice in our room. The pool was freezing, so my kids and I wouldn’t swim. We got there Thursday, and opening our room took around 30-40 swipes of the key card. It kept happening throughout the stay, even after we got new cards. After this, we won’t be back to any Holiday Inn for quite some time.

I booked five months ahead and am an IHG member, but the hotel bumped me after I booked through Expedia because a group was coming in. Four days before my trip, they moved me to an inferior property, leaving no time to make other arrangements. They also made it impossible to get a refund for the price difference. Customer service was horrible. The manager is useless and won’t return phone messages. I was overcharged and never got my money back. You can’t count on this hotel to honor a reservation, so book somewhere else and avoid Holiday Inn. I’d avoid IHG properties too, since their customer service has been useless.

The location was ideal for where we needed to be that weekend, and check-in went smoothly. But the next morning, when I showered, brown water ran for about 2-3 minutes. I’ve stayed here before and never had this issue. I asked the front desk to move us. She said it was just the pipes and the water would clear, but I told her I wouldn’t feel clean showering in brown water and really wanted another room. She refused and said they were sold out. That seemed untrue, since rooms were still available online. When I asked if she’d feel comfortable showering in that water herself, she brushed it off as a non-issue.

I stay here because I have to, not because I want to. Nothing was especially good or bad overall, but the accessible room had several problems. The tub and shower had grab bars but no built-in bench or shower chair, so I brought my own. There was no shower wand, which meant I couldn’t adjust the shower head from my chair. I had to set it first and hope I got the angle right. The soap and shampoo dispensers were on the wall opposite the shower head. The grab bars also kept the curtain from closing fully on either side, so water leaked onto the bathroom floor and made it slippery. The bathroom had an exhaust fan, but only a light switch, so the fan didn’t run. Moisture built up even though I don’t take especially hot showers, and there were signs of mold around the bathroom. The shower head had so much mold underneath that water sprayed in different directions. I arrived late and had to park behind the hotel because there was no accessible parking or other parking out front. There were side entrances, but from outside they were unusable: the handles just turned freely, and there was no sign the key card was being read. I wonder how long both doors had been broken. The road layout also makes it hard to see traffic coming, and people around here drive like they’re chasing a NASCAR lap record. That’s not the hotel’s fault, but it’s something to keep in mind.