Holiday Inn Express Tallahassee - I-10 E by IHG

They let us check in a couple of hours early for our one-night stay for the Savana Banana game. The place was clean, and the neighborhood felt quiet and safe. It's near the interstate, but the hotel stayed quiet despite how full it seemed, probably sold out. The bed was firmer than I like, and the waffle maker was broken. Breakfast kept moving well with the crowd, and they kept the food fresh and stocked. There were biscuits and sausage gravy, scrambled eggs, sausage, oatmeal, bagels, cereal, bananas, apples, yogurt, coffee, and juices.

I wouldn't stay here again. The hotel felt dated for the price, and the morning staff were rude and inattentive, even though the night staff had been helpful and great. At check-in, I confirmed my room was prepaid, yet they charged me an additional nightly rate without so much as a call, text, or knock. When I questioned it, three front desk employees first said it was my responsibility to contact the booking company. They changed their position after I pointed out that they hadn't notified me of the charge. At checkout, they said they'd done their diligence and resolved it with the third party, and that my funds would be returned in 3-5 business days. A week later, neither that money nor my original security deposit had come back. My booking company had no record of speaking with the hotel about it. Very disappointing.

I'm surprised this was rated four stars. I'm giving it two because the bedding was nice. The room was old and dirty, though the bedding itself was clean. The curtains over the air unit were dingy, and the bathroom was gross, with water all over the floor after a shower. I didn't want to walk on the carpet without shoes. Our key cards for room 407 were frustrating, and the door took a hard push to open. There was no one to greet us when we arrived. I didn't mind there being no in-room coffee for sustainability, but both lobby coffee machines were out of order when we got there. The guest near me wasn't happy. The pool was closed for maintenance, and in the morning there was still only one elevator and one working coffee machine. The pool looked gross anyway.

The location works, but the rooms feel badly dated and nowhere near modern. Our first room had a toilet that wouldn't flush and a nasty surprise inside. They moved us, then we found the phone in the new room didn't work either. For what it costs, I'd pick another hotel. This place badly needs upgrades.