Holiday Inn Express Hotel Suites Terrell

The staff were the best part of our stay at the Holiday Inn Express in Terrell. Both front desk attendants I spoke with were kind and helpful, and the woman in the breakfast area was extremely friendly too. The area was quiet, which was nice, though I wonder if that’s part of why the property hasn’t been maintained. The hotel isn’t updated, and that alone would be fine, but together with the other problems it made the place feel uncared for by management or corporate. We booked a queen suite and a queen standard room. The suite smelled strongly of stale cigarettes as soon as we entered. We had to sign several papers at check-in promising not to smoke, and we didn’t, but the room smelled like someone had been smoking in it constantly. My kids and I stayed there, and by the time we got home our belongings smelled like a dirty bar. I wasn’t comfortable having my small children sleep in that room. We also found several live bugs and had to kill them, with quite a few in the bathroom. I don’t know when the last extermination was, but it was either not recent or didn’t work. When we arrived around 10 p.m., the elevators were out. Some of our group arrived closer to midnight, and our rooms were on the fourth floor, so we had to carry all our luggage up the stairs. I understand it was late and might have been hard to get someone to fix it, but the elevators were still out around 9:30 the next morning. That was a huge hassle with two small kids, especially carrying them up and down. I won’t stay here again. I’d rather book in a neighboring town and pay more.

The TV was positioned nicely in the room, and there’s a Jacuzzi and indoor pool, though I didn’t use them. A nice Mexican restaurant, I hop, and a small shopping center are all within walking distance. The floor tile grout in the bathroom is disappearing, which was the downside for me.

The included breakfast has plenty of options, and I enjoyed the well-kept indoor pool and hot tub. The staff were friendly and the hotel is immaculately clean, but the maintenance issues are hard to overlook. Half the parking lot lights were burned out or acting up, creating a strobe effect that can shine into your room. There’s peeling paint and rushed repairs on walls and ceilings, and the carpet is worn out and needs replacing. The WiFi barely works and cuts out often. If the owners invested in upkeep, this could be a five-star stay. I’m concerned it could slip into a lower hotel tier if it stays this way much longer.

The breakfast was better than at some other hotels, but the rooms are old and outdated, with a lumpy, uncomfortable bed. I’d give them a negative star if I could. The front desk staff and manager need to get their facts straight before harassing someone with a service dog.