Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Detroit - Utica by IHG

The location was lovely, but the service and cleanliness were deeply disappointing. We booked a suite for six nights over the holiday to visit family, and I’m a Platinum Rewards Member with the chain. At check-in around 5 p.m. Saturday, the desk employee seemed bothered to be there. The room looked fine at first, but after dinner and unpacking we found no linens for the pull-out, broken USB outlets, no plastic liner in the shower curtain, mold in the shower and on the bathroom ceiling, and something disgusting growing behind the sink fixture. The next morning brought more problems. The room only had decaf K-cups, and housekeeping couldn’t find any caffeinated ones. The pancake machine had apparently been broken for a while and was dusty, and there were no coffee cups. Later we saw the pool area, which looked nothing like the website: dimly lit, with no furniture around it, broken tiles, and mold. We couldn’t move to another nearby hotel because of the holiday, which I understand, but things kept going downhill. Housekeeping missed three of our six days, floor trash cans overflowed, the elevator constantly smelled of marijuana, and New Year’s Eve confetti and broken balloons stayed on the hallway carpet without being vacuumed. One morning the breakfast area was completely empty of food and supplies: no eggs, coffee or cocoa, bacon or sausage, biscuits or muffins, or plates. I told the manager at the desk. He said an attendant should be there, and when I said I hadn’t seen one, he walked over and pointed out four employees in plain clothes, sitting at a table, eating breakfast and playing on their phones. I left very disappointed with the cleanliness, service, and the way the brand was represented.

The location suited what we needed, but the hotel itself let us down. We’d booked a two-room suite with two queens and a king a week ahead, for the day after my son’s 18th birthday. He was bringing a couple of friends so they could swim and go to Dave & Buster's behind the hotel. On arrival, we learned the pool had been out of order for about three days. Since the pool was a main reason for the trip, I’m frustrated they didn’t contact us, offer a discount, or post an update on their page. The desk employee brushed off my complaint with a casual “oops, sorry,” and we couldn’t leave because there was no refund. We tried to make the best of it, but the room had broken lamps by the king bed, broken window locks, a white substance on the couch that my son cleaned off, and cracked tile in the kitchen area. On departure day, the air conditioner in the king bedroom was leaking like a fountain. I contacted IHG, but they couldn’t reach the manager at this location. They gave me 5,000 points to use another time, but it takes so many points to get one free night anywhere. The whole thing left me frustrated with the IHG name and was a big disappointment for my 18-year-old.

After a long day, I really appreciated how patient and kind Altaf at the front desk was. There was a small snag during check-in, but he took the time to sort it out and made sure everything went smoothly. He was professional and genuinely made me feel looked after. That kind of customer service makes a difference.

The mattress was the worst part, with what felt like a pothole in the middle. There were also cracked tiles in the room, and the shades need replacing because they’re water-stained from an upstairs leak. On the plus side, the staff were nice, the room layout worked well, and the breakfast was the best we’ve had at a hotel.