Holiday Inn Express Vernon - Manchester by IHG

Update, 1/14/26, in response to the hotel’s reply: Thanks for responding. For future guests, my reservation showed free cancellation until 6:00 p.m. on January 11. It didn’t clearly describe the terms as a “5-day cancellation policy.” I understand I missed the deadline when I tried to cancel on January 13, and I’m not disputing that the policy was applied. My concern is that I got conflicting explanations: first, I was told Hotels.com controlled the fee, then I was told it was the property’s decision. That made it hard to get a clear, consistent answer. I hope this helps others see why it’s important to read the cancellation terms closely and understand who has discretion. Original review, posted 1/13/26: I booked one night and, because of unforeseen circumstances, needed to cancel three full days before the stay. In decades of local and international travel, that timing had never been a problem for me. What followed was frustrating and felt dishonest and evasive. I first tried to cancel through Hotels.com. Its virtual agent said there would be a fee equal to one night and advised me to contact the property. I then called the hotel and spoke with Wendy. She flatly said Hotels.com was responsible and she “couldn’t do anything.” There was no attempt to be flexible or show empathy. I contacted Hotels.com again and spoke to a live agent, Richard Kiel. He explained that the property ultimately decides whether to waive the fee. His message said Hotels.com advocates for flexibility, but the hotel makes the final decision. So, as I understand it, Wendy could have cancelled without the fee and chose not to. I felt deliberately misled, passed between the hotel and Hotels.com, and penalized financially even though I cancelled well in advance. This is about integrity for me, not just policy. I’m left losing money on a one-night stay I won’t use, and the hotel’s rigid handling and lack of candor have put me off staying there. Manchester has countless hotels; this is not one I’d choose. If something goes wrong, don’t expect honesty, flexibility, or accountability.

It’s disappointing to be treated this way as a returning customer, especially when I wasn’t even worth a manager’s return call. This hotel has worked for us in a pinch before, with shopping centers nearby and breakfast included, but this experience has changed how I feel. I booked a room for my 75-year-old father, who was traveling from New York to see his grandson at school for Grandparents Day. Since the event started at 9 a.m., he needed somewhere to stay overnight. The weather around Albany wasn’t great, so the night before he decided not to drive to CT and to arrive the day of the event instead. I called to ask for a refund because we no longer needed the room. The front desk said the manager was on a conference call and I’d get an email once the refund was processed. Three hours later, with no email, I called again and was told the manager had denied it. I asked to speak with the manager about other options, like a credit or changing the date. If my father came that day, he might have somewhere to rest before driving back to NY. The desk said they’d leave the manager a note to call me, but after two hours without a call, I contacted IHG customer service. The representative said a date change should be no problem, subject to confirmation from the hotel. She contacted them and spoke to the same front desk person, who said the hotel wouldn’t change the booking and told me to contact the manager, who would be there around 11 p.m. I called at 11:30 that night and again at 5 a.m. No one answered, and the manager never got back to me.

I also wanted to refill my water bottle at the fitness center, but the cooler was dry. Most of my stay was fine. Still, a trash truck was backing up, beeping, and working at 2:50 a.m. It woke me, and I needed nearly an hour to fall asleep again.

The front desk was very accommodating, but there was nothing they could do about the rooms. We tried three: the first smelled musty and moldy, the second like sewage, and the third as if someone had poured cologne on the floor. We ended up not staying the night. Maybe we just had bad luck, but if you stay here, avoid booking through a third party, since you may not be able to get your money back if you leave. The property is older and dim inside, with a small parking lot off a busy road. That would have been fine if the room smells hadn’t been so bad.