Holiday Inn Express Visalia Sequoia Gateway Area by IHG

We left after the first night of a planned two-night stay. The hotel is refusing to refund the second night even though we checked out early. Before leaving, we tried to cancel as soon as we saw the room, but got different explanations: we’d have to pay for one night, or maybe the manager could cancel it, though they weren’t there. The first room smelled musty and had hair all over the bed. We switched rooms, but found more hair on the bed, bugs in the bathroom, the same smell, and nasty stains on the carpet and furniture. The elevator and EV chargers have reportedly been broken since at least April 2025. There’s a notice about them on every floor except the lobby.

Jessica and Grace are fantastic with me and my crew. They stay on top of everything and take care of us. The rooms are clean, and whenever something comes up, they get it sorted right away. I couldn’t ask for two better people.

The staff were friendly, breakfast was nice, and the room was fairly quiet. It came with an in-room coffee maker, mini fridge, microwave, and iron and ironing board. There were different pillows to choose from, though neither worked especially well for me. One elevator was out of service, but the stairwells were nice. Great location.

Edit: I’m changing this from one star to two because Hector helped me. “JT” said there was no availability, but Hector managed to make it work and apologized for the trouble. Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but hearing “I’m sorry” makes a real difference. It beats being treated like someone’s doing you a favor. Hector’s cool. Be like Hector. Our check-in took 20 minutes because nobody was around. When an employee finally showed up, they were rude and dismissive. Both elevators were broken, and the front desk person said they’d just been fixed, then walked away and ignored us and other guests waiting to check in. We carried our bags upstairs and found the shower drain clogged. The desk lent us a plunger and said they’d fix it the next day. After a full day out, we returned to find ourselves locked out of the room, with my belongings inside, including essential medication. An employee, “JT,” had changed my reservation, lied about it, then blamed a “miscommunication” over an extension I never requested. I’d booked three nights on the hotel website and confirmed three nights at check-in. I also had to argue with “JT” just to get two keys, even with my wife beside me. Back in the room, the drain still hadn’t been fixed, and only one outlet worked, so my wife and I had to take turns charging our phones. Maybe room 211 is haunted. The hotel’s awful, though at least most of its employees are lazy, rude, dishonest, and incompetent. Hector is the exception.