Holiday Inn Express Washington by IHG

We rented a banquet room for my son's January birthday, with access to the indoor pool. He was excited to swim in winter, but the pool room was unheated and painfully cold, and the water was freezing. The maintenance man came to “fix” it, said the water was 85 degrees, which it wasn't even close to, and then we never saw him again. My son tried swimming but was shivering, and it was too cold for anyone to sit in the room. On top of that, the front desk woman accused us of not paying the full amount and tried to get another $50 from us. Thankfully, we had the receipt. I definitely don't recommend spending your money here.

I hadn't stayed at a Holiday Inn Express as often lately because the quality had been inconsistent, and this was the closest available hotel to Edwardsport. It turned out to be very nice. Staff were pleasant and helpful at check-in, there's 24-hour coffee, and breakfast starts earlier than at most hotels I've visited. Work will bring me back to the area, which is new to me, and this will definitely be my usual hotel for future visits. They had the place decorated for Valentine's Day, which is lost on me 😂, but it was nice to see the effort.

The best parts were the breakfast and three or four employees who were really nice and down to earth. But during a stay longer than one day, nobody asked if we needed anything, and the washer was broken. Tempo could use it, but guests couldn't. The bigger problem came two days after checkout, when they charged my dad $50. He called to ask why, but they couldn't explain it. The manager was supposed to call him back and never did. Communication was bad. If you're going to charge someone, don't wait 48 hours after checkout, especially when housekeeping was already in the next room just before the 11 o'clock checkout time.

My experience while working at the Holiday Inn Express in Washington, Indiana was far below what I expected from this brand. The place felt disorganized and uncomfortable, and I can't recommend it based on what I experienced. I saw and heard about troubling management behavior toward both guests and staff, which often seemed dismissive and unprofessional. I also heard guests complain that when an employee gave them a discount, whether by accident or on purpose, the GM or an executive would use their card details to charge them again. Management seemed evasive instead of trying to fix the problem. More than one guest and former employee told me tips left for housekeepers didn't always reach the intended workers. I can't verify every account, but hearing this repeatedly concerned me. There also seemed to be too little care around private information. Conversations that should have stayed confidential were not handled that way. I overheard, and was personally told, things about guests and staff that shouldn't have been shared. I hope the owners take these concerns seriously, because employees and guests deserve better.