Holiday Inn Winchester Se-Historic Gateway by IHG

Breakfast was freshly made and tasted good, though it was only barely warm by the time it reached us. It took 15 minutes to order, then another 25 for the food, nearly an hour in all. The dining room was completely full, with just two waitresses taking orders, serving coffee and food, bussing tables, and possibly helping cook. They clearly didn't have enough staff. I tipped well because it wasn't the wait staff's fault. I wouldn't mind the wait if I were traveling and needed to pass time in the morning, but I'd much rather have a breakfast buffet when staffing is this thin. We picked the hotel because it was close to the interstate for a night on a long drive. At $164 it wasn't the cheapest. The room was clean, but the AC rattled loudly from what seemed like poor maintenance, and the lights around the bathroom mirror didn't work. Breakfast was served as sit-down service with vouchers, which was a mismatch with what we expected.

The made-to-order breakfast is worth adding, from what I was told. The chefs have been there since the hotel opened 17 years ago, and they're top notch. The rooms were clean and service friendly. We only ended up here because the Holiday Inn up the road was sold out, and this turned out to be one of the best Holiday Inns we've ever stayed at. Wow, what a great Holiday Inn.

I had to find another hotel during a busy weekend and pay hundreds more after this Holiday Inn cancelled my reservation without telling me or American Airlines. I had booked through American Airlines and arrived with a confirmation number. The reservation still showed active in the app, and I hadn't cancelled it, but the front desk agent said it was cancelled and offered no explanation, apology, or help finding somewhere else to stay. I called American Airlines, which confirmed the booking was still active in its system. Their representative contacted the hotel and was told the hotel had unilaterally cancelled it because of high demand. After my trip I tried to reach the manager, but got no response. I've traveled for more than 60 years and stayed at hundreds of hotels domestically and internationally, and never had one just cancel my reservation. This place obviously doesn't care about its customers. Book here at your own risk.

We travel at least eight hours to meet family who live farther north, getting together three or four times a year. This was our third stay in the area. The restaurant had a good menu and service, and the day shift clerks were very nice and polite. The female clerk working check-in on the night shift was not pleasant at all. We had three rooms reserved. Two were clean and in good shape, but the third was dirty and we had to change rooms. My main concern was safety around water from the pool: floors were wet in the pool and lobby areas, with no safety rugs or warning signs placed where needed.