Holiday Inn Dandenong by IHG — Hotel in Melbourne

I am compelled to pen this review after a deeply troubling dining experience at the Holiday Inn in Dandenong on Mcrae Street. I have been left both shocked and disappointed, a sentiment underscored by the gravity of the incident. I strongly believe in the power of transparency and sharing experiences for the benefit of others, and thus I'm determined to share ours.

My mother and I, enticed by the prospect of a delightful pizza, were left not only with a hole in our wallets to the tune of $60, but with a pizza that bore no resemblance to the culinary delight we had imagined. The dough, rather than being baked to a perfect golden-brown, was egregiously undercooked, bordering on raw, the sogginess of it only highlighting this disturbing fact.

Unfortunately, the worst was yet to come. After consuming a single slice, my mother was overtaken by severe nausea, leading to her throwing up repeatedly. It was a distressing sight, one I would not wish upon anyone, especially given that it was induced by a meal from a well-known establishment like Holiday Inn.

This incident has not only tarnished our perception of this particular Holiday Inn but has shaken our trust in the brand as a whole. It deeply pains me to write this, but our experience was far from the quality, safety, and service we usually associate with such a reputable institution.

Honest feedback is paramount in ensuring establishments take their customers' experiences seriously, and work towards improvement. I sincerely hope this review compels them to improve their food safety standards and prevent any similar occurrences in the future. However, as it stands, given our harrowing experience, I am obliged to strongly advise against dining at this Holiday Inn location. Please consider our ordeal before making your decision. We would not wish this on anyone, and it is our hope that others can avoid this...

The hotel provides a sense of security with safety doors at both the main entrance and the parking area. Our room was equipped with two queen-sized beds, though the space felt rather tight. It was challenging to open large suitcases anywhere except in the bathroom. The in-room desk was also too small to work comfortably, which led us to use the lobby instead. Unfortunately, the couches there were not particularly comfortable, and the power sockets were installed quite low, making it impossible to use universal adapters.

The front desk staff were consistently friendly and helpful, which I truly appreciated. However, the service in the restaurants was less positive. Most of the staff we encountered were rather unfriendly, with the exception of one waiter on 19 September, who stood out for being energetic, polite, and genuinely welcoming.

On my first morning, I approached three staff members to ask where the breakfast area was. One of them kindly pointed me in the right direction and asked for my room number. However, another looked at his watch and said, “10 more minutes.” I found this response rude and unprofessional, as it did not address my question. At the time, I was unwell with a severe headache and had made the effort to come downstairs to have something to eat. A more considerate and service-minded approach would have been much appreciated, as guests’ needs are not always visible.

Additionally, during breakfast, the front desk asked me for my room number every single day, yet my caucasian husband was never asked once. This inconsistency in service raised questions about the standards being applied.

Overall, while the hotel offers security and has some very kind staff members, I believe there are areas where service and attentiveness could be improved to create a more consistently welcoming experience...

The hotel itself was clean and comfortable, and the included breakfast was average but acceptable. My booking was for two nights, two guests, with breakfast included.

Unfortunately, the check-in process was extremely disappointing. Because the booking was made through Agoda, the front desk made things unnecessarily complicated. Even though the reservation clearly stated two guests, they refused to check in the second guest without first contacting Agoda. This made us wait nearly an hour despite the fact that everything was already fully paid in advance.

To make matters worse, the staff refused to add IHG membership benefits because it was a third-party booking. The policies felt overly strict and unhelpful, with far too many rules that created unnecessary obstacles for guests. Instead of assisting, the staff kept blaming Agoda and offered no solutions. If the hotel does not want to honor third-party reservations properly, they should not advertise on these platforms.

Another issue was that the reservation was under my partner’s name only. My partner had already emailed the hotel three days in advance explaining they could not attend. At check-in, I presented the Agoda booking confirmation on my app and provided the same email address, but the staff claimed they could not find it. This only added to the confusion and frustration.

Me and partner has been really good customers in IHG and always choose Holiday day inn hotels.

Overall: The facilities were fine, the hotel was clean, and breakfast was average. However, the extremely rigid policies, lack of flexibility, and poor handling of third-party bookings ruined the overall experience. The front desk was unhelpful, unsympathetic, and made us feel like the hotel cared more about rules than...