Holiday Inn Niagara Falls - by the Falls by IHG — Hotel in Niagara Falls

I recently chose to stay at the Holiday Inn Niagara Falls to celebrate my 40th birthday, a decision driven by the reputation of the Holiday Inn as a globally recognized brand. I booked a four-night stay, including several tours to explore the city, and looked forward to a memorable experience. Unfortunately, my stay was marred by a series of disappointments and substandard conditions that significantly affected my visit.

Upon arrival, I was welcomed by a courteous customer service representative who efficiently checked me in, setting a positive initial tone. However, the quality of service and accommodations quickly deteriorated from this point onward.

Elevator Conditions:The elevator was small, outdated, and had a claustrophobic feel. It required manual intervention to open, which was an inconvenience. Additionally, upon opening, I was hit by an overwhelming and unpleasant odor emanating from the carpet, which was nearly intolerable.

Room Access Difficulties: I encountered significant trouble accessing my room due to malfunctioning keycards. The housekeeper had to assist me by repeatedly pulling the door before the keycard could be swiped successfully. This should not be an issue in a hotel of this standing and price point.

Room Quality and Cleanliness: The condition of the room was far below acceptable standards, particularly for the price point of over $300 per night on weekdays and over $500 per night on weekends. The room had a persistent, musty odor that was deeply unpleasant. There were structural issues, such as a sunken area on the floor resembling a hole, and the furniture was noticeably worn and outdated. These are basic expectations for cleanliness and maintenance that were not met. I have photographic evidence to support these claims.

Health Impact: The poor air quality and foul smell in the room caused me to become physically ill, leading to vomiting and chest pain. These symptoms were severe enough that I felt compelled to check out two nights earlier than my scheduled departure. This significantly impacted my planned celebration and overall experience at Niagara Falls.

Customer Service Response and Refund Issues: I attempted to resolve my concerns with my travel agent and with the hotel management, seeking a refund for the two nights I could not stay due to the unacceptable conditions. Despite checking out before 12 PM and communicating my inability to stay due to the adverse conditions, the hotel denied my request for a refund for one of the two nights (as my travel agent didn't resolve the issue on time). The response from the front desk staff was unempathetic, and they offered no alternatives or apologies for my distressing experience. It appeared as though they were accustomed to such complaints, which is concerning.

My experience at the Holiday Inn Niagara Falls was profoundly disappointing and significantly impacted what was meant to be a special celebration of a milestone birthday. The lack of adequate facilities, poor room conditions, and indifferent customer service have led me to conclude that this hotel does not uphold the standards expected of the Holiday Inn brand. I strongly advise potential visitors to consider alternative accommodations when planning a stay in Niagara Falls.

I regret that this experience has led me to decide that I will not be staying at any Holiday Inn properties in the future. The issues encountered here were severe enough to affect my health and overall experience, and the lack of a meaningful response from hotel management is unacceptable. I hope this review prompts the necessary improvements to prevent others from having a similarly...

Second time staying at Niagara Falls, and decided to stay at this Holiday inn for a quick 2 night stay in April 2024. We were really looking forward to this stay, as the free self parking and free daily breakfast were a huge reason we booked this hotel.

The room we stayed in was comfy, however when we first arrived we noticed there were no towels in the room, we had to wait over an hour for someone to finally bring us some towels... not cool.

Now when you advertise free self parking, that would indicate that you have enough parking spots on premise to supply your guests with - which wasn't the case. During our first night we discovered their parking lot was full to capacity, leaving us with having to wait in our car for over 2 hours for someone to leave, before we could get a spot. Bit of advice, get a spot early on and leave it there overnight otherwise... Good luck!

Also, the description is a bit misleading as the free daily breakfast which is served at Coco's is only included for 2 adults, kids over 8 have to pay we were instructed. Which in our case meant paying for 2 kids we thought we didn't have too. The food itself was so-so, and the coffee was lukewarm. Also, beware the waitstaff are unprofessional and outright rude. If you're having a bad day or just don't like your profession, note that you should not take it out on the customers!

After the breakfast debacle, we left the hotel around 11AM, before leaving we went to the front desk to request housekeeping to tidy our room, however when we returned in the late afternoon, we were disappointed to see that the room was not yet tended to. Guests who come back to their room after being out, expect to come back to a clean room, instead we had to go back to the front desk and once again request housekeeping come by. When they finally arrived an hour later, which was a bit inconvenient as the kids were now napping, we were forced to wake them up. In all honesty we didn't trust to ask them to come back later, as we were not hopeful they would return.

Additionally, to make matters worse, we also encountered an ant infestation during our stay, there were always 15-20 ants in our room near the entrance door and close to the bathroom. You really can't make this up, when we complained to the front desk, they said they were unable to move us to a different room, stating they were fully booked.

Overall, what should have been a great weekend was instead a regrettable decision on my part. As a result, I would not recommend this hotel and would advise you to...

Dear Holiday Inn Management,

I am writing to formally express my deep dissatisfaction with the treatment I received from a front desk staff member at your Niagara Falls, ON location on July 18, 2025, between 4:00 PM and 12:00 AM. As a long-standing and loyal IHG Rewards member, I have always trusted the Holiday Inn brand to uphold a certain standard of professionalism and guest service. Unfortunately, my recent interaction fell far below those expectations.

Although I was not staying at the Holiday Inn that evening, I had arranged paid parking at your hotel while staying across the street at the Hilton. I approached the front desk with a basic inquiry regarding the parking arrangement. To my surprise, I was met with rude, dismissive, and unprofessional behavior from one of your staff members—a male employee with a beard, who refused to disclose his name when asked.

This individual was clearly uninterested in assisting me, and was evidently more focused on ending his shift than helping a guest. His tone was curt, his body language dismissive, and his overall conduct entirely unbefitting of someone in a customer-facing role. He demonstrated a complete lack of hospitality, empathy, or willingness to address even a basic concern.

This experience was particularly disappointing given my long history with the IHG brand, where I’ve come to expect courteous and respectful service—even for simple requests such as clarification on hotel facilities. The employee’s refusal to even identify himself further adds to the concern and reflects poorly on your team’s accountability and transparency.

I respectfully urge Holiday Inn to:

Investigate this matter, including reviewing staff schedules to identify the individual on duty during this time.

Provide training and oversight to ensure that all staff, regardless of a guest’s booking status, treat everyone with the professionalism and courtesy the brand is known for.

Offer a formal response or apology that acknowledges the lapse and outlines how similar experiences will be prevented in the future.

Please understand that this is not a complaint made lightly. I care about the integrity of your brand and hope this feedback helps drive meaningful...