Holiday Inn Lodz — Hotel in Łódź

Hello people! Another experience with Holiday Inn but this time on a Business trip to Lodz, Poland. Actually this one was my second trip to the facility (last one in Dec 2018) so I had to put in a review to be fair.||||This facility is in the sleepy but still lovely city of Lodz - have to admit there is less active life here and Sundays are pretty creepy to even step out. This was converted from a Textile city to an inhabitable one which is why most structures are literally 'brick-walled' but there's a certain charm to it.||||Okay, back to the hotel review ...||||Facility: This is a business hotel so don't expect a resort-like experience. Decently sized reception area with spaces nicely used. Restaurant on one side and bar on the other. Welcome was very smooth and quick. I was made to feel special due to my Elite IHG membership and that added another feather to the experience. Friendly staff!||||Rooms: Lovely(!), as you would expect from an IHG facility [Read my earlier reviews on Intercontinental Warsaw and the Holiday Inns in Goa]. All facilities you would need - good storage space, large bed, sofas, iron(!) and extremely well kept bathrooms. ||||Food : Breakfast spread is adequate if not large. Basic needs of proteins, juices, coffee etc are easily taken care of. Staff can do well to smile a bit more but they're not grumpy either, just busy. Dined on the Sunday evening that i landed and the Chicken Caesar salad was really good (only vice was pieces of almost-raw fish in it which i loathed and didn't quite understand frankly!). The lady serving beer at the pub was cutely scurrying about with her work but also ensuring guest needs were taken care of. She served some really nice red wine which i hadn't tried before.||||Service: Efficient staff. No complaints!||||Facilities: Good pub with a decent assortment. Gym was comparatively big with decent equipment. ||||Overall a very good experience, and I would have no qualms about coming back....

My experience at the Holiday Inn was somewhat mixed. On the one hand, I appreciate the brand for its values, especially the focus on family, which is one of the main reasons I choose this chain. The hotel itself is well-located – right in the center, on the main promenade, making it a convenient spot for a stay. Additionally, the hotel is nicely presented, the breakfast is good, and the rooms are spacious, which is a big plus.

However, despite being a loyal customer with a membership card, I didn’t feel like I was treated as a valued guest. One of the biggest perks of Holiday Inn is that children eat for free, which theoretically reflects their family values. But in practice, these values didn’t come through. In order for the children to eat for free, we were required to order a meal for an adult, even if the adult wasn't hungry. My wife ordered a burger, and an additional slice of cheese cost 6 PLN, even though it wasn’t a cheeseburger. When I only ordered a beer because I was still full from breakfast, the staff informed me that only one child could eat for free per adult, which was a decision made by management. I asked what would happen if my wife were alone with two children – would one child have to watch the other eat? Unfortunately, despite showing empathy, Anastazja from the staff couldn’t give me a clear answer.

This left a bad taste and raised doubts about staying loyal to a brand that promotes values but doesn’t live up to them in practice. In my opinion, this hotel doesn’t align with the standards of the Holiday Inn chain, as the management seems more focused on profit at the expense of the values the brand is...

An uneventful stay at a very average hotel. The service was pretty ok, but not personal at all. Very average room (we stayed in so called executive room, but there is nothing executive about it), the room itself is very small, no Nespresso machine, no at least one-time minibar set up for free (why is it called an executive room on the executive floor? that's ridiculous), small robes (bigger ones unavailable), very low quality slippers, no any info about the restaurant menu or room service in the room (the restaurant menu on the interactive TV not readable), very small bathroom, no toiletries, seal on the shower door peeling off, vanity mirror broken (we fixed it on our own) and lots of dust (seriously?). Even if no one stays in those rooms for a long time (so basically they're clean) the housekeeping should check for the dust. The old butter served in the breakfast restaurant one morning. Dishes missing and not available at 10 am although the breakfast is officially served until 11 am. Good breakfast selection though (if everything is actually available). Pretty good service at the front desk. Efficient check in and check out. Fast and free of charge wi-fi. And pretty good location too.The hotel parking lot is big and nice, but the entrance to it is horrible. Why there's no any big sign saying "hotel parking" which could be easily visible from the street, especially at night or late evening, is truly something I...