Holiday Inn Express & Suites Orlando East-Ucf Area by IHG — Hotel in Alafaya

Actually, I didn't want give any star to this hotel.

I booked a reservation for our family from May 25th to 26th, we arrived early at noon before check-in time and the front desk told us the room was not ready yet. So we left and went to Disney park to play and came back very late at midnight, we unloaded everything in the lobby area, and at that time we were told our reservation got canceled because of the flooded rooms that happened on May 24th and didn't get fixed yet.

I didn't get any notification or explanation before we arrived, even after we arrived at noon, the front desk didn't tell us anything about the room had issue. So at midnight, our whole family, my parents, and my kids, including an infant have nowhere to sleep.

The front desk told us they transferred us to another Holiday Inn, I thought "transfer" meant everything was the same, same rates, same room type, then we had to move there but that one said they had no relationship with each other, so no same rates, no same room type we asked for, no compensation, no explanation also. Luckily they had room available at that night, otherwise, I don't think we can find a room at such a short time.

I've been a member of IHG for a long time but this is the first time I met this situation, I still remember my whole family waiting there with all the packages unload and the infant crying.

The most important part of traveling is live, we had really a BAD experience and we are so tired of that night dealing with the issue. We don't understand why the hotel didn't inform us as early as possible when they are going to cancel. No sorries, no explanations, no notification, it seems very reasonable and common to do this to us, is this the correct way to show the IHG brand? I'm so doubtful about it.

I called and emailed them before I write the review, hopefully get some feedback and response, but unfortunately it's hard to connect with real people. No one answered and give me a response, until now.

Depending on the owner's reply, the hotel didn't offer any other room options for us at that time, if you offer more options or even asked us about more options we'd like, why would we have to pack everything and drive to another place again??? Please don't mislead the understanding, you hotel just kicked out of us immediately, that's why we have to transfer, there was no guarantee that we will have the room in another hotel, we have to move there to see and booked...

My boyfriend and I stayed at this hotel for a couple days, and for the most part, it was a good experience. This hotel has pretty much all of the amenities you can ask for: Free breakfast, laundry machines, gym/pool areas, and more! Anyways, here is my review of some of the notable features:

♡ Hotel Room. 8/10! I had a checklist of what I wanted in a hotel room, and this place ticked off pretty much everything. In general, the room was clean and spacious. We had a king-sized bed which is perfect for my boyfriend and I. There is also a microwave, mini fridge, and mini coffee machine. I used the coffee machine once, and the coffee was tolerable. The bathroom was a decent size, the toilet flushed wonderfully, and the shower is spacious enough for two people.

My only complaints is that the shower-head doesn’t have high pressure, and the hotel cleaning staff mistakenly took my personal white bath towel AND my personal white wash cloth away. It’s disappointing because I hung my towel next to my pink exfoliating towel to indicate that it’s still in use and that it’s mines, but cleaning staff just took it anyways. Oh well, I guess I’m out of a towel and wash cloth now.

♡ Free Breakfast. 9/10! Biggest reason why my boyfriend and I decided to stay here, and it did not disappoint. The breakfast buffet had a little bit of everything you can ask for whether you’re craving for something sweet, savory, hot, or cold. The choice of savory breakfast items are slightly different each day which is nice too. My favorites were the scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, and that delicious sausage gravy that I’m going to miss. Also, the hot coffee was delicious and brewed fresh.

♡ Customer Service. 9/10! The hotel staff were all very nice and accommodating. It was easy to request for fresh sheets and towels at the front desk. A staff member who really stood out to us was Tess. She was always so nice and personable to us whenever we would see her. Tess is truly the best!

｡ ₊°༺❤︎༻°₊ ｡ FINAL VERDICT: All in all, my boyfriend and I had a good time here. The free breakfast was amazing and customer service was great. Location-wise, it’s situated in a pretty good area close to UCF and other shopping stores. The only true complaint was that my personal towels were taken because they were similarly white, and there was probably no way to get them back again. It was probably cleaned and placed in someone else’s room by the time I found out that...

Prior to checking in I tried calling multiple times and no one answered the front desk phone. I arrived and there was a line with only one employee that was overwhelmed. I checked in and we went up to the room on the 4th floor and opened the door and the room was VERY hot. I immediately noticed there was no A/C on, which is unacceptable in Florida. I turned it on and set it on high fan, continuous, and put it down to 70 degrees to try and cool it down. We were exhausted and my husband went to shower and I called down to the front desk to let them know. The phone rang forever and no one ever answered my. My husband came out and told me that the water was not hot. We went to sleep and I said I would go down in the morning. I went down at 6:45 am to complain and a different woman was alone at the front desk and I explained about the A/C and shower with no hot water. She said maintenance would check on it- I told her we were going out for the day. I returned around 3 pm, expecting a cold room and a hot shower after moving my son into a new apt all day. I asked the desk if they fixed the A/C. She checked with the head of maintenance and said that no one checked it. I was fuming and I went upstairs and she sent the maintenance guy with me. He checked the air and said that it was not blowing out hot, but that it was as cold as it would get as they were all old units. I asked about changing rooms and he said it would not make any difference, that no rooms were colder than mine. I said it was not acceptable, that i have asthma and cant stay in a hot room. He came back and brought me an oscillating fan and plugged it in. We went to dinner and got back around 8:30 pm and had to pack all of our stuff and leave the hotel. It was horrible. I then had to drive home 4 hours at night. I proceeded to call the next day and they said they would do NOTHING for me because I used my IHG points and pay and agreed to the terms. I told them that I understand that I agreed to no refunds, but I did not agree to no A/C and no hot water. When I agreed to pay with no refund, I expected the basic amenities. It was the worst...