Holiday Inn Express & Suites Orlando - Apopka — Hotel in Apopka

First, I want to say that Travis, the maintenance supervisor is absolutely amazing ❤️ He jumped right into action when I walked into the property with an issue and offered to help any way he could. He deserves to be acknowledged for his exceptional customer service.

As for Sheree, Cherie.. I’m not sure of the exact spelling for her name. I am still in shock with the way that she represented IHG as I write this review. My initial conversation with her over the phone was so unpleasant that I decided to come to the property and speak with a manager. The GM was not available but Travis stepped outside and listened to my concerns. We were mid convo about things that didn’t even pertain to Sherie anymore when she comes outside, shouting that I am not an employee and threatening to call the police. She accused me of causing a scene when Travis and I were simply having a pleasant conversation about the Orlando area. She is the one who came outside and caused a scene with her raised voice and intimidating behavior. I have been employed with IHG for 6 years, relocating recently from out of state. Her inspector gadget skills led her to the property I left in my home state so of course I’m no longer employed there. There was a secondary property listed on my profile that I am currently employed with. We could not help that the first property had not yet removed me. But after her attempting to create chaos in my personal life by calling the old property, my new manager here in FL insisted that we create a whole new ID for me in fear that this woman would stalk me. We feared that she would appear at our property or worse.. my home. It’s bad when you have to think about your safety after you leave. I have never in my experience seen an employee act the way that she did whether it be at a property I work for or when traveling. She was extremely confrontational and aggressive. Her behavior was completely irrational and unstable. She needs a lesson on how to communicate and interact with society. Asking questions, speaking in a calm manner, having a conversation rather than a confrontation are all very simple things that SANE humans are capable of doing. To know that this woman is having contact with guests on a daily basis and is the face of IHG as a front line employee is alarming.

My plan was to return when I was told the GM would be there but my manager instructed me to just let him reach out to me. He never did. Not once did he reach out to gain more insight on what occurred at his property. Does this mean that he probably isn’t much different than the nut case at the desk?

Also, please read and believe the reviews about the credit card authorizations and rate changes. That’s what this entire spat began with. It could have easily been resolved with proper communication. I called to ask a question when this happened to me. I was scolded in response. They will charge your card ahead of time and they will cancel your reservation to get higher rate bookings same day. This is called greed. Emergencies happen and from what I’ve read, they have no sympathy for those instances. As many hotels will charge you for one night on cancellation, this hotel will charge you for your entire stay. Hampton Inn next door is owned by...

I always enjoy a great stay at the Holiday Inn Express, and my experience in Apopka was right up to par. I recommend this hotel if you're going to stay in the area, or even if you plan on visiting any of the parks, but want to avoid the loud and crazy people. I've grown accustom to staying in Holiday Inn Express hotels, and unfortunately there were some expectations that were let down during this visit. However, my overall experience was still a good one. The parking lot was well lit when we arrived, and I felt comfortable traveling to and from my car. Walking into the main lobby, it was quite clean. Unfortunately the front desk staff did not greet me very friendly, and felt more like they were required to say hello, and they couldn't wait for their shift to end. I learned after my visit had ended that this particular stay had earned me gold star IHG member status, and I would be entitled to extra points, and complimentary ammenities at check in. The front desk staff did not inform me of this at check in. Walking up to the room, the hotel seemed very clean. Upon exiting the elevator we were met with a odor that smelled like an old wet mop, and noticed the carpet in the hallway was damp. Arriving at our room, the key cards did not work, and we had to go back down to the front desk to have them fix this. The room did not fall short of what I have grown accustom to with Holiday Inn Express. Our room had a king size bed, and was quite spacious. The bed was comfortable, and very warm once under the covers. The air conditioning operated very well. There were plenty of power outlets around the room. It would have been nice to have some usb outlets, but we came prepared with adapters. The bathroom was also quite clean, and was stocked with plenty of toiletries. The water turned instantly hot. The shower curtain was horrible and water easily found its way out of the shower and onto the floor. As a 6'4" tall human I found the shower head to be somewhat low, and I had to lean far back to rinse my head. The nights were very quiet in this facility. It could have been luck of the draw, and our neighbors happened to be good ones. But both nights we stayed it was very quiet. Breakfast in the mornings was very nice. Although again, something I've grown accustom to staying at HIE is either a pancake or waffle maker with breakfast, or both. This facility had neither. Regardless, there was enough of an assortment to easily fill a plate, and left breakfast satisfied. The breakfast staff was very attentive, and kept everything stocked, organized, and clean. The exercise facility was very basic. Just cardio equipment. No weights. This was disappointing. Checkout was a breeze. Just sign the bill they slip under your door, and walk out. As far as the value of our stay, I think it was a little on the pricey side considering the facility, location, and amenities. If the hotel were within a mile of a major park, it would have justified the entire cost...

We have previously enjoyed many stays at various Holiday Inn Express locations in Florida and even invested in a vacation club package due to our positive experiences. However, our recent stay at this particular Apopka location was highly disappointing. We booked our stay in Apopka for 4 nights from the HIE website. We received a call the day before our reservation to "re-confirm" a few details such as the name on the reservation, booking date, room types, etc. This seemed odd to me at the time, but I didn't question it. (I should have known then that they probably messed up our initial reservation). Upon arriving and checking in, we learned that our reservation only showed for 3 nights and the pricing was different from what we initially booked online. We were charged $117 for night 1, $159 for night 2, and $161 for night 3, and I am VERY sure that's NOT the price I initially booked. However, I didn't want to dispute this, but here comes the fun part...

We repeatedly told the front desk staff that there was a mistake in the booking and it should be for 4 nights. Instead of extending our reservation, all of them told us to come back after the 3rd night and rebook for 1 more night. (???) Someone finally took a few minutes to add another night for us but charged us $159 per night instead of $110 as shown everywhere online, INCLUDING the HIE website. When confronted about the pricing discrepancy, she told us that she would cancel that 4th-night extension and told us to go book online. (???)

We stayed in room 212, their "standard room", with the TV having only audio and NO video on many channels. The bathroom faucet had zero water pressure. They sent a maintenance guy who seemed upset that someone interrupted his dinner and told us "it is what it is" regarding the water pressure (???).

After staying for one night, we asked if there was a penalty if we only stayed for one night and were told that they had already charged us for 3 nights and would not reimburse for any unused time. Please consider this review if you plan on booking here. How this place received 5-star ratings from other guests is still a mystery to me. If you are looking for a place to stay in Apopka, there's a Hampton Inn next door, and a Hilton Garden and Inn about a mile down the street, stay...