Holiday Inn Express & Suites Arkadelphia - Caddo Valley by IHG — Hotel in Arkadelphia

Being HIE loyalists for a reason, our reviews are generally very positive and while I tried on this one, it just didn't happen. Our stay ended a day early after continued frustrations. Bearing in mind that Covid played a part in some issues, the virus could not accept responsibility for all of them.

Finally plagued by an entire day with no water, unable to flush toilets, wash hands, etc. amid a pandemic was the last straw and we had to check out. The fact that we were notified of the need to shut off water the night before, by a slip of paper under the door was poor communication, especially as it stated this was "scheduled maintenance", We would have much appreciated notice at time of booking or at least time of check in. Low hotel capacity could have at least warranted a phone call, email or knock on the door explaining the situation, offering alternatives and/or a friendly compensation for our inconvenience.

The ususal breakfast options were only half available, though served in a safe manor by courteous staff using good cleanliness strategies. This was offset by the front desk responding to an inquiry about how long breakfast was served with a "as long as the food lasts so the earlier you can get here, the better".

We were not looking to use amenities such as the pool, exercise equipment, etc. especially in the pandemic, but staff wouldn't have known this and made no mention of things being off limits or restricted in any way, so we are not sure what the rules would have been on that.

Our room was clean, but beds were not as comfortable as most HIE we've stayed, it wasn't awful. Working from the room proved a bit uncomfortable, as the desk chair was liberal in its recline and the noise from water repairs extremely distracting all day.

We were happy to see hand sanitizer dispensers through out high traffic areas like entrance, lounge/breakfast area, entrance, etc. Unfortunately, most were empty throughout our stay, so we presumed this to be lack of attention versus abundant use as the # of guests was minimal. Despite warnings of essential travelers only, we were not questioned, nor were others we were able to notice about meeting those requirements, and so we can only assume this was lip service. Perhaps this was because attendance was low to begin with. The hotel is conveniently located at a major exit ramp, so drop in traffic would seem commonplace and perhaps this was reserved for those customers without a previous reservation.

Overall, we might give this another try in the future if the need arises, as it definitely seemed to fit the bill better than the other various options in town, but definitely left us longing for some of the touches that made us loyal HIE customers...

Access to the hotel is a bit annoying at times. While it is "right of the interstate", it shares its roads with nearby truck stops (plural). Getting in and out of the parking lot meant that you'd have to wait behind lines of semi tractor trailers on occasion. To put it simply: When traffic was clear, it was clear, but there were times when you'd wait 5-7 minutes to get in or out. There is a limitation as to where the hotel can put an entrance/exit, due to the fact that there's a wide grassy "ditch" and a few structures between the lot and the main road, but perhaps a secondary entrance/exit would improve this portion of the stay. One final minor annoyance with parking: there are two ways in/out on the side road, but they're both marked as "enter", while none are marked as "exit". This can be a bit confusing for people that aren't familiar with this location.

Check-in was quick and easy and my room was ready to use right away. Upon entering the room, a flip of the light switch by the door revealed that the main room ceiling bulb was out. While not ideal, there was at least another ceiling bulb right above the door and there were 4 lamps in the room. The room felt "damp". This is something that most hotels struggle with and is usually able to be overcome with the "dry" feature on the room's heating and air unit. I'd recommend that this setting be turned on during housekeeping's final cleaning of a room, after a guest checks out. The bed was comfortable and the choices of soft and firm pillows was appreciated. The room was furnished with the standard amenities, otherwise.

Breakfast was surprisingly good. They had the typical assortment of foods, ranging from scramble eggs and biscuits and gravy to yogurt cups and juices. I had never seen an automatic pancake maker before and, while they weren't exactly fluffy, they were quickly produced and tasted just fine. The wait staff were attentive to my needs. The only "negative" thing I can say is that there were no pork-free meat options for guests with religions or dietary restrictions, but that's a common issue and something that those guests are understanding of.

The pool was large and at a comfortable temperature. The hot tub was barely hot. A close inspection of many of the pool chairs revealed that the bottoms of one, if not two of the feet had been rusted away and it's only a matter of time before a guest is injured due to the chair toppling over when they sit down. Ultimately, I don't believe guests of this location come for the pool and I don't feel that it should be a major factor when deciding if one...

When we arrived we were greeted by one staff member that was nice and cordial. When we asked her about breakfast for the next morning (because it was not listed ANYWHERE) she said it is set up different because of covid but needed to ask about the hours. She asked the other woman working if she knew the hours for breakfast in the morning and she scoffed, threw her hands up and said well idk.

After her and the other worker standing and looking @ each other for about 6seconds she finally answered "it is 5am till 9am" and walked out of the room in a huff!

We wrapped up checking in and got on the elevator and noticed the button pad was pretty dirty and there was stuff on the floor. Obviously thos hotel was not keeping up with covid cleanliness even though they had distancing signs everywhere. That made us question if the rooms were even properly cleaned!

The beds were hard and not soft like all the others of the same chain i stay in and did not offer the 2 different stifness's of pillows like the others.

The next morning we went down for breakfast around 8am and noticed there was absolutely nothing there. I asked the front desk (different workers there this time) what happened to breakfast being out till 9am.. both workers looked @ me and one said "well i don't know". I told him what bight shift had told me and he replied " well i don't know what to tell you".

This stay was the 2nd worst experience i have had with this chain in the Many years i have been using them!!

I have no desire to ever return to this particular establishment unless they have some SERIOUS customer service training and the chip on their...