Holiday Inn Express & Suites Bessemer, an IHG Hotel — Hotel in Bessemer

Frankly, I was disappointed. I paid $149 a night for a room with 2 queen size beds and the room had a dank smell to it. The second floor has a sign with arrows pointing to the ice machine, however; there isn't an ice machine on the second floor. I had to go to the first floor for ice. The refrigerator worked too well. It froze all of the dinks and the baby food and there wasn't an adjustment knob inside the unit. The internet was hit and miss, more miss than hit for me. I used the Quality Inn's internet which can be captured from Holiday Express. The biggest and most dangerous concern was the bathtub. Considering the current state of obesity in America and especially in the southern states, the tub is small. These tubs must have been built for children and adults 130 pounds and under. I'm a bodybuilder on the small side of the sport and I was extremely uncomfortable I slipped getting into the tub because there isn't any sticky grip adhesive on the tub floor and there is only one handrail positioned at the front of the tub and not the back where most normal people enter the shower. I went to the fitness room and came back upstairs. The fitness room consists of 3 pieces of cardio equipment. There are no weight machines. Lastly, the pool area. I went downstairs to take a dip to cool off from the Alabama heat and walked into a sauna. The water was warm and the room was muggy. I figured it was a heated pool which would be great in the winter but during the Summer not so good. I felt like a piece of chicken being fried for dinner.

The upside to my visit is the front desk staff and location. The staff is accommodating and always present at the front desk, unlike other hotels I've visited. This hotel has a Waffle House next door, although I don't suggest you visit due to the lackadaisical attitude and behavior of the staff, A Cracker Barrel's Country Store, Apple Bee's restaurant, and the Seafood King restaurant which has some of the best fish, cajun fries, and fried mushrooms that you'd eat in that area. The Super Walmart, Zaxby's chicken, and other gas stations and restaurants are nearby as well. The parking lot at the hotel is well lit and has a roaming security guard at night for safety. There is coffee available throughout the day and night for coffee lovers and finally, there's breakfast. If you've never met Gina you will never be the same again after meeting her. She runs the kitchen and dining room like a well-oiled machine. Her southern hospitality is what I grew up experiencing and she made everyone she came in contact with feel at home and appreciated. Gina was the best part of the visit for me and my family, and the Seafood King. The food was good considering what she had to work with and it was fulfilling. Overall, I rate the place a C+ because of the price and the tubs, otherwise, it would...

My parents and I checked into our rooms Thursday evening, 9/15/22. Our rooms were right next door to each other which was convenient. While sanitizing the bathroom tub with Lysol I saw two small bugs. I haven't seen baby roaches in over 45 years so I didn't know what types of bugs they were. It didn't matter to me because a bug is a bug! I went next door to my parents room to tell them about the baby bugs. While sitting on the loveseat a bug crawled up the wall next to where my mom was sitting. Now, we're freaking out! We decided that we couldn't stay here for the next 5 days. My mom and I stopped at the desk on the way to get food. While telling the lady about the 3 bugs there was a huge roach, water bug, whatever you wanna call it crawling on the lobby floor, then up the back of the chair fast as Hell!! The lady behind the desk didn't appreciate the fact that I was freaking out about the bugs! I didn't care but we wasn't staying there. The hotel was clean. But after seeing 4 bugs within 30 minutes,that was enough for me! Some people may be ok with bugs. But whether an establishment have bugs or not, I don't want...

Spent 1 night December 22 to break up Drive from Nashville to Biloxi with short visits to friends and family along the way. There are a half dozen new motels in the complex. HI Express chosen due to good past experience. Check in was a breeze, room was perfect. Fridge, microwave, wifi, all present and working well. There were numerous electrical outlets including USB A and C outlets near every table. Breakfast had the most choices I've ever seen, including omelets, biscuits and gravy. One revue note a musty smell. What I smelled was new. We might have been the first guests in the room.

Reviewed here because HI website does not support my browser. I'll likely get 3 more emails asking for a review. Get with it HI, spend some of that marketing money on...