Holiday Inn Resort the Lodge at Big Bear Lake by IHG — Hotel in Big Bear Lake

Have you ever arrived somewhere & immediately felt you were not welcome? If you plan to stay on points, this is what you can expect here. I was reminded of Julia Roberts in the movie "Pretty Woman" when she went shopping on Rodeo Drive for clothing and was snubbed by the clerks in the dress shop.

I arrived and checked in. The desk clerk was cordial enough but not friendly nor did he greet me as a Platinum Elite Member of Holiday Inns. On my profile, I request an upstairs room and because of several similar experiences at various Holiday Inn properties, I request not to be located in a handicap room. My room was ready. I opened the door to a nice room on the 3rd (top) floor, handicap room, at the back of the hotel overlooking several trash dumpsters. As we were to be there for 2 days, I requested to be moved to a room that was not a handicap room and preferrably with a nicer view. The same clerk was able to give me another room. I picked up my new keys from a different clerk who also didn't apologize for the issue or recognize me as a Platinum Elite member.

The new room was somewhat better, still at the back of the hotel, first floor, but away from the dumpsters. Issues with the room, the left side of the window drapes were hard to close, the air conditioner barely cooled the room at the lowest thermostat setting, the refrigerator barely cooled our drinks, the safe for valuables was locked and would require a manager to unlock it for us to be able to store our jewelry while away, the door to the shower and toilet was warped from too many years of mopping the floor and was extremely hard to slide into and out of the wall; it should have been replaced when the somewhat recent remodeling was completed, and the TV remote back was broken and wouldn't stay closed. We discovered many of these issues after being in the room for awhile and not all at once. The first day we left early and were gone until about 5:00 PM, when we returned the room had not been cleaned and no one had come in to replace towels and wash cloths, there were wet towels & a shower curtain in the hall a few doors down from our room. I found a maid still working and asked her to come to our room for service. she agreed but spoke only broken English and indicated that was not her area to service (I think), we agreed to settle for fresh towels, etc. We didn't bother bringing any of this to the attention of the clerks on duty as they didn't appear to care.

Throughout our stay we were out most of the time and at no time was the parking lot more than half full, nor were there any buses in the parking lot indicating a large number of guests. This was also not in the peak season. In conclusion, there were many rooms available, if I weren't paying on points.

When I checked out, the clerk told me as I had stayed on points, there was no receipt and that I was "good to go". She never asked how my stay was or if everything was okay, etc.

CLEARLY WE WERE JUST SECOND CLASS CITIZENS TO BE DISCOURAGED FROM RETURNING. IT...

I really hate leaving bad reviews, but while the location of this hotel was fantastic everything else about it was sincerely awful. The AC did not work and our room was 83 all night and when we tried to open a window to cool off, we quickly discovered that there was a metal clip in the window that prevented it from opening more than an inch. ||We were SO hot and miserable that we didn't sleep at all. At one point I sat up in frustration, near tears, and looked at the clock and was devastated to se that it was only 12:30 at night. By 4:30 we gave up entirely, packed our bags and decided to just leave. We were supposed to have all day in big bear to kayak and hike, but we knew that with zero sleep we had to get on the road for the 3 hour drive home or we wouldn't be able to drive at all. ||When we tried to shower, we found that either the soap dispenser was completely out of soap or broken- either way, shouldn't have happened! It was a very hot weekend and we wanted to be clean!||We tried to use the pool at one point and discovered that the walls and stairs are coated in green mold or mildew and there were dozens of dead bugs floating on the surface. The hot tub was also full of scum and the step into it was actually slimy when we tried to step on it! Absolutely disgusting. ||The coffee station was out of water in the morning when we tried to check out, and there were ants covering the creamers and sugar packets.||The gentleman who checked us in was kind and extremely helpful... BUT, he did mention putting us on the second floor because it was cooler, and when we asked if they had air he said yes. His hesitation should have let us know that something was amiss. Reading the other reviews lately, this is NOT something that only happened this weekend, but is an onging issue that we should have been told about before booking our stay. ||Our entire trip was ruined, we had a boat tour scheduled that we had to cancel because we were too tired to stay for it. I'm so, so, so upset with this hotel! Summer is HERE so if you value sleep, PLEASE DO NOT BOOK HERE. ||This experience has made me question ever wanting to stay with a holiday inn resort again. If the air has been an issue for this long, why has corperate not sent someone to fix it? This is a HUGE tourist destination, and it is HOT! Shame on you Holiday Inn for putting your employees in a position to have to deal with upset guests over something that is your responsibility to take care of. ||We tried very hard to be kind to the people working behind the desk because it is not their fault, but we were tired and upset and I am absolutely certain that other guests have had the same experience and also feel as if they should have been warned before booking about the AC not working, as it is clearly a known issue. ||I wish I could give zero stars, but I guess the single star is for the...

A group of us booked rooms at this Holiday Inn three months in advance to attend a three-day car show from August 8–10. We specifically requested lower-floor rooms near each other so we could hang out outside together. While we understood that no guarantees could be made, we were still charged $260 per night—premium rates for what turned out to be a miserable experience.|Upon arrival, we were informed that the entire hotel’s AC had been out for over two months. Not only were we placed on the 4th floor (not what we requested), but my room had only a single window facing the afternoon sun. It was open and unscreened when I entered, and the room was a stifling 84 degrees.|I tried calling the front desk—no answer. When I went down in person to ask for a fan, I was told there were none available. I asked to be moved to a different room, and was told that wasn’t an option either. The only “solution” I was given was: “It’ll cool down after sunset.”|When I asked about compensation due to the unacceptable conditions, the desk manager became hostile and threatened to throw me off the property if I “kept complaining.” He also stated that air conditioning isn’t required in hotels—only heat is. The audacity and lack of basic hospitality were appalling.|Due to the car show in town, every hotel in Big Bear was fully booked, so I had no option but to stay the first night. By 9:50 PM, my room had climbed to 86 degrees. The second night was unbearable, and I had to drive home—cutting my trip short.|I contacted IHG Customer Service right away, and as of now, I still haven’t received a response. I’ve since filed a complaint with the San Bernardino County Health Department, who confirmed that existing AC systems must be properly maintained. A case was opened on August 13, and if the hotel doesn’t take action within 15 days, it will be escalated. (If you have a similar issue, call them at 800-442-2283.)|I also informed the Building Department, as the conditions were not just uncomfortable—they were unsafe, especially with the predicted heat wave this week. It’s only a matter of time before there’s a serious heat exhaustion incident if this continues.|To top it all off, the desk manager was the rudest person I’ve ever encountered in hospitality. When I told him I’d be filing complaints, his smug response was: “Can’t wait to see what you can do.”|Well, here’s what I can do: warn others. This stay ruined what was supposed to be a fun birthday weekend. I’ll never return to this property under its current management, and I strongly advise others to stay away until major...