Holiday Inn Express Big Rapids by IHG — Hotel in Big Rapids

The air hung thick and humid in the late afternoon, the kind of stillness that precedes a summer storm. The sun, a hazy orange disk, struggled to pierce the gray blanket of clouds. I was sitting in my car in the Holiday Inn Express parking lot, the engine humming quietly, i called the front desk to see if they had rooms available. The lot was mostly empty, a vast expanse of asphalt interrupted by neat rows of white-painted lines and the occasional lonely vehicle. ​That's when I saw it. A small bird, a sparrow I think, though its colors seemed muted and indistinct in the fading light. It landed with a soft flutter a few feet in front of my car, its tiny claws clicking on the blacktop. It hopped once, then twice, its head cocked to the side. And that's when it happened. It looked at me. Not just glanced, but truly looked, its beady black eye fixed on me through the windshield. It was a stare so intense it felt like a question. ​I sat perfectly still, my hands resting on the steering wheel, and we held our silent communion. The world outside my car seemed to fade away. There was only the bird and me, two beings in a concrete desert, connected by an inexplicable moment of shared awareness. ​The bird broke the spell first. It gave a little hop and then another, a tiny dance on the hot asphalt. Its wings, folded neatly against its back, suddenly flared open, a brief, frantic display of white and brown. It held them for a second, a small, triumphant pose, before folding them back in place. Then it started to jump, little springs and bounces, as if the ground were a trampoline. It would hop from one foot to the other, its movements quick and jerky, a punctuation mark in the quiet stillness. ​Then, with a sudden burst of energy, it launched itself into the air. It didn't fly away, though. It flew straight up, a vertical climb that seemed impossible for such a small creature, then it hovered for a moment, suspended in the still air. Then it plummeted down, a controlled dive, landing just as softly as it had a minute before. It repeated this strange ritual: up, hover, down. Up, hover, down. A tiny, feathered piston. ​I don't know how long it went on. Time seemed to lose its meaning in the face of this bizarre, captivating performance. The bird was a tiny dancer, an acrobat, a fleeting spectacle for an audience of one. ​And then, just as suddenly as it began, it was over. The bird gave one last, final jump, a little flourish for the finale. It spread its wings one last time, a great, expansive flap that seemed to catch the last rays of the sun. Then it took off, not up and down this time, but straight, a clean, direct flight toward the dark silhouette of a distant oak tree. It was gone in an instant, a small speck swallowed by the twilight. ​The silence that followed felt heavy, a tangible weight in the air. The world rushed back in—the low hum of my car, the distant roar of traffic on the highway. I was just a person in a car in a parking lot again. But for a few brief moments, I had been part of something else, a silent witness to a small, profound mystery, but the image of that bird, a tiny, fleeting spirit in a Holiday Inn parking lot, stayed with me long after the sun had set. Oh, yeah, I never actually stayed here because they had no vacancy, so I drove to the super 8 motel and...

We stayed two nights at this hotel for our grandson's hockey tournament. The staff was very helpful and friendly. Check-In was easy.

Our room was perfect. We had originally reserved a two queen room for one night, but decided at the last min to stay two nights. The queen room wasn't available, but we were able to get a King room with a sitting area for the same price. This hotel has class....the elevators "talk", the fridge was inside the dresser with a closed door, the bathroom shower had full glass doors. We even received a call from the front desk a little after we arrived in our room asking if we needed anything and welcoming us to the hotel! We had forgotten an item and one of the staff offered to go get it for us. Everything was very clean.

Our only complaint about the Internet service. It would not always connect, making it difficult to use our phones and tablets. As we checked out, another guest that was on the floor below us told the desk that they couldn't use their phones or laptops at all because the connection was so bad.

The hot tub was extremely hot, but not real bubbly. It was a small hot tub, though and seemed to have a big bump on the floor at the base of the steps. The pool was quite large.

We ate at the restaurant that is attached to the hotel .... Sporting News Grill. Prices were reasonable for sandwiches. Service was very good. I recommend the Philly Steak sandwich or the Chicken Quesadillas.

We ordered a pizza which was excellent. However, if you want something other than the 3-4 pizzas listed on the menu, there is an upcharge. They wanted to charge $5 extra to make pineapple and bacon pizza. We got one with mushrooms instead and it was fantastic!

We ordered room service for breakfast one day. The service was fast, the food was warm. However, it was NOT GOOD! I ordered stuffed French Toast. Their idea of stuffed French Toast is French toast with Philadelphia Cream Cheese spread on it and made into a sandwich. YUK! I scraped off the cream cheese.

Room service was very classy. They brought the food up on a table that had the sides that could be put up. They used cloth tablecloths and napkins.

I definitely would recommend this hotel to anyone. It was easy to find and close to the Ice Arena, restaurants and shopping. We totally...

Usually stay at the Hampton when in town visiting family, but was really hoping for the use of a hot tub on this trip. Called to ensure the amenities were all working as the site said facility was under construction- assured they were good to go. Arrived for stay and hotel did not have reservation- manager said I must have booked on another website but I went directly on the IHG Big Rapids website where I also joined to become a rewards member. Arrived late that night after driving cross country and air conditioning unit did not work. Was too tired to deal with it that night so next morning, told front desk and all they could do was say sorry- the hotel was quite busy. Breakfast that day had a lot of variety and was pretty good, but things went out fast and were not restocked. Went back up to room and keys did not work. Had to have room keys rekeyed at least twice a day. They said to keep away from phones but I had them nowhere near phones and they still had issues. Bathroom had evidence of mold on ceiling. Once I took a shower for the day, I could smell the overwhelming smell of the mold which caused breathing/ sinus issues the bathroom vents did not work at all and the whole room felt humid- hallways did most of the day, too. Rooms seemed a bit outdated and the walls are very thin- I could hear neighbors conversations clear as if sitting next to me- and the baby crying all night made it impossible to sleep! To make matters worse, I was charged for the booking they said they didn’t have in their system- as well as the one they booked once I arrived- and had to call corporate, and a very unhelpful manager with still no resolution and then have family physically go in and speak to a front desk attendant with pics of my receipts to remedy the issue which still took 2 weeks to fix. Most of the people that worked the front desk, breakfast crew and housekeepers were the only highlight of the stay. They were all just lovely. Really hope this place gets better after the renovations but at the very least- check your room for mold AS...